Lyric Vision

As a center of cultural and civic activity for the region, the Lyric Theatre is the place to enjoy films, theater, music, dance, and lectures. The Lyric Theatre, the heart of Blacksburg, enhances activity downtown and provides a community facility for a diversity of programs which complement movies and entertainment now available.

History Of The Theatre

Designed by Roanoke architect Louis Phillipe Smithey and opened in 1930, the Lyric Theatre reflected two design trends of the period - Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival. Equipped with a modern movie system, balcony, stage, and orchestra pit, the Lyric was one of three theaters in Virginia with advanced technology and became a focal point for movies and a variety of entertainment.

Operated as a movie theater by the Kelsey family until 1989, the theater is on the Virginia and National Registers of Historic Places as a part of the Downtown Blacksburg Historic District. The building is owned by the Blacksburg Realty Partnership.