Orpheum Theater, Phoenix

Return of the City's Premier Stage

When you look at the rebirth of the Orpheum Theater, "Phoenix" becomes such an ironic name. Like the bird from Greek mythology rising from its own ashes, the Orpheum Theater, Phoenix and downtown's premier performance venue, lives on.

The building was constructed in 1927, along with several other downtown phoenix projects. Along with the Orpheum Theater, Phoenix had recently welcomed the Hotel Westward Ho, the San Carlos Hotel, as well as a new courthouse and city hall building. The Orpheum was designed to host traveling vaudeville shows, but was quickly adapted to a movie house, as the later replaced the former.

In the 1950s, two things would conspire to nearly destroy the Orpheum Theater: Phoenix moving to the suburbs and television. The migration away from downtown would be a great enough problem in the years to come, marking the areas steady decline. The advent of television, however, dealt a double-blow to the Orpheum, which was sorely outdated as it was. Competing with television was too much to keep it open.

The theater would change hands several times and host many different functions over the next three decades, always coming close do being destroyed. After all, several other landmark Phoenix buildings had been razed over the years – all that its owner needed was a reason to destroy it and build something new there. This is largely what saved the Orpheum Theater – Phoenix didn't happen to grow in that particular direction, therefore building on the site wasn't profitable.

To save the Orpheum Theater, Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard had the city buy the theater to keep it from being destroyed. Similar motives brought in the Junior League of Phoenix, which helped to get the Orpheum placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Orpheum's complete restoration would take several years in the form of several different projects. Not until 1990, when the new Mayor Paul Johnson introduced the idea of combining the Orpheum Theater, Phoenix City Hall and the infrastructure required for both. When the $14 million dollar, 12 year long project was completed, the Orpheum would stand as a modern theater production facility - just as it was intended to be when it opened over 75 years earlier.

Breakfast Downtown Phoenix
Business in Downtown Phoenix
Condos in Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix Arizona
Downtown Phoenix AZ
Downtown Phoenix Economy
Downtown Phoenix Events
Downtown Phoenix Hotels
Downtown Phoenix Living
Downtown Phoenix Lofts
Downtown Phoenix Map
Downtown Phoenix Parking
Downtown Phoenix Real Estate
Downtown Phoenix Restaurants
Downtown PHX
Hotel in Downtown Phoenix
Orpheum Theatre History
Phoenix Arizona Activities
Phoenix Civic Plaza
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix Downtown Condos
Phoenix Employment Info
Phoenix Events
Phoenix Map
PHX Events
PHX Map