Lyric Theatre

Here are some photos from the CA state library:
http://tinyurl.com/38972g
http://tinyurl.com/2krffu

The Lyric Theatre was built in 1917 by the Diamos family to replace their earlier house of the same name in Brewery Gulch, and it remained in operation for almost 72 years. It was equipped for movies, vaudeville, and legitimate stage shows. In 1930, the Diamos family sold their small chain to Fox West Coast Theatres, who operated them for three years. In 1933 the houses reverted to the Diamos family, and a couple of years later John Diamos became the sole proprietor of the Lyric.

Diamos was still operating the Lyric in 1970, when the December 21 issue of Boxoffice reported that he had temporarily closed the house for repairs and refurbishing. He died in 1977, and the following year the heirs leased the Lyric to its last operator, Lee Hayes. He kept the theater open for a bit more than a decade with a combination of movies, stage shows and concerts, but finally closed the Lyric in January, 1989.

A few years later the building was sold to a local real estate company who remodeled the front of the building for their offices, but the darkened auditorium remained largely intact. A few years ago the real estate office closed, and the Lyric Theatre has been waiting for someone with the vision to restore and reopen it. One individual has hired Herb Stratford’s Historic Theatre Consultants to survey the property, and the company has a few recent photos of the house on their web site, but as yet I’ve heard nothing about any firm plans to restore the theater.

I would love any info on the restoration of this gem. I learned that my grandfather ran the projector long, long ago.