RICHMOND, Va. -- The historic Byrd Theatre, located in Richmond's Carytown neighborhood, recently shared photos of the ongoing effort to upgrade the 1920s-era movie palace.
While it was exciting to see those photos, we wanted to ask some questions about the work and what moviegoers can expect when the Byrd reopens later in August.
CBS 6: What are some of the biggest changes moviegoers will notice?
Byrd Theatre: New Carpet! The marquee in the front - we've taken the drop ceiling down and are working to clean the pressed metal (properly abating, etc). The marble around the box office is being cleaned and restored. General deep cleaning is happening.
Is the work on schedule so the theater can reopen after Aug. 25?
We've had to add an additional day of closure, so we will reopen on August 27 instead of August 26.
How is this work being funded?
It's a combination of contributed and earned funds. Stacy Shaw, our executive director, has been working with the board for two years to change our operating budget to allow us to focus on building maintenance. In addition, we have had some donors who we have long-standing relationships with step up to help us with this endeavor and make sure we could fund the building maintenance line item. There's so much more to do, we don't have the funds to tackle everything at once, but this is a great start and we are super excited!
What else should fans of the Byrd know?
We hope fans will come to see a film and check out the upgrades! We want them to know, that we are making progress!
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
