Roberts Orpheum Theater
416 N. Ninth Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63101
416 N. Ninth Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63101
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 33 comments found
Nice looking theatre.
2009 photo of the Orpheum Theatre.
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Any current photos of the resotred carriage entrance?
Still should have an AKA Loew’s Orpheum.
The re-do of the porte cochere on the St. Charles side of the theatre was completed last December.
1985 photo when the Orpheum was the American
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Why is there no AKA Loew’s Orpheum on the theatre. It was the Loew’s for many of year. Played most of the new first run Disney Films.
Mr. Alex anything new on the Orpheum?
The re-do of the carriage entrance is currently on-hold for the arrival of terra cotta from Italy.
Wow, the theatre looks great. Appears they must have done a chemical cleaning of the exterior brickwork during their renovation. The new signage looks sleek too. Updated but not overbearing. Went back to the original name. Nice job!
Does anyone know if the work on the North side exterior archway and balcony have been completed?
This is a 2008 photo.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985
American Theater *** (added 1985 – Building – #85000617)
416 N. 9th St., St. Louis (Independent City)
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Lansburgh,G. Albert
Architectural Style: Beaux Arts
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1900-1924
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Theater
Here is another photo of the American Theater.
A photo of the American/Orpheum when it was doing Broadway shows.
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Vintage photo of the Orpheum Side boxes and the aiditorium.
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Vintage photo of the auditorium and the proscenium.
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The following article appeared in the Friday 4/1/05 Business Section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch in regards to the Orpheum Theatre,
The theatre is now called the Roberts Orpheum.
The sign still reads American Theatre, but the blinking marquee on the Roberts Orpheum Theater indicates that downtown’s newest venue is open for business.
The Roberts Orpheum will make its official debut April 10, with popular 1990s band the Backstreet Boys.
But it will see plenty of action this weekend, too. Two private parties will work in tandem with the NCAA men’s basketball championships. Sporting-goods maker Adidas will sponsor a party there tonight, and former Blues hockey player Tony Twist will take over the space Saturday.
The private events will become part of the theater’s permanent operating strategy to turn a profit. In fact, 75 percent of the events won’t be open to the public: Weddings, corporate events and private parties already have been booked through much of this year.
Other area performance theaters are taking the same route, booking a mix of activities to stay financially solvent.
The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri at St. Louis announced it will decrease its roster of acts to 22 this year from 32 in 2004, its first year in operation. The expense of bigger, Broadway-style shows last year drained profits and yielded lower ticket sales, said Dixie Kohn, vice chancellor of university relations, who also manages the center.
This year, the center will have more student-sponsored events, speakers series and some Big Band acts, including the Duke Ellington Band and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
About 95 percent of the events at the Pageant are public concerts and parties, but the theater on Delmar Boulevard also is the site for private events. The venue seats about 1,500, but tables and chairs can be removed to pack in 2,300 for a rock or hip-hop concert.
The Roberts Orpheum joins the theater scene with an interior makeover and a diverse lineup of acts targeted toward a 30-something crowd. “If the Pageant is the theater for the kids, then the Roberts Orpheum is for their parents, said Mike Roberts, who co-owns the theater with his brother Steve.
The theater, built in 1917, originally was a vaudeville house and later a movie theater. The Robertses bought the building in January 2004 and have pumped about $2.25 million into it for renovations. The entire building was rewired for electricity, and lighting fixtures were replaced.
New roll-away theater seats have been installed on the main level, adding space for more cabaret-style seating or open areas for standing-room-only concerts.
The bathrooms have been redone, with additional sink space and mahogany woodworking, designed by the Roberts Co.’s custom furniture division.
The lobby and box office are getting a good scrub, too. Colored friezes, gargoyles and art-deco moldings had been hidden under nearly 22 years of dust; the original terrazzo-tiled floor and leaf trimming will also see updates. The 80-year-old elevator is still in operation, complete with a gold-hued grating fence and elevator lever.
The 2005 season lineup will be just as flexible as the seating: Backstreet Boys, April 10; Bill Maher, May 20; Spyro Gyra, June 9. Three weddings are planned in June, and the Seventh Day Adventists will have a film festival in July.
“We’re marketing the theater to be many things to everyone, from cabaret-style to an intimate theater setting and concerts,” said Michael Jennings, general manager.
That’s a good strategy, area concert bookers say, allowing the theater to cater to a number of shows and events. The venue also could tie into additional meeting space for the Mayfair, a nearby boutique hotel, also owned by the Roberts Co.
Joe Litvag is vice president of Midwest operations for Anschutz Entertainment Group Live, which has exclusive booking rights for acts at the Roberts Orpheum.
“The Pageant has the nightclub setting, the Fox has the cushy seats and upscale venue with high-dollar performances,” he said. “We have an up-close-and-personal setting that you don’t get in any other theaters in St. Louis.”
That’s a niche that promoters say will encourage more touring groups to add St. Louis to their list.
That’s how the Roberts Orpheum booked Rob Thomas, a singer from the band Matchbox 20. Initially, he planned to do just 10 to 15 dates across the country, and St. Louis wasn’t one of them, Litvag said.
“He’s a prime example of a show that wouldn’t have come to the market because of theater size,” Litvag said, “and with the Orpheum, we convinced him to play here.”
Nice photos, including architectural details, at this link:
http://www.builtstlouis.net/opos/frames.html
The website for the Roberts ORPHEUM is: www.robertsorpheum.com
Since the house has reverted back to its original name, the ORPHEUM, perhaps the information should now be under that name, not as the AMERICAN. House was never known as the RIALTO—that should be eliminated as an “aka”.
There is good news to report. In today’s Post-Dispatch it is reported the Orpheum will reopen April 10th.
As reported: “After more than a year of renovation — new seats, new lighting, new restrooms, even a new party room beneath the stage — the Roberts ORPHEUM Theatre will reopen to the public April 10.
"New roll-away seats will reduce the seating capacity somewhat to 1470, opening up more legroom. The multicolored friezes in the lobby, once lost in the shadows, are being scubbed and relit. The name ORPHEUM, first attached to the building when it was finished in 1917, will be restored. It had been known as the American Theatre for decades.
"And speaking of retro, the first act to hit the stage will be that boy band of yesteryear, the Backstreet Boys. The full lineup will be announced Monday, but among acts rumored headed this way are Mary Chapin Carpenter and Hydra, the band headed by Mickey Hart, formerly of the Grateful Dead.”
The Orpheum had a Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ of 2 manuals. It chamber was loceated under the stage and spoke out throught the orchestra pit. The fate of the organ is unknown so far.
JamesGrebe
I have never been to the Orpheum Theatre. I saw the theatre on Todd Rundgren’s tour schedule, and I will be there! Thank you for bringing Todd Rundgren to the Orpheum Theatre!
Ondrums
This makes me think of the Newark Paramount. After the success of the Times Square area the downtown area in Newark is ripe for redevelopment.
When I was eleven,my mother took me to see the first national tour of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at the American.Florence Henderson was Maria.
We were staying at the Mayfair next door.After the show we went to
the Rathskeller for dessert (for me) and a drink for my mom.
The cast was staying at the hotel as this was a three week engagement.Some of them were in the bar area.Interesting to an eleven year old to see Liesel (Imelda deMartin) and Maria (Ms Henderson) enjoying a couple of drafts!I’ll never forget that production…and that beautiful theatre.
It started me on a life long love affair with theatre.
This listing and #4362 are the same theatre.