Orpheum Theatre
129 University Place,
New Orleans,
LA
70112
129 University Place,
New Orleans,
LA
70112
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Here’s an aerial shot and you can see the Joy, State Palace, Saenger, and the Orpheum, all in one shot!! If you click on the larger version, you can even zoom in closer. I assume this is probably pre-Katrina.
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The following is in response to Will Duncan’s post of 2004. I visited the Orpheum several times in the late seventies before the renovation was undertaken. I also have copies of the original architectural drawings of this theatre (available on microfilm at the Louisiana Divisoion of the New Orleans Public Library – Main Branch). The facade does mask alleys on either side of the building but is not contiguous with adjacent properties. The lobby is quite small and was faced in ornamental terra cotta, some of which can still be viewed on the lobby ceiling. Much of this was destroyed in an earlier renovation. The orchestra foyer mentioned above did not exist until the mid 1980’s, when the last rows or the orchestra floor were removed and a wall was erected to create more lobby space. A “motion picture box”-projection room-is shown at the rear of the first balcony on both the original floor plan and longitudinal building section. The Historic New Orleans Collection has vintage photos of the building interior including some that show what appears to be a 1930’s renovation which attemps to make the interior more move palace-like.
The following article appeared in the Times-Picayune on 05-27-06 regarding the Orpheum Theatre.
“In the past, we always knew where we would be playing — the Orpheum was our home,” says Greg Miller, trombonist and operations manager of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
No more.
The fanciful 19th-century building, which began life as a vaudeville hall, was gravely damaged by the floodwaters that followed Hurricane Katrina, coursing through the first floor, rising to the level of the stage, ruining all of the chairs and drowning all the orchestra’s equipment, which had been stored in the basement.
Since then, the orchestra has been playing in other venues around town — Dixon Hall at Tulane University, Roussel Hall at Loyola University, the First Baptist Church off Canal Boulevard — all of them smaller and less congenial for the LPO.
But there is a glimmer of hope. Henry O'Connor Jr., a local lawyer representing the building’s owners, says a buyer has been found for the Orpheum.
“We have reached an agreement to sell it,” O'Connor said, “but the contract isn’t final yet. It has not become binding.”
Although O'Connor declined to identify the buyer, LPO sources suggest that he is a Texas businessman who is interested in renovating the building and installing the orchestra once again as its major tenant.
In fact, the Orpheum has been on the market for years. Owned by a consortium of local residents with an interest in supporting classical music in New Orleans, it has on at least one other occasion appeared to be on the brink of changing hands. But the deal fell through in the end.
“There is nothing permanent or final,” O'Connor said of the pending deal. “The purchaser is still reviewing the property — primarily a physical inspection — to determine what it would cost to do what the purchaser intends to do with it, whatever that might be.”
Since the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its fate is somewhat protected. So there is the possibility, no matter who owns it, that it will one day be restored and could, once again, be home to the LPO.
The musicians would be delighted.
“Acoustically, the Orpheum is a gem,” says Michael Bucalo, trumpeter and onetime president of the orchestra. “And it offers this quality of intimacy with the audience. It was a critical component to our lives here.”
… … .
Staff writer Elizabeth Mullener can be reached at or (504) 826-3393.
The once grand OrHurricane
pheum Theater filled with floodwater after
jazzland, thanks!
Does anyone know the current status of the Orpheum? All of this talk about not bringing it back is ridiculous. This building is owned by Freport McMoRan – a fortune 500 company and Stone Energy. They definitly have the resources to restore this building.
The Civic Theatre still stands in New Orleans. This theatre was constructed as a legimate playhouse in about 1914. Sam Stone was the architect. It went through a number of name changes prior to being named the Civic. In fact a contest was held to rename the theatre. The name had been the Poche Theatre. There was a limit of 5 letters in the new name contest so that the existing sign could be reused. In the late fifties and early sixties the theatre hosted road show presentations of Ben-Hur and West Side Story. Before hurricane Katrina, the building was undergoing the worst kind of adapative reuse. The auditorium was being filled with condos!. I don’t know the status of this project since the storm.
Forgive the general nature of this question, but does anyone know the current name and or status of the theatre which was once known as the Civic in New Orleans? It was closed and had had its floor leveled when I last saw it in 1989, but it was undisputably a movie or vaudeville palace.
Thanks
Thanks for all the updates. It’s very sad to see.
If the Orpheum is in such bad shape, I’d hate to see what the abandoned Joy Theater must look like inside. When I was in New Orleans about 2 years ago, they opened it for a SuperBowl Party, but now the interior (that was neglected even before the flood) must be totally trashed, and especially more so.
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Future of historic Orpheum Theater uncertain
By STACEY PLAISANCE
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Flyers for an Aug. 27, 2005, play still hang in the glass casings lining the facade of the historic Orpheum Theater, marking the day that Hurricane Katrina’s approach in the Gulf of Mexico brought this city’s arts community to a standstill.
Like dozens of performances slated for that Saturday, two days before the storm made landfall, the stage play Let Go and Let God had to be cancelled just hours before curtain time when city officials ordered a mandatory evacuation as Katrina barrelled toward the Gulf Coast.
The storm took out all four of New Orleans' major performing arts theatres, severely flooding two of its oldest – the Orpheum and the Saenger – both listed on the national registry of historic places.
But in the five months since Katrina, renovations have been underway at the Saenger, but recovery at the Orpheum has been all but stagnant. And the future of the 85-year-old theatre, which for years has served as home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, is uncertain, said Jeff Montalbano, the theatre’s general manager.
Montalbano shook his head as he stood in the lobby that once gave way to an elegant performance hall with rich, burgundy-red carpeted aisles and ornate gold leafing on blue and white walls.
“I cried,” he said of when he first entered the theatre and saw the floodwater. He said it took more than three weeks to pump all the water out. “I thought we’d have some water damage, but nothing like this.”
Floodwater filled the theatre’s six-metre basement, wiping out all the electrical and mechanical equipment stored there, and water rose to more than a foot (0.3 metres) in the performance hall. The Orpheum’s original oak floors swelled and buckled and likely cannot be salvaged. The stage, which sat under water for weeks, will also have to be replaced, Montalbano said.
Walking on the dingy, now brownish-red carpet, he pointed out the paint flaking from the ceiling from weeks of moisture exposure and the hundreds of once-plush blue seats now almost entirely consumed by brownish-green mould.
Since the storm, only some cleanup has been done. And with no flood insurance, the owners aren’t sure how to pay the estimated $1.5 million to $2.5 million in damage, Montalbano said.
The owners, a group of private shareholders, bought the theatre in the late 1980s. Though they’re considering selling it, they’re committed to the city’s performing arts community and the LPO, the nation’s only full-time symphony owned and operated by its musicians, Montalbano said.
The city’s decreased population and uncertainty over how soon the economy will recover have made the idea of putting more money into the theatre a tough choice, he said. Roughly two-thirds of the city’s population is still living elsewhere.
More disheartening, Montalbano said, is that the Orpheum was gearing up for one of its best seasons in years. Tourist and convention business, which had taken a dive after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was finally rebounding. Besides its regular LPO concerts, the Orpheum had just hosted 30 acts for a Black Entertainment Television comedy series and a concert by Grammy-nominated Vancouver native Michael Buble.
“It was going to be a good year,” he said.
E.P. Miller, director of operations for the Saenger, said the theatre had limited flood coverage with its wind and rain policy, and raising the theatre’s electrical and mechanical equipment to higher ground will be expensive.
The Saenger’s basement flooded, as did its antique organ, which was used to provide “surround sound” during the 1920s silent movie era, Miller said. “It’s going to be a major cost just to get that back up and able to be played,” he said.
The Saenger’s decorative marble statues survived but will need to be cleaned, and the grand chandelier – original to the castle of Versailles in France – was also in good shape, he said. Tapestries, furniture and decorative plaster will need to be restored or replaced.
Robert Lyall, director of the New Orleans Opera Association, said damage to the city’s other major theatres – the Municipal Auditorium and Mahalia Jackson theatre – wasn’t as severe, and he expects them to be operational within the year.
Many in the performing arts community agree that using the city’s university theatres is a good alternative in the interim.
“We need to go back to the basics, and give the arts community something on a smaller scale to get it going again,” Montalbano said.
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City’s Landmarks Recovering
From Associated Press
February, 26 2006
Here’s the status of some of New Orleans' landmarks six months after Hurricane Katrina’s Aug. 29 landfall:
Louisiana Superdome: Closed until September. The NFL’s Saints plan to play the 2006 season in the city after playing home games in San Antonio and Baton Rouge, La., in 2005.
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Ernest N. Morial Convention Center: Repairs of damage from the hurricane and its use as an evacuation center are expected to be finished in April. The center’s first post-hurricane event â€" a jewelry and gift trade show held in the city for 54 years â€" was staged this month.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas: Remains closed, having lost most of its fish when generators failed. The Gulf and Caribbean exhibits are running again and have been restocked, but officials are still working to replace the rest of the aquarium’s collection. They hope to reopen this summer.
Jackson Square: One of the first places to get a thorough scrubbing and face-lift after Katrina, just before President Bush came in September to tell the nation the city would be rebuilt. The square is nearly what it was before Katrina: famous Cafe Du Monde is open, musicians ply the sidewalks, and tarot card readers and tour guides try to engage a shrunken pool of tourists.
Port of New Orleans: Shipping activity has reached pre-Katrina levels, but only the upriver portion â€" about 70% of the port’s facilities â€" is operational.
Fair Grounds Race Course: Closed to racing after heavy damage to its grandstands and clubhouse, it’s unknown when live racing will return. Track grounds will be used for this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in April and May.
New Orleans Museum of Art: Little damage to its building or its works of art, but damage to the overall city from hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused it to shut its doors for six months. The museum is scheduled to reopen this week. The museum’s outdoor sculpture garden, with footpaths meandering among more than 50 sculptures, reopened in December.
Theaters: Repairs are underway at the historic Saenger Theatre – New Orleans, which is expected to remain closed through 2006. Recovery at the 85-year-old Orpheum Theater in the Central Business District has stalled; it has $2.5 million in flood damage. Damage to the city’s other major theaters â€" the Municipal Auditorium and the Mahalia Jackson theater â€" wasn’t as severe. Those facilities are expected to be operational within the year.
Audubon Zoo: Sustained only minor damage, but lost significant revenue with an ensuing absence of tourists. For now, it’s open on weekends only. Zoo officials say they’re hoping to return to normal hours sometime in March.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: Number of daily flights has dropped to 71 from 166 pre-Katrina. Another 20 flights are expected to begin by April 3.
http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/3920.html
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New Orleans' Orpheum Theater May Not Reopen
By Ben Mattison
14 Feb 2006
The Orpheum Theater, one of New Orleans' primary performing-arts venues and the home of the Louisiana Philharmonic, was badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina and shows no signs of reopening, the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP, the hall’s electrical and mechanical equipment, floor, and stage were damaged beyond repair by floodwaters. The owners, a group of private shareholders, did not have flood insurance.
Repairs are expected to cost up to $2.5 million.
General manager Jeff Montalbano told the AP that the owners are reluctantly considering selling the building. “This is such a hard thing,” he said. “Selling could hurt the symphony, and we want to protect the integrity of what this facility is here for.”
The LPO opens an abbreviated season next month at Tulane University. In the short term, the ensemble will also make use of performances spaces at Loyola University and the Pontchartrain Center, a convention center near Armstrong International Airport.
Robert Lyall, the director of New Orleans Opera, told the AP that the city’s Mahalia Jackson Theatre and Municipal Auditorium should reopen this year. The Saenger Theatre is badly damaged but is currently being renovated.
I worked with the Houston Symphony during the summer of 1999 and Hurricane Alison came through and flooded the basement of Jones Hall the following year, including my old office. When they finally were able to re-enter the basement offices and store rooms a week or two later, they found the precious symphony music library, historic photo collection, and manuscripts destroyed. The worst loss was the historic grand piano which had autographs of famous pianists that played it over several decades (which I was fortunate to see the prior year) and a bass that was valued at over 250,000.00, not to mention drums, harps and other instruments. The Grand Opera House a few blocks away, lost many of their priceless costumes the same way.
tntim: Thanks so very much for this N.O. theatre update!
Here is an update on the Orpheum and other New Orleans theatres.
Ahem indeed.
many symphony orchestra musicians who play larger instruments store their harps, basses, and (as you mention) tympani and other percussion instruments in the theatre — not to mention pianos that might belong to the organization. A good string bass can cost several thousand dollars; who knows how much a harp or a 9' grand piano might cost? “Hundred of thousands of dollars” doesn’t sound that far off, if you think of a couple of harps, basses, and maybe a piano or two.
Does anyone remember the reports from a couple of years ago, when Houston flooded due to heavy rains, and Jones Hall’s basement flooded, destroying pianos and a library of music and other valuable documents?
I didn’t think that sounded right. First, symphony musicians don’t leave their instruments in the theatre (even for just over night) and second, the symphony’s season hadn’t opened when the storm hit. The musicians were not working in the theatre at that time.
The link to the NPR archives and their excellent report on the musicians of the Louisiana Philharmonic is:
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The report only states that the timpani were left in the Orpheum’s basement. Maybe it was Fox News reporting that “hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of precious peices were lost in the bowls of the theatre.” It certainly wasn’t in this report from the * ahem* treacherous, liberal media.
Considering the damp, humid nature of New Orleans on a good day, I can’t imagine them leaving wood, etc instruments in the basement, even under normal circumstances!! Basements even in dry areas are usually damp, forget those in humid areas!
Doesn’t sound like something a smart theater management would do!
You mean an NPR report wasn’t totally accurate???My faith in the liberal media machine could be hurt.
I agree, as a musician I can’t imagine anyone leaving his/her instrument in the performance hall: most don’t really like leaving their instruments out of sight during intermission! The theatre’s music library was in the basement and no doubt those “pieces” were lost. Leaving musical instruments in the Orpheum’s basement doesn’t ring true at all.
Why on earth would they leave rare instruments in the basement? You would think that if these pieces were really that valuable, somebody would move them to an upper floor.
I listened a pc on NPR with regards the Philharmonic and their Memphis performance,mostly with borrowed instruments.(yes,one can be addicted to FOX NEWS CHANNEL and listen to NPR-just not too much)Hundreds of thousands worth of precious peices were lost in the bowels of the theater.One violin alone was worth two fortunes.I’m sure this theater will come back.What other theaters were lost in the storms????
I also saw that MSNBC footage. It had tried out, but you could see that the water was up and over the seats. They were walking through with flashlights.
Chuck: Thanks for this MSNBC post and I’m sorry that I missed THAT broadcast!! So sad to read that the water line was at the top of the seats about half way up from the stage!
Will: Thanks so very much for this update. I have friends in the Nashville area that would attend this benefit concert in the coming weeks so please keep us posted on the date, etc.
Talked with 2 members of the Louisiana Philharmonic this weekend. The Orpheum is the orchestra’s home. What they’ve heard about the Orpheum is that water got just over the top of the stage. The lobby is slightly higher than the stage so it may have been mostly spared. The basement including the mechanical areas, electrical meters and switch gear, the 1950’s era Westinghouse chillers for the ac and the heat exchangers are likely ruined and will require replacement. It was all old and needing replacement anyway. The smoke vents in the stagehouse roof were blown off so the curtains and lights were all soaked. Otherwise, wind damage to the theatre appears to be minimal.
The good news is that all members of the orchestra are safe and with friends and family. They will travel from the 4-corners of the country to play a benefit concert in Nashville in the coming weeks.