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1928...Magic Time. As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was just beginning their recognition of the very best in motion picture production, Charles Somma and Walter Coulter were contemplating construction of a theatre which would represent the very best in motion picture exhibition. Poised on the brink of historical changes, the timing could not have been more ideal: If the Byrd had been built a year earlier, it might not have had some of its amazing architectural and projection advances....if it had been built a year later...well, 1929 being what it was, it might have not been built at all. But it was...and it began its life at the forefront of what theatres could be: cantilevered balcony, state of the art air handling, not just one, but two separate sound systems, making it the first sound theatre to open in the state. And yet, not having totally abandoned silent product, a full Wurlitzer theatre organ was also part of the original design.

This conjunction of times and technologies created a persona for the Byrd that continues today: past, present, and future sitting side by side in one location. The elegant French Empire plaster-work, hand painted artworks and Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier share a building with a state of the art Dolby digital sound system and digital projector. The Byrd is a bridge between the past and the future: never letting us forget what the grand age of movie palaces was like...and always striving to be the best place for future audiences to experience everything that is yet to come.

A Message from Todd Schall-Vess, General Manager of the Byrd:
"All of us at the Byrd Theatre and the Byrd Theatre Foundation are proud to play host to the Central Virginia Film Institute's 2nd annual Oscar Night Virginia. With the Byrd beginning its 80th year and the Oscars celebrating their 80th anniversary, the time could not be more ideal for the consolidation of these two great film icons here in our community."

For more information about the Byrd Theatre Foundation, please visit their website.