Description

The 1926 Orpheum Theater hosted some of the greatest entertainers in show business including Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, Jack Benny, Sally Rand and Lena Horne. Polished brass doors, lush brocade drapery, silk wall panels, marble pilasters, enormous chandeliers and bronze women on the lighting fixtures, created the elaborate and alluring environment. If you happen to take the Conservancy’s guided tour, take a peek at the last of the great theater organs on Broadway. A three-manual Wurlitzer installed in 1928, this organ was used to provide music for the silent movies and vaudeville acts back in the 1920s. In 2001, the Orpheum received a $3 million make over, adding air conditioning, a new orchestra pit, refurbished dressing rooms and the re-lighting of the rooftop neon sign that had been dark since World War II.