The Big Alabama Sign Will Shine Again In Birmingham With Help From National Grant

By Carla Davis

The votes have been counted, and thanks to overwhelming community support, the Alabama Theatre 18th Street sign will soon return to shine its light over downtown Birmingham.

On Nov. 2, the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign announced the Alabama Theatre campaign placed in the national top 10, earning a $120,000 grant to use toward replacing the sign. Throughout October, more than 54,000 theatre supporters across Alabama were among nearly a million people nationwide who voted for their favorite historic sites along America’s main streets as part of this competition.

“What that says to me is how much people really value the Alabama Theatre and the history of Birmingham,” said Brant Beene, president of Birmingham Landmarks, the nonprofit owner of the Alabama and Lyric theatres. “Asking people to vote every day for a month and having them respond to that is, in my opinion, a wonderful expression of the feelings people have for the theatre. It’s great to know they feel the same way we do. We want the theatre to be preserved not just for us, but for the people who come here, and for their children and grandchildren.”This new vertical sign will match the one that already illuminates the 3rd Avenue side of the theatre. When the iconic movie palace opened in 1927, both 18th Street and 3rd Avenue were lit by twin Alabama Theatre signs rimmed with dancing lights. The signs were removed in 1957 for repair, but only the one on 3rd Avenue was refurbished and replaced.

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