Orpheum Theater Center
220 East Main Street,
Marshalltown,
IA
50158
220 East Main Street,
Marshalltown,
IA
50158
5 people
favorited this theater
The Orpheum Theatre was the first theatre built by RKO following World War II. It opened June 22, 1949 with Ruth Warrick and Gabby Hayes as featured guests and with 915 original seats. The theater was constructed to replace the Capitol Theatre which was destroyed by fire in 1946.
Marshalltown is the birthplace of film stars Jean Seberg and Mary Beth Hurt. And because of this connection, in 1957, the theater was host to the US premiere of Jean Seberg’s “Saint Joan”.
The theater was closed by its previous operator, Fridley’s, in favor of their nearby multiplex. Concerned local residents have formed a non-profit to save the Orpheum Theatre.
The group plans to purchase the theater and transform it into a multi-purpose community facility. When the Orpheum Theatre is reopened, it will show films, have lecture and symposium spaces, and feature a stage & screen museum (which will be located in the vacated rear area created during the theater’s late-1970’s twin conversion). Renovation began in 2008 with completion in the summer of 2010.
Contributed by
Jay Carollo & Nancy Adams-castle
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
The Marshalltown Capitol Theatre (paragraph 1 above) once contained a Robert Morton pipe organ that went to a radio station. Eventually, the organ was purchased by the late Hollywood musican Edwin Lemar “Buddy” Cole as his first residence/studio recording organ. Years later this organ was added to the Wurlitzer from the Los Angeles United Artists Theatre as an even large recording studio instrument.
The Marshalltown RKO Orpheum Theatre has been deeded to Iowa Valley Community College District for their downtown center for education of performing arts, radio & tv broadcasting and will still feature a movie theatre in at least part of the theatre building. The Orpheum Centre Board is working in conjunction with IVCCD.
This is a recent photo of the Orpheum Theater.
This was an atmospheric?
Here is article posted today about renovation efforts:
http://tinyurl.com/aqyd2o
So now they are saying that the theatre should be ready to open by the end of 2009.
This is another 1983 photo of the Orpheum.
This is great. looks like another one not getting the wrecking ball.
This article mentions the renovations that have been made to the Orpheum: View link
The theater is now known as the Orpheum Theater Center and is administered by the Iowa Valley Community College District; the official webpage is here: http://www.iavalley.edu/orpheum/index.html Movies are occasionally shown. There is a picture of the theater on the page above and another on the site’s history page.
Website is at http://www.orpheumtheatercenter.com