Loew's Vendome Theatre
615 Church Street,
Nashville,
TN
37219
615 Church Street,
Nashville,
TN
37219
2 people
favorited this theater
The Vendome Theatre was built as an opera house with two balconies and sixteen boxes. The main curtain featured scenes from the Paris Place Vendome. The first performance was October 3, 1887 featuring Emma Abbott in “Il Trovatore”.
Loew’s took the hall in the mid-1920’s providing vaudeville and movies. The last movie was “The Dirty Dozen” seen on the evening of August 8, 1967. Patrons that night reported smelling burning rubber. After the last show a thorough search of the theatre found nothing. Later the janitors discovered the upper balcony ablaze. The ceiling and roof then caught fire and collapsed into the auditorium bringing both balconies to the floor.
The Vendome’s lobby survived as retail space until 1986.
Contributed by
Will Dunklin
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Recent comments (view all 56 comments)
If they never showed movies may be why the Orpheum is not listed.If they did show movies, you may know, you could list it here with any info you may have.
Well, they did occasionally show movies as a special event but normally they had stage shows, originally vaudeville and then road shows of the type that had formerly played the Vendome.
Jack Coursey listed them in the paper he did for Mike Slate showing the various movie theaters here and I tried to write him at the e-mail address shown with the list but my e-mail came back undelivered. Must have changed addresses.
Jack, if you read this chime in and I’ll just paste the letter here.
Dave I believe I have seen a postcard of the Knickerbocker with the Orpheum across the street.
You are correct tisloews, as I have that postcard.
That was the stage door of the Orpheum facing the Capitol Blvd side of the Knickerbocker. The front of the Orpheum faced 7th Avenue and there’s the rub. The Orph was opened as a vaudeville theater and vaude depended on foot traffic out front. No one ever walked up or down 7th Ave except to get uphill to the YMCA or downhill to Church Street. There was no crowd of people as there was on Church Street and so they failed as a venue for vaude.
It was then decided to make it a playhouse, in other words they booked roadshows of various kinds and in that role they prospered for a number of years. Stock companies presenting several plays, minstrel shows, magic shows, light opera companies and the occasional cinematic production were booked into the old Orpheum. Older Nashvillians know that during the Great Depression the Edward Bellamy Players went broke at the Orpheum and Mrs. Inez Bassett Alder bought the props and wardrobe for the Hume-Fogg dramatic department.
Thanks Dave and TheatreOrgan, The Nashville guys are on tonight,and the Titans are winning at half-time 17-0.
Oh God, tisloews, don’t tell me you follow football.
Marcus Loew was born on this date in 1870.
DavePrice….I agree with you! I was searching for a page devoted to the Orpheum & was shocked that I could not find it here!! Maybe they would let you make that contribution! BTW…..I have a “Quarterly Pass” that was issued to my grandfather, Nashville Tennessean writer T.H. Alexander (1891-1941). This pass states that the Orpheum was the place for Photo-Plays. This one expired July 1, 1915 and was signed by the Manager at the Orpheum: Ray Shelton! If I had your email, I would send you a scan of this pass. I enjoy reading your comments, Dave!
Hudson Alexander
Franklin, Tennessee
email:
Interesting bookman. I think a number of theatres, and information from the former site, are not here > which is unfortunate.