History: Through countless decades the Orpheum has gone through many difficulties and hardships, but this timeless piece of art and history still stands today. Built and designed in 1926-1927 by B. Marcus Pritica and Federick J. Peters of Seattle and Construction and engineered by Hall and Stevenson Engineering of Seattle, and now a national heritage sight, the Orpheum was opened as a movie theatre and a vaudeville hall. In 1973, the Orpheum was put up for sale and almost demolished, however the citizens of Vancouver protested and petitioned for the Orpheum to be refurbished. On March 19, 1947, the city of Vancouver bought the Orpheum for 7.1 million dollars. The Orpheum closed in November, 1975, for renovations and reopened on April 2, 1977. Since then, the Orpheum has been a movie theatre and a concert hall, as well as the home of the Vancouver symphony orchestra.
Building Design: Having the front entrance of the Orpheum on Granville street, the building was designed to utilize the frontage on one of Vancouver’s major streets. The vertical light sign of “The Orpheum” was over 60 feet high and contained over 2000 light bulbs. The main entrance was decorated with highly ornate ceilings, travertine walls, and terrazzo floors in a Spanish Renaissance style. The grand concourse( main floor) is over 120 feet long and 45 feet high, had a coffered ceiling that was hand carved and imported from Italy, walls covered with tapestry panels of black and gold silk. At the end of the concourse hallway, a double staircase leads up to the mezzanine lobby (snack bar) where they only sold popcorn and fountain water in the early years of the Orpheum . The auditorium has 5 doors and can seat 1631 people on the main floor and 1232 on the balconies. The dome ceiling is only supported from the roof beams and hundreds of steel cables and the grand chandelier suspended from the center of the requires over 1000 light bulbs.
Paranormal History: There are three ghosts residing at the orpheum. In 1928 an acrobat died at the theatre after falling off a vaudeville act, but there were no records to confirm that it really happened. claims that he is most often seen during closing hours, but others have seen a ball of light floating near the stage. The second ghost is a washroom attendant, people say he is seen in the men's washroom in the basement. The third ghost is a finely dressed lady who is seen on the upper tire of the audience section. She gives a standing ovation to a performance that is yet to be seen by people. written by: E.G. posted by: F.J.