Varsity Theatre

Before becoming the Orpheum the house at 1500 O Street had operated as the Bijou. I haven’t discovered when it opened, or the exact year it was renamed the Orpheum, but the Bijou was mentioned in The Billboard in 1906 and 1907. After closing as the Orpheum in 1915 the house reopened as the Majestic, then around 1920 became the Rialto. The Rialto closed for about two months in 1934 for remodeling, and then reopened on November 1st as the Varsity Theatre. The Varsity closed in 1941, and its name was moved to the former Liberty Theatre, originally the Oliver, at 15th and P Street. The theater at 1500 O Street was demolished in early 1942 to make way for a northward extension of 15th Street, which is today called Centennial Mall.