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The First Orpheum Theatres
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
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Earliest Orpheum References
Several Vancouver history websites make reference to an early Orpheum Theatre operating in Vancouver in the 1904-1905 timeframe. This includes a location on Westminster Avenue (today's Main Street) in 1904, plus another on Cordova Street in 1905. Unfortunately no source is listed for these references making it difficult to confirm.
In reviewing the Henderson Vancouver City Directories for 1904 & 1905, there are several theatres listed as operating on Cordova Street (Crystal, Edison Grand, Electric, and Le Petit), but no reference to the name "Orpheum" is found.
First Orpheum Theatre - 805 W. Pender (corner of Pender and Howe)
The first verifiable Orpheum Theatre opened in 1906 and was built in the old Alhambra Theatre space originally constructed in 1899. The Orpheum Theatre featured fold-up theatre seats, a uniformed staff and seating capacity for 1,200. There is no record of an organ installation at this Orpheum location.
Alhambra Theatre, c.1899 |
Orpheum Theatre entrance, c.1910 |
Orpheum front facade, c.1910 |
Orpheum birdseye view, c.1911 |
Second Orpheum Theatre - 765 Granville St.
The second Orpheum Theatre opened on March 17, 1913. It was built onto the old Vancouver Opera House (1891) through an extensive remodel. There is no record of an organ installation at this Orpheum location.
Vancouver Opera House, c.1891 |
Opera House Auditorium, c.1891 |
Vancouver Opera House, 1912 |
Vancouver Opera House, 1912 |
Orpheum Theatre, 1913 |
Orpheum poster, 1913 |
Orpheum Theatre, c.1919 |
Orpheum Theatre, 1920 |
Orpheum Theatre auditorium, 1918 |
When the third and final Orpheum Theatre opened in 1927, the vacated house operated briefly as the Vancouver Theatre. In 1935, the theatre was remodeled and reopened as the Lyric Theatre. The theatre was renamed International Cinema (1947), then back to the Lyric (1964). The building was eventually demolished in 1969 to make way for the Pacific Centre development.
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