A timeline of the Orpheum’s first 100 years
1922: The Orpheum opens on Sept. 4, Labor Day, as a vaudeville house with an atmospheric interior designed to resemble a Spanish courtyard. Price tag: $750,000
1929: As vaudeville acts stop touring, The Orpheum is wired for sound and starts playing more movies
1942: A 25-year-old Ella Fitzgerald is paid $2,000 for 13 performances at The Orpheum. Tickets are 45 cents for a matinee, 56 cents for an evening show
1950s: Orpheum operates mostly as a movie house, showing Elvis films and movies like “A Streetcar Named Desire”
1970s: As downtown parking becomes scarce, The Orpheum falls out of favor and becomes a place for B movies, Kung Fu films and X-rated fare
1976: After staging 17,000 performances, The Orpheum closes its doors in November. Its last feature is the film “The Bodyguard”
1980: Orpheum is placed on the National Register of Historic Places
1984: Orpheum’s marquee is taken down
1985: A group of investors who owned the theater donate it to the nonprofit arts group Performing Arts Centre Ltd. and sell the partially restored office complex to another group of investors
1989: Former Orpheum owner Stan Wisdom is hit with a foreclosure lawsuit on the Orpheum theater and offices. The suit prevents the restoration group from moving forward with its plans
1992: The Orpheum board gets control of the theater and decides to make it available for events, announcing plans to do renovations piecemeal as money becomes available
1997: The Orpheum celebrates its 75th anniversary with a special vaudeville show. The balcony, recently fitted with seats, is opened for the first time in decades.
1998: A new air chiller is installed on The Orpheum roof, meaning it can open for year-round performances
2001: A new 40-foot long, 15-foot tall marquee — a replica of the original — is installed
2002: New restrooms debut with a “first flush” party
2006: The Orpheum debuts its restored lobby, brought back to its original glory at a cost of $450,000
2007: The Orpheum’s vestibule, box office and concession stand are restored
2012: The Orpheum gets $1 million gift from the Willard and Jean Garvey Trust, the largest donation to date
2013: Orpheum leadership announces plans for a $30 million capital campaign and six-phase project that would modernize and expand the theatre. SMG (now called ASM Global) is contracted to manage theatre operations
2015: The theatre’s back lobby and east stairway are restored
2020: The Orpheum goes dark at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
2021: The Orpheum reopens to full capacity in September
2022: The Orpheum celebrates its 100th birthday and debuts a new mural
As Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre celebrates 100 years, complete restoration may be in sight
