Vaudeville House History in Phoenix’s Orpheum Theatre

What?s life without access to the arts? A bit boring, you say? Well, if you?re considering purchasing a home, land or real estate in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or one of the many surrounding communities, chances are you?re interested in some of the cultural activities in the area. Lucky for you, Phoenix, Arizona is home to a number of wonderful cultural venues, one of which is the Orpheum Theater.

Conceived and built as a magnificent vaudeville house, the Orpheum Theatre was originally opened in 1929 to great acclaim. The Theatre, built at a then-whopping cost of $750,000, was one of the largest major construction projects in Phoenix and was completed just before the Depression. It was home to a wealth of high-society types for many years, but in 1949, the Orpheum was sold to a national movie theater chain and was renamed the Paramount. Visitation held steady for a while, but patronage gradually declined over the next two decades as theater-goers preferred closer-to-home suburban theaters with better sound systems and bigger screens.

After a few more transformations, real estate developer Jim Kaufman purchased the Orpheum in the 1980s and turned it over to the City of Phoenix with the understanding that it would be completely rebuilt and refurbished. Shortly thereafter, the Junior League of Phoenix began a ten-year quest to return the ?Grand Dame? of Phoenix to her full beauty and grandeur, and finally, on January 29, 1997, the $14.5M meticulously renovated landmark opened its doors again featuring a production of Hello Dolly starring the legendary Miss Carol Channing. The theater is currently home to performances ranging from music, drama, comedy and dance, and is widely recognized as one of the West?s most significant theater structures.