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Orpheum Theatre History
  The story
of the Orpheum's glory days, its fall from grace and its rise again,
parallels the history of Phoenix through nearly seven decades. From a
community of prosperity, through the depression, to Post-War suburban growth and, now, in the renaissance of an urban downtown core.
Click on the jump links below to read about the history of the
Orpheum.
1927-1949
The Orpheum construction started in 1927 when downtown Phoenix was a
hotbed of new construction: Hotel Westward Ho, Luhrs Towers, a
combined courthouse and City Hall, the San Carlos Hotel were all just
completed or were under construction. It cost J. E. Rickards and
Harry Nace $750,000 to realize their dream to build the most
extravagant theater in Phoenix. Motion pictures had begun to outclass
traveling vaudeville shows, which had long dominated theaters.
Vaudeville had to glitz up its acts in order to survive, and that
required better theaters.
Vaudeville didn't survive, of course, but its needs were met at the
Orpheum. As vaudeville died, the Orpheum became mostly a movie house,
although other events were held there. Gene Bumph, a local dance
instructor, rented the Orpheum so his students could do their tap
recitals.
1949-1968
In 1949 the theater was sold to another movie chain and renamed the
Paramount. Phoenix was booming, but new residents were settling in
the suburbs and the advent of television would soon spell the demise
of the theaters as the exclusive outlet for entertainment. In twenty
short years, the once superior Orpheum was outdated and was no match
for suburban theaters built to accommodate Hollywood's latest
technologies in sound and color showcasing "wide screen" celluloid
extravaganzas. Downtown would soon begin a long fade. The magnificent
movie palaces such as the Fox and Rialto were demolished, and those
remaining fell out of grace.
After four decades as a movie theater, various owners had obliterated
much of the Orpheum's intricate decorative painting, which originally
graced the lobbies and audience chamber. The murals were painted over
in black to avoid competing for attention with the productions and
four of the graduated "ropes" of decorated plaster that framed the
proscenium arch were removed.
1968-Early 1980s
In 1968, impresario James Nederlander bought the theater and renamed
it Palace West, adding it to his string of playhouses for touring
Broadway plays and musical productions. Under his ownership, a new
generation of Phoenicians was introduced to the theater with stage
productions such as Cabaret, Barefoot in the Park, Annie, The Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas and other popular plays.
While Phoenicians enjoyed the productions, Nederlander recognized
that extensive and expensive improvements would be needed to continue
to present first class productions. Then he abandoned the Palace West
as a stop for his national touring circuit and leased the theater to
the Corona family, who presented Spanish language films for several
years.
Early 1980s
In the early 1980's Nederlander decided to put the property on the
market rather than renovate it for reuse. It shared the block with a
drive-thru restaurant and a parking lot -- an incompatible icon of a
bygone era.
The theater's location on the west side of Central Avenue may have
had more to do with its survival than any other factor. Many older
buildings fell victim to destruction by fire or were razed to
accommodate high rise development in the 1970's. But Second Avenue
and Adams Street was not in the direction Phoenix' downtown rebirth
was headed.
Concurrent to the Orpheum's near demise, the Junior League of Phoenix
initiated a project to inventory historic buildings in the downtown
area. Although the Orpheum was identified as a valuable historic
property, some potential buyers considered razing the theater to put
a new commercial building there.
Then-Mayor Terry Goddard and his newly formed historic preservation
task force endorsed the idea of having the city buy the theater to
ensure its long-term preservation. Shortly thereafter, the Junior
League of Phoenix spearheaded a community effort to retain the
architectural and historical integrity of Phoenix' last historic
theater and helped place the Orpheum on the National Register of
Historic Places.
1987-1989
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Junior League in
Phoenix, the League pledged a $50,000 gift to the City of Phoenix to
serve as a catalyst for the theater's restoration. To raise public
support and encourage private sector donations, the League assisted
in organizing the Orpheum Theatre Foundation in 1987 and
incorporating it in 1989.
By adopting the Orpheum Theatre as a project, the League contributed
$150,000, 175 volunteers and thousands of hours over the next ten
years, providing the vision and leadership to realize the completion
of the restoration effort.
Phoenix suffered a real estate "downturn" at the end of the 80's,
which impacted the flow of funds from the city as well as the private
sector. The city's five-year Capital Improvement Program was
stretched out to ten years, and the Orpheum's construction, as well
as other cultural projects, was delayed.
1990
In 1990, then-Mayor Paul Johnson and the Phoenix City Council decided
to incorporate the Orpheum into the construction plans for the new
City Hall to be built on the site on the south half of the Orpheum
block. The modern 20-story City Hall building would be like a mother
to a refurbished Orpheum, providing her water, electricity, heating
and cooling. At the same time, the old theater would be restored to
better than new, so it could serve as a performing arts center,
another step in restarting the heart of the city.
With the dedicated leadership of Delbert and Jewell Lewis, president
and board chairman of MAC America, respectively, the Orpheum Theatre
Foundation's Restoration Campaign Committee embarked on a mission to
bridge the financial gap and secure the funds to support a total
restoration of the facility before reopening. Through a multitude of
events, programs and activities, fundraising and
consciousness-raising, corporate and individual contributors from a
broad cross-section of the community met the challenge.
Today
After 12 years, $14 million and an incredible amount of perseverance,
the historic Orpheum Theatre has been renovated for "adaptive reuse,"
restoring as much of its visible splendor as possible, while
retrofitting it as a modern theater capable of handling anything
Broadway sends its way. And its marquee at Second Avenue and Adams
Street again announces the names of first class productions, drawing
thousands of people to a vibrant downtown venue.
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