In the course of our daily reporting, we often uncover unusual projects, places, or connections that don't make the final cut. Instead of keeping it to ourselves, we're pleased to share our Architrivia.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful theatre in Vancouver than the Orpheum. Built in 1927 as a vaudeville house and ornately designed by Seattle-based Scottish architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca in Spanish Baroque Revival style, the theatre would be leased to Chicago's Orpheum Circuit, and hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and Rudy Vallee. The onset of the Great Depression would force the closure of the Orpheum Circuit, with Famous Players then taking over the theatre in the 1930s. 

The Orpheum in 1946, image by Jack Lindsay via Wikimedia Commons

After the change in ownership, the Orpheum would serve primarily as a movie house, though live events were still held periodically. Revered theatre manager Ivan Ackery catapulted the theatre's national reputation throughout the mid-20th century, with stars like Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra performing at the venue. By the 1970s, the Orpheum had seen better days, and Famous Players proposed a gutting and redevelopment of the theatre that would convert it into a movie house. But a vocal crowd of supporters, backed by a fundraising campaign, would successfully ward off demolition. 

The Orpheum's signature neon sign shines bright on Theatre Row, image by Flickr user Jasperdo via Creative Commons

In 1974, with help from the provincial and federal governments, the City of Vancouver purchased the theatre for $3.9 million. Another $3.2 million was amassed and dedicated towards restoring and renovating the venue under plans eventually carried out by Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners. Fifty years after opening, Tony Heinsbergen, the original decorator of the theatre, was brought back for the renovation. The acoustic tiles covering the vaulted ceiling were removed and replaced with a large mural that became the centrepiece of the interior. The physical footprint of the stage was also enlarged, removing the first two rows of seats. The Orpheum reopened on April 2, 1977 and has been the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra ever since. 

Inside the Orpheum, image by Flickr user Colin Knowles via Creative Commons

In 2006, developers sought approval of the Capitol Residences project at the site of the old Capitol Theatre and Capitol 6 multiplex, contiguous to the Orpheum. They would be granted permission for extra height and density, but it came with a caveat: build a much-needed backstage area for the Orpheum. Work on the $23 million project would complete in 2011, and produced an extended stage, 14,000-square-foot rehearsal room and a 24,000-square-foot space for the VSO School of Music.

Despite having designed several theatres in Western Canada, the Orpheum is the only surviving Canadian one designed by Priteca. An anchor along Vancouver's Theatre Row, the Orpheum has become a popular shooting location for films and television, earning roles in The X Files, Battlestar Galactica and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1.