There are several archival photos of the theatre at the San Francisco main public library. One shows the original marquee and blade sign. Another shows the interior of the theater in the Cinerama days.
During the mid 1990’s remodeling, some lost parts of the theater were brought to light, including the ornate painted decorations on the ceiling of the foyer, which had been hidden under layers of white and pink paint. A new stage curtain was created based on archival photographs of the original. The curtain depicts a pilgrimage of sorts, and the persons shown are cariactures of the owners and others who were involved in the detailed work of restoring the theatre. It was proposed at the time to rename the theatre “The Shorenstein” but thankfully a new Orpheum blade sign was created to echo the original.
In my opinion the crown jewel of this theatre is the perforated plaster ceiling which is dotted with lights and has a huge sunburst light in the center. Definitely gaudy, somewhat Moorish, and a triumph of the handcrafted plaster art form.
There are several archival photos of the theatre at the San Francisco main public library. One shows the original marquee and blade sign. Another shows the interior of the theater in the Cinerama days.
During the mid 1990’s remodeling, some lost parts of the theater were brought to light, including the ornate painted decorations on the ceiling of the foyer, which had been hidden under layers of white and pink paint. A new stage curtain was created based on archival photographs of the original. The curtain depicts a pilgrimage of sorts, and the persons shown are cariactures of the owners and others who were involved in the detailed work of restoring the theatre. It was proposed at the time to rename the theatre “The Shorenstein” but thankfully a new Orpheum blade sign was created to echo the original.
In my opinion the crown jewel of this theatre is the perforated plaster ceiling which is dotted with lights and has a huge sunburst light in the center. Definitely gaudy, somewhat Moorish, and a triumph of the handcrafted plaster art form.