Orpheum Theater

Sinking into the plush seats of today's Orpheum Theater, one can feel the resonance of over 100 years of social and cultural history. Here are some highlights:

Late 1800s:
Before the Theater
The Withnell Building, erected by pioneer contractor John Withnell, served as headquarters for the US Army's "Department of the Platte," stretching from Canada to Texas. In 1895, the Army headquarters moved to Fort Omaha near 30th and Fort streets, and the opportunity to develop Harney Street between 15th and 16th streets emerged.

1895:
The Creighton Theater
The Creighton Theater, named after "Count" John A. Creighton, seated more than 800. The Creighton Theater opened on August 22, 1895 with a drama, "The Masqueraders," by Charles Frohman's company. It was reported to have been "a gala social event, with a full house, especially in the saloon."

Early 1900s:
Omaha and the Orpheum Circuit
By 1898, there was a widening national recession, so the Creighton Theater was sold to the Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit, and the theater became The Creighton Orpheum, shortened to simply The Orpheum by 1906. Omaha was then in the company of eight other cities on vaudeville's Orpheum Circuit. Shows were held each day at 2:15 and 8:15 p.m. Admission ranged from 10¢ for children or gallery seats to 50¢ for adult main floor seats in the evening.

1927:
The "New" Orpheum Theater
The owners of the original Orpheum lost two of their additional theaters in Omaha to a fire. Facing growing audience demand for vaudeville, they decided to replace their last standing theater - the Orpheum - with a new and larger building. This is the Orpheum Theater still standing today, built in 1927 for $2 million and constructed in 16 months. A pipe organ, which became an integral part of the hall, was installed for the first performance. The gala opening on Monday, October 10, was attended by nearly 3,000 people, including the Mayor of Omaha and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben. The program was filled with "laughs, tricks, antics, dances, comics and all other things that go to make a happy evening." The Fighting Eagle, a motion picture starring former Omaha Central High student Rod La Rocque, was shown.

Mid-20th Century:
The Golden Palace and the Silver Screen
The Orpheum thrived for its first twenty years, but with the coming of motion pictures, vaudeville's popularity waned. Omaha's Orpheum transitioned into a movie house that gradually faced declining revenues, finally closing on April 29, 1971. It showed its last film to an empty house. The pipe organ's popularity had also changed. Designed to be played during silent movies and used in local broadcasts throughout the 1930s, the organ eventually fell into disrepair as "talkies" grew in popularity.

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