PHX Reporter

The Orpheum Theatre Phoenix turns 95 on January 5, 2024. The historic theatre has remained a mainstay of downtown Phoenix for nearly a century, and as the decades passed Orpheum Theatre was reimagined to remain a pillar of the performing arts community.  

With a new digital cinema package designed for the ultimate movie-going experience, Orpheum Theatre continues to support varied shows—from comedy to ballet performances to movie premieres to concerts.  

Opened on January 5, 1929, it was the last major construction project in Phoenix before the onset of the Great Depression and was the pride of the City. With 1,800 seats and an early form of air conditioning, it was the only theatre between Los Angeles and Denver able to handle the traveling vaudeville shows that rotated weekly.  

The theatre was designed by architects Lescher & Mahoney and built for $750,000 by Jo E. Rickards and Harry Nace. The Orpheum was designed in the atmospheric style, with the audience sitting in a garden surrounded by Spanish-style buildings, murals of mountains, and forests, under puffy white clouds moving across a deep blue, domed sky.  

In 1984, the City of Phoenix acquired the block containing Orpheum Theatre as a site for its new 20-story city hall and that very next year, the theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

"I am proud that our team gets to play a role in the rich history of the Orpheum Theatre,” said Jerry Harper, acting director of the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues. "Maintaining the storied architectural and structural elements is as crucial to us as remembering the early days of the theatre and how it has changed over time. We are thrilled to celebrate 95 years of the Orpheum Theatre and look forward to many more."

In 1988, voters approved $7 million for the restoration of the theatre. The following year, the Orpheum Theatre Foundation was established to raise the remaining funds. In 1991, the theatre’s original name, Orpheum, was restored after several name changes over the years.

Today, the theatre still inspires and entertains audiences, offering a glimpse into the past while also looking to the future. Friends of the Orpheum Theatre, the nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the theatre, is celebrating this historic milestone with "Arizona Unzipped," a production showcasing the essence of the Roaring Twenties and beyond.

Keywords: Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix Convention Center, Orpheum, Orpheum Theatre Phoenix    

Original source can be found here.