The wonderful Orpheum Theatre that stands in downtown Memphis is not the original. The original Orpheum building was actually a vaudeville house. In 1890 the Grand Opera House was built on this site. According to the Orpheum site, the Grand Opera House was made a part of the Orpheum circuit in 1907 when the name was changed. In 1923, a fire (that was interestingly enough started by a strip tease artist) burned the building down. The current building was built in 1928 and remained a vaudeville theatre until 1940 when Malco movies purchased it. It remained a first run movie theatre until 1976 when it was sold. Between 1982 and 1984, the theatre was closed for renovations. Since it's grand re-opening the Orpheum has been a jewel of downtown Memphis.
