Orpheum Theatre, Historic theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, United States
The Orpheum Theatre at 842 S. Broadway has a Beaux Arts facade by G. Albert Lansburgh, with a light-grey stone front, rows of rectangular windows, and large yellow "Orpheum" letters on a roof lattice. A vertical sign projects from the middle, and the lower section has arched windows separated by carved panels. Deep vertical grooves run down the left side.
It opened in 1926 as part of a theater chain presenting vaudeville acts and later films. After decades of shifting uses, a renovation in the late 1980s returned the hall to its earlier condition.
The theatre is named after Orpheus, the lyre-playing singer of Greek myth. Its interiors, by G. Albert Lansburgh, were done in flamboyant French Baroque forms with marble in the lobby, large crystal chandeliers and ornate furniture; the look was copied by other architects in the Broadway district as the "Orpheum style". Vaudeville acts played here until 1950.
The Orpheum stands at 842 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, in the Broadway Theater District. The entrance is on the sidewalk of South Broadway, marked by the vertical neon sign and the marquee. The building is a contributing property of the National Register historic district; visitors should check the theater's own website for current event times before arriving.
A Wurlitzer organ from the late 1920s still stands in the hall and is played during special events. Only two other such instruments remain working in the region.
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