The Orpheum Theatre is a 1364-seat
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in downtown
Phoenix. This venue was originally used for
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
acts as part of the nationwide
Orpheum Circuit.
History
Construction began in 1927 and was completed in 1929 for a total cost of $750,000. It was designed by architects
Lescher & Mahoney
Lescher & Mahoney was an American architectural firm from Phoenix, Arizona.
History
The firm was established in 1910 by Royal W. Lescher (1882–1957). Lescher practiced alone until 1912, when he took John R. Kibbey (1883–1963) as a ...
, with Hugh Gilbert associated. It was built for owner-operators J.E. Rickards and Harry Nace by the McGinty Construction Company.
Built in a
Spanish Revival style
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
In the ...
of
Spanish Baroque architecture
Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its provinces, and former colonies.
History
As Italian Baroque influences penetrated across the Pyrenees, they gradually superseded in popularity the restrained classi ...
style, intricate murals and moldings were an integral part of the design, all meant to give patrons the impression that they were enjoying the shows "al fresco."
In the 1940s the Orpheum was purchased by the
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
chain, and renamed, "The Paramount." In the 1960s
Nederlander purchased it to add it as a stop on the Broadway circuit. Throughout the 1960s until its restoration, it was renamed, "Palace West."
Throughout the mid 1970s and early 1980s, the Theatre was leased to the local Mexican enterprising Corona family, who presented a wide variety of Hispanic events and movies. At one point all the murals and moldings were painted black when the Orpheum was used to show Spanish films. In addition to wanting to hide the areas that were already in poor condition, it was thought that such decorations would detract from the films.
;Restoration
After falling into disrepair for some years, the city of Phoenix purchased the Orpheum Theatre in 1984 and began a 12-year, $14 million restoration. The
Conrad Schmitt Studios created the transformation and the Orpheum reopened on January 28, 1997, with a performance of ''
Hello, Dolly!'' starring
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...
.
[ After the performance, Ms. Channing, still in costume but out of character, thanked the audience for "not turning this beautiful theatre into a parking lot!"
]
Present day
The Orpheum Theatre of Phoenix was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1985.
In 1997, the Orpheum became home of the newly-formed Phoenix Opera.
See also
* List of historic properties in Phoenix, Arizona
This is a list, which includes photographic galleries, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments, of historic significance, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Included are photographs of properties identified by the African, Asia ...
References
External links
Official website
Friends of the Orpheum Theatre
{{Maricopa County, Arizona
Cinemas and movie theaters in Arizona
Music venues in Arizona
Theatres in Arizona
Buildings and structures in Phoenix, Arizona
Culture of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix Points of Pride
Theatres completed in 1929
National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
Event venues established in 1929
Tourist attractions in Phoenix, Arizona
Spanish Revival architecture in the United States
1929 establishments in Arizona