About The Orpheum Theater
The Orpheum Theatre is an intimate setting for opera performances with only 1,062 seats in the main orchestra level and 302 seats in the balcony. Built it 1929 in the Spanish Baroque Revival Style, the Orpheum is a gorgeous backdrop for opera performances! The theatre is the only theatre designated historic in the valley, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Beginning in the 1980’s, The Orpheum was purchased by the City of Phoenix and restored at a total cost in excess of $14 million dollars. The city of Phoenix 1988 citizens’ bond election authorized $7 million for Orpheum restoration and the Phoenix Civic Plaza Building Corporation authorized additional funding. Organized by the Junior League of Phoenix, the Orpheum Theatre Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization in 1989 to raise private sector funds to supplement the publicly authorized funds and to enable a complete restoration. The Orpheum reopened on January 28, 1997 with Carol Channing in “Hello Dolly.”