The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was built in 1927 by Paramount's Publix Theatres chain as its flagship theater for the southeastern region of the United States. Seating 2,500 people at the time, it was the largest in the Birmingham theater district. The district was once home to many large theaters and movie palaces that featured vaudeville, performing arts, nickelodeons and Hollywood films. Built to show silent films, the Alabama still features its original Wurlitzer theater organ. The Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre are the district's only remaining theaters, and as of 2024, both are in operation.
History
Construction plans for the Alabama Theatre were announced in 1926, but groundbreaking was delayed until April 1, 1927. The grand opening was held as originally scheduled on December 26, 1927. Construction of the concrete-and-steel building cost approximately $1.5 million.
thumb|left|The Grand Lobby, between the Hall of Mirrors and Main Auditorium, in 1996, prior to restoration.
In 1934, the adjacent Loveman's of Alabama department store was destroyed by fire. However, a thick firewall protected the theater and limited the impact to some smoke damage around air vents in the auditorium. The smoke stains would remain until the 1998 theater restoration.
In 1998, the Alabama Theatre underwent a complete restoration in which gold leaf and paint were cleaned or replaced, seats were replaced or recovered and some carpeting and drapes were replaced. The renovation coincided with the conversion of the 1935 Loveman's building into the McWane Science Center.