A major facelift is underway on the storefront of the historic Lyric Building in downtown Virginia.

By the end of 2016, members of the Laurentian Arts and Culture Alliance (LACA) plan to have completed a $200,000 renovation to the storefront of the former vaudeville theater on Chestnut Street.

The renovation is part of a plan to restore the building back to the era of the early 1900s when it was a bustling venue for arts and entertainment in the Queen City.

"We hope to become a destination place in the future where we have the theater in the building up and running and be able to hold programs there," said Mary McReynolds, chair of the LACA renovation committee. "There's a wealth of musicians and artists in the region. Having a hub like this will do a lot to promote artistic and educational opportunities."

Since acquiring the 21,370 square-foot building in 1998, LACA has replaced the roof, built an art gallery in the structure, finished a reuse study, and completed interior and exterior renovation assessments and designs.

The art gallery opened in 2006.

The next step in the renovation is to restore the storefront, including the construction of seven accessible doorways. The doorways will be constructed to replicate the building's seven original doors.

"It will get us to the point where we will have the egress needed to meet building codes and fire codes," said McReynolds.

Grants to assist in paying for storefront renovations are being sought. A local capital fundraising campaign, including crowdsourcing, begins in December.

Long-term renovations plans are to construct a 100-seat performing area for a children's theater group, an upstairs ballroom, and a 520-seat main theater.

At one time, there were seven arts and entertainment venues in downtown Virginia, said McReynolds.

"This is one of the last remaining vaudeville houses in the state and significant piece of the history of the city," said McReynolds. "With our arts gallery, we've had a lot of artists requesting to exhibit here. I think we've established ourselves well in that sector."

Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board provided a Culture and Tourism grant to LACA to assist the storefront renovation.