Orpheum Theater
Every college town has its iconic venue--the favorite bar, the place to meet, to drink, to dance on a Friday night. The place that hosts touring and local bands one week, Adult Prom the next. In historic downtown Flagstaff, that beloved stage is The Orpheum. The Orpheum theatre has maintained its space for over a hundred years. The idea of a theatre or an opera house was not a new one at the time. Flagstaff’s Babbitt Brothers opened the first venue in the late 1890s but closed it in January 1900. That was the same year John Weatherford opened his iconic, modern Weatherford Hotel. The hotel’s success grew along with the number of tourists and Weatherford saw the need for an entertainment venue in Flagstaff. In 1911 Weatherford opened the Majestic Opera House on the site of his failed chicken farm. A record-breaking snowstorm in December 1915 collapsed the building and almost wiped out half the town! However, Weatherford vowed to rebuild the theatre, and in 1917 the Orpheum Theatre opened its doors on the same site.
Throughout the decades, the Orpheum has continued to offer music, dancing, movies and lectures with a few blips in ownership along the way. In 2022 it remains a vital part of historic downtown as well as dear in the heart of N.A.U. students and alumni. Check out the Orpheums extensive website for what’s happening on their stage.
