Orpheum, Vancouver, BC, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Orpheum is a grand 1920s theatre at 601 Smithe Street in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, and the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Built as a vaudeville and movie palace, it survived a 1970s plan to carve up its interior and is now one of the city's best-loved heritage buildings.

The story behind it

The Orpheum name first belonged to an earlier theatre at 761 Granville Street. In 1927 a bigger and fancier Orpheum opened here on Smithe Street, designed by the Seattle theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca. It began as a vaudeville house, then became a movie theatre under the Famous Players company.

In 1973 Famous Players wanted to gut the interior, with its antique decor, sweeping staircases and giant chandelier, and rebuild it as a multiplex. Vancouverers were furious. They protested in public and launched a fundraising campaign, and the theatre was saved and restored as a concert hall. It was later recognised as a National Historic Site of Canada, and today it is a working venue rather than a museum piece.

What to look for

• The ornate entrance and facade on Smithe Street, which still read as a theatre from the 1920s among the modern towers around it.
• The sweeping staircases in the lobby, one of the features campaigners fought to keep.
• The enormous chandelier hanging in the auditorium, part of the original decor that was nearly lost in 1973.
• The mix of old and new on the block, with a heritage theatre standing close to the busy Granville Street area.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes to see the exterior. If you want to see the interior, the easiest way is to attend a concert or event, so check the current performance schedule.
• Daylight is best for photographing the facade, while the building looks most atmospheric on an evening when a show is on.
• The theatre sits close to Granville Street, Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, so it fits easily into a wider downtown walk.
• Check current opening hours and tour availability before you go, as public access to the interior depends on the events calendar.

See it on a quest

The Orpheum is one stop on Downtown Vancouver: Espionage Adventure, a self-guided walk through the heart of the city. You reach the theatre on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about the building when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot using what is in front of you. There is no guide and no group to join, and you can start whenever you like. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.