Orpheum (Vancouver)

The Orpheum is a theatre and music venue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Playhouse, it is part of the Vancouver Civic Theatres group of live performance venues. It is the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The Orpheum is located on Granville Street near Smithe Street in Vancouver's downtown core. The interior of the theatre was featured prominently in the award-winning 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, where it is dressed to portray a heavenly opera house.

The Orpheum Theatre
Interior of the theatre
Former namesNew Orpheum
Location601 Smithe Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
V6B 3L4
OwnerThe City of Vancouver (formerly owned by Famous Players)
TypeMusic venue (former movie palace)
Capacity2,672
OpenedNovember 8, 1927
ClosedNovember 23, 1975 and Reopened April 2, 1977
Official nameOrpheum Theatre National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1979

History
The Orpheum Theatre with advertising for the movie Lady Luck, circa 1946.

Designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca,[1] the theatre officially opened on November 8, 1927 as a vaudeville house, but it hosted its first shows the previous day.[2][3][4] 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).[5] The New Orpheum, which was the biggest theatre in Canada when it opened in 1927, with three thousand seats,[4] cost $1.25 million to construct.[6][7] The first manager of the theatre was William A. Barnes.[4]

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[8] up until his 1969 retirement.[9]

In 1973, for economic reasons, Famous Players decided to gut the inside of the Orpheum and change it into a multiplex.[10] A "Save the Orpheum" public protest and fundraising campaign was launched, which even Jack Benny flew in to help with,[6][10] and the Orpheum was saved.[11] On March 19, 1974,[3] 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.[6][7] The Orpheum closed on November 23, 1975 and a renovation and restoration was done by the architectural company Thomson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners.[7][12] It re-opened on April 2, 1977 and has since been the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.[3][13] 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.[14] In 1983, an additional entrance was opened on Smithe Street.[7]

The Orpheum's present neon sign was installed in the 1970s.

The theatre was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1979.[15] The Orpheum's present neon sign was installed during the 1970s, donated by to the theatre by Jim Pattison.[16] The theatre and its neon sign have been used as a key location in several episodes of the science-fiction series Battlestar Galactica and Fringe, as well as Highlander: The Series. It was also the location of the filming of the Dan Mangan documentary What Happens Next? by Brent Hodge.

In 2006, the Capitol Residences development was proposed for the old Capitol 6 cinema site adjacent to the Orpheum. The City of Vancouver gave the developer permission for extra height and density on their site in return for a major expansion to the Orpheum, including a long desired back stage area. This was the largest amenities trade in the history of the city, and will increase the usability of the facility.[17]

See also

Notes
  1. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: B. Marcus Priteca Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  2. The Orpheum Theatre:‘The Grand Old Lady of Granville Street’ Retrieved on 2017-11-08.
  3. Welcome to the Orpheum Archived 2008-08-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  4. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver:1927 Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  5. Four Orpheums Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  6. The Vancouver Board of Trade Sounding Board (January-February 1998) Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  7. Orpheum facts Archived 2009-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  8. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: Ivan Ackery (Part II) Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  9. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: Ivan Ackery (Part III) Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  10. The Puget Sound Pipeline Online: The Capitol. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  11. Laing, Richard (2013). "How to save a theatre: the Orpheum, Vancouver". Structural Survey. 31 (5): 355–367 – via RGU Openair (repository).
  12. Orpheum Theatre The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  13. Cinema Treasures: Orpheum Theatre Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  14. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver:Tony Heinsbergen Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  15. Orpheum Theatre. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  16. Mackie, John. "Neon glow on Granville sign of past, future", June 21, 2002 Vancouver Sun
  17. Capitol Residences, Vancouver / Emporis.com

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