Lyric Theatre, Rickwood Field and Vulcan restorations were Tom Cosby’s passion
Tom Cosby, fundraiser for the Lyric Theatre
Fish were floating in the clear glass helmets of diving suits.
Eight-year-old Tom Cosby strolled into the Lyric Theatre on his birthday with his dad, who worked at the Pizitz department store in downtown Birmingham.
The movie showing was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and the diving suits at the entrance enthralled the young Cosby enough to utter, “Ahhh, show business . . . nothing like it.”
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I visited with Cosby at the newly refurbished Lyric Theatre on a recent day.
Patrons’ boxes flank the stage. Beautiful gold-painted plaster cherubs adorn the entire façade, transporting the classic venue that opened in 1914 to centuries-old Italy. You could almost hear the vaudeville-era music before the show as vendors sold sodas and popcorn for a nickel.
Looking around the majestic place, it is easy to imagine being there during that time: What is in store for tonight at the vaudeville venue? A magic show with trained animals, acrobats and jugglers? A music show with dancers? A burlesque show? After snapping back to current reality, I spoke with Cosby, who is very humbled and proud of leading the team that funded the restoration of the Lyric Theatre.
Members of the campaign cabinet that, working with Tom Cosby and Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks, raised the money needed to restore the Lyric Theatre: Danny Evans, chairman; Cathy Adams; Jeffrey Bayer; Louise Beard; Charlie Brown; Phillip Crane; Stewart Dansby; Nancy Goedecke; Bill Goodrich; Arthur Henley; Bobbie Knight; Matt Lusco; Jim Richardson; Alan Rogers; Robert Smith; Scott Vowell.
“I have been the fundraiser for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Business Alliance for 35 years. A friend of mine was vetting several fundraisers across the state, and I kept asking them, ‘How do you raise money in a town like this when you don’t know who the right people are?’ It became apparent to my friend that a local guy makes sense,” Cosby said.
Cosby has been that local guy. The Lyric fundraising job was a mammoth one, but still felt right. Cosby approached giants like Alabama Power and Regions Bank, as well as everyday folks who wanted to be a part of Birmingham’s history. On a personal level, Cosby had more than just the job in heart and in mind.
“Historic preservation is my passion. I’m one of the founders of the Friends of Rickwood. I was also involved with the restoration of Vulcan Park and Museum back in 1999,” Cosby said.
The Lyric opened as a performing arts venue and a vaudeville house. It became a movie theater after movies became popular in the 1920s. Designed for performance art with the seats close to the stage, the theater never succeeded as a cinema. It became the “dollar movie” venue of the time and its condition declined.
Cosby remembers when another Birmingham treasure, the old Terminal Station, was torn down.
“My grandfather was a railroader in Birmingham. When the order passed in 1969 to rip down the beautifully baroque Terminal Station, my whole family was heart-broken. That was a topic around the Cosby dinner table for a long time,” Cosby said. “A similar verdict hovered over the Lyric, struggling for years, and then closing for good in the late 1950s. It opened a couple times in the ‘70s and ‘80s as an art house cinema, but there wasn’t much capital coming in.”
After much hard work and the generosity of Birmingham’s corporations and residents, the Lyric now stands proudly linking the city to its glorious past when a night out on the town included tuxedos, gowns and a horse-drawn carriage ride.
“I love seeing the Lyric restored in all its glory . . . to what it once was in 1914. I hope generations of Birminghamians will come and take great pride in this building,” Cosby said.
There may not be fish floating in diving suits when you visit, but you can rest assured what Cosby said at age 8 still stands true.
“Ahhh, show business . . . nothing like it.”
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning photojournalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
