History
The Orpheum Theatre was built by Joe E. Rickards and Harry Nace, at a cost of $750,000. It was the last and largest major construction project in Phoenix just before the depression. When it opened on January 5, 1929, it was the pride of Phoenix.
Originally conceived as a vaudeville house, in the early years the Theatre showed a new movie every Saturday and Tuesday. On Thursdays a five-act vaudeville show played two performances. The original theatre included a Meisel and Sullivan 3/11 pipe organ. Using primarily Gottfried pipework, 
the instrument was billed as a “Symphony of Pipes”. When vaudeville faded, the Orpheum became the best place in town to see a movie, earning the reputation as the “Grand Dame of Movie Theaters.”
In 1949 the Orpheum was sold to a national movie theater chain and was renamed the Paramount, but it was still the people’s choice for seeing a movie. Over the next 20 years there was a gradual decline in patronage as new theaters in the suburbs with better sound systems and bigger, wider screens began taking their toll on the theatre.
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Impresario James Nederlander bought the Orpheum in 1968 to add to his string of playhouses for touring Broadway dramas and musical productions. The organ was ordered removed so the space could be used for other purposes. He renamed the Theatre Palace West but soon realized that forty years of service and periodic neglect meant extensive, expensive improvements would be necessary to continue presenting first class productions. 
He removed the venue from his national touring circuit and leased the building to the Corona family in 1977, who showed Spanish language films for several years.
In the early 1980’s Nederlander put the building up for sale. Developer Jim Kaufman purchased the Orpheum and turned it over to the City of Phoenix at no cost with the understanding that it would be completely rebuilt and refurbished. Shortly thereafter, the Junior League of Phoenix began planning how to accomplish that mission and in 1987 work began to return the “Grand Dame” to its full beauty and grandeur.
On January 29, 1997, the $14,500,000 completely renovated landmark opened its doors again under the ownership and operation of the City of Phoenix, Civic Plaza Department with a production of Hello Dolly starring Carol Channing.