In the early 1920s Rapp & Rapp were brought in to remodel the interior entirely. In about 1924 work began by ripping out the balcony and box seats. Then, for reasons I have yet to determine, work stopped, Keith vaudeville moved to the Tivoli, and the Lyric sat decimated and unusable for several years. In 1930 an architect named W Bruce Riddell drew up plans to convert the upper-story offices to apartments and club rooms, and to build a small box inside what was once the orchestra level, which was to be used as a new cinema. The stage, unusable without the balcony, was sealed off with a brick wall. That’s why the seating capacity was reduced to less than half of what it originally was. (Much of this info comes from Brian Morton.)
By the way, are TheSaltMan and Matt Meier reading this? If so, could you write to me? Thanks so much!
Thank you everybody so much for filling me in. It’s beyond sad that this building is being gutted yet again.
About ten or twelve years ago I began to research the Lyric Theatre, and drove up to Hamilton from Buffalo on several occasions, whenever time would permit. I started piecing together whatever I could find from the downtown library’s scrapbooks and microfilms and wandered around the outside the building a number of times. You see, the Lyric was built by my favorite architectural firm, Leon H Lempert & Son, Theatrical Architects (1884-1933), based in Rochester. I had no success in locating any illustrations of the original 1912/1913 interior, which I understand was gutted and completely remodeled several times through the decades. Of course, all that was before the days of cinematreasures.org – or, at least I think it was – and so there was simply no possibility that I could hook up with other interested researchers. Since I have moved away from the region, I decided to post my sloppy, quick-and-dirty scrapbook online: View link
If you can add to this knowledge, please contact me. Or if you wish to use my scrapbook in furtherance of a book or article or documentary, please contact me prior to doing so.
If you can dig up Lempert’s original designs, blueprints, or photos of the original interior, please contact me at
I’m at my wit’s end. I first attended the Sunshine in 1973 for GONE WITH THE WIND, and my immature mind could not put a finger on what was wrong. I attended regularly in the late 1970s when it was a repertory house, and I still could not put my finger on what was wrong. Now I can. The entire interior of the theatre was drastically remodeled in 1948 in art moderne style. The only remaining trace of architect Henry C Trost’s and the anonymous decorator’s original design is the plaster mold surrounding the proscenium. Many moons ago I went through the microfilms of the local papers from circa May 1924 and found a single illustration of the original interior: a detail of an exit door, which was framed by three arches, all traces of which have been erased forever. The Henry Trost archives appear to have nothing about the Sunshine. The Albuquerque Public Library has nothing. The Albuquerque Museum has no illustrations of the original interior, and UNM’s Center for Southwest Research has papers relating only to the hideous 1948 remodeling. Does anyone, anyone, anyone at all have illustrations of the original 1924 interior? Many thanks!
This is the longest of long-shots. As you can see from the post by Ron3853 above, on 09/17/69 a movie called DEADLY SWEET opened at the Paramount. I am doing research on this obscure movie, and am hoping against hope to find someone who saw it at the Paramount. If you saw it, or if you know someone who did, or if you could trace down someone who did, I would really like to hear from you. You may read my essay on the movie at http://rjbuffalo.com/1967a-he.html
Many thanks!
Ciao!
LHL12
Hi schmadrian,
In the early 1920s Rapp & Rapp were brought in to remodel the interior entirely. In about 1924 work began by ripping out the balcony and box seats. Then, for reasons I have yet to determine, work stopped, Keith vaudeville moved to the Tivoli, and the Lyric sat decimated and unusable for several years. In 1930 an architect named W Bruce Riddell drew up plans to convert the upper-story offices to apartments and club rooms, and to build a small box inside what was once the orchestra level, which was to be used as a new cinema. The stage, unusable without the balcony, was sealed off with a brick wall. That’s why the seating capacity was reduced to less than half of what it originally was. (Much of this info comes from Brian Morton.)
By the way, are TheSaltMan and Matt Meier reading this? If so, could you write to me? Thanks so much!
Ciao!
Thank you everybody so much for filling me in. It’s beyond sad that this building is being gutted yet again.
About ten or twelve years ago I began to research the Lyric Theatre, and drove up to Hamilton from Buffalo on several occasions, whenever time would permit. I started piecing together whatever I could find from the downtown library’s scrapbooks and microfilms and wandered around the outside the building a number of times. You see, the Lyric was built by my favorite architectural firm, Leon H Lempert & Son, Theatrical Architects (1884-1933), based in Rochester. I had no success in locating any illustrations of the original 1912/1913 interior, which I understand was gutted and completely remodeled several times through the decades. Of course, all that was before the days of cinematreasures.org – or, at least I think it was – and so there was simply no possibility that I could hook up with other interested researchers. Since I have moved away from the region, I decided to post my sloppy, quick-and-dirty scrapbook online: View link
If you can add to this knowledge, please contact me. Or if you wish to use my scrapbook in furtherance of a book or article or documentary, please contact me prior to doing so.
If you can dig up Lempert’s original designs, blueprints, or photos of the original interior, please contact me at
Many, many thanks!
Ciao!
I’m at my wit’s end. I first attended the Sunshine in 1973 for GONE WITH THE WIND, and my immature mind could not put a finger on what was wrong. I attended regularly in the late 1970s when it was a repertory house, and I still could not put my finger on what was wrong. Now I can. The entire interior of the theatre was drastically remodeled in 1948 in art moderne style. The only remaining trace of architect Henry C Trost’s and the anonymous decorator’s original design is the plaster mold surrounding the proscenium. Many moons ago I went through the microfilms of the local papers from circa May 1924 and found a single illustration of the original interior: a detail of an exit door, which was framed by three arches, all traces of which have been erased forever. The Henry Trost archives appear to have nothing about the Sunshine. The Albuquerque Public Library has nothing. The Albuquerque Museum has no illustrations of the original interior, and UNM’s Center for Southwest Research has papers relating only to the hideous 1948 remodeling. Does anyone, anyone, anyone at all have illustrations of the original 1924 interior? Many thanks!
This is the longest of long-shots. As you can see from the post by Ron3853 above, on 09/17/69 a movie called DEADLY SWEET opened at the Paramount. I am doing research on this obscure movie, and am hoping against hope to find someone who saw it at the Paramount. If you saw it, or if you know someone who did, or if you could trace down someone who did, I would really like to hear from you. You may read my essay on the movie at http://rjbuffalo.com/1967a-he.html
Many thanks!
Ciao!
LHL12