Orpheum (Vancouver)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Orpheum Theatre | |
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| Location | 884 Granville Street Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Type | Music venue (former movie palace) |
| Opened | November 7, 1927 |
| Owner | The City of Vancouver (formerly owned by Famous Players) |
| Closed | November, 1975 and Reopened April 2, 1977 |
| Former name(s) | New Orpheum |
| Capacity | 2780 |
The Orpheum is a theatre and music venue in Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Playhouse, it is part of the Vancouver Civic Theatres group of live performance venues. The Orpheum is located on Granville Street near Smithe Street in Vancouver's downtown core.
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[edit] History
Designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca,[1] the theatre officially opened on November 8 as a vaudeville house, but it hosted its first shows the previous day.[2][3] The old Orpheum, at 761 Granville Street, was renamed the Vancouver Theatre (later the Lyric, then the International Cinema, then the Lyric once more before it closed for demolition in 1969 to make way for the first phase of the Pacific Centre project).[4] The New Orpheum, which was the biggest theatre in Canada when it opened, with three thousand seats,[3] cost $1.25 million to construct.[5][6] The first manager of the theatre was William A. Barnes.[3]
Following the end of vaudeville's heyday in the early 1930s, the Orpheum became primarily a movie house under Famous Players ownership, although it would continue to host live events on occasion. Ivan Ackery managed the Orpheum during most of this period, from 1935[7] up until his 1969 retirement.[8]
In 1973, for economic reasons, Famous Players decided to gut the inside of the Orpheum and change it into a multiplex.[9] A "Save the Orpheum" public protest and fundraising campaign was launched, which even Jack Benny flew in to help with,[5][9] and the Orpheum was saved. On March 19, 1974,[2] the City of Vancouver bought the theatre for $7.1 million, with $3.1 million coming from the city itself, and $1.5 million from each of the provincial and federal governments.[5][6] The Orpheum closed in November 1975 and a renovation and restoration was done by the architectural company Thomson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners.[6][10] It re-opened on April 2, 1977 and has since been the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.[2][11] Tony Heinsbergen, a U.S. designer who originally chose the color scheme for the interior (ivory, moss green, gold and burgundy) was brought back, fifty years later, for the renovation.[12] In 1983, an additional entrance was opened on Smithe Street.[6]
The Orpheum's neon sign was donated by Jim Pattison in the 1970s.[13]
[edit] See also
- List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
- List of concert halls
- Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
- Peter Wall
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: B. Marcus Priteca Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b c Welcome to the Orpheum Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b c The History of Metropolitan Vancouver:1927 Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ Four Orpheums Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b c The Vancouver Board of Trade Sounding Board (January-February 1998) Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ a b c d Orpheum facts Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: Ivan Ackery (Part II) Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: Ivan Ackery (Part III) Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b The Puget Sound Pipeline Online: The Capitol. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ The Canadian Enclyclopedia: Orpheum Theatre Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Cinema Treasures: Orpheum Theatre Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ The History of Metropolitan Vancouver:Tony Heinsbergen Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
- ^ Mackie, John. Vancouver Neon: Neon glow on Granville sign of past, future Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
