Initially, Lyric Hall had been an extravagant vaudeville outlet and silent movie auditorium, but intervening owners had scrapped the vast majority of its theatrical elements, not seeing the space’s history as integral to their business needs. Tiles were dangling off the ceiling and the hardwood floors were rotting.

“Restoring this theater was in my bones. It wasn’t even a vision; it was just so obviously important that even a stubborn guy like me couldn’t say ‘no.’ It’s bigger than me, bigger than you, bigger than all of us and all I want to do is share it with everybody.”

This is how John Cavaliere, the driving force behind Lyric Hall, describes his all-consuming passion. It hasn’t been easy to get here, however. When John purchased the building in 2006, all that remained of the once and now breathtaking theater was a small piece of the proscenium.