An iconic Vancouver landmark for gigs and ghosts
Ashlea McRae (she/her) // Contributor
Chelle Lussi (Any) // Crew Illustrator
The Orpheum Theatre has been one of Vancouver’s most iconic landmarks for almost a century. The venue has been hosting performances and shows since 1927, when it opened its doors as a vaudeville house. From its debut until the present day, the Orpheum has hosted numerous forms of entertainment including concerts, film screenings, and live performances. The venue has also been the main residence of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) since 1977.
The building was designed by Benjamin Marcus Priteca, a Seattle-based Scottish architect who designed the theatre in the conservative Spanish Renaissance style. The original construction of the Orpheum was financed by Joseph Langer at a cost of $1.25 million, and it was later purchased by the City of Vancouver in 1974 for $3.9 million. Throughout its operation in the mid-twentieth century the theatre fell into disrepair. Much-needed renovations began in 1975 to restore the theatre to its former glory. After two years of renovations, the theatre reopened its doors on Apr. 2, 1977 as a civic concert hall and the residence of the VSO. Now under the care of the city, the theatre is maintained in order to preserve the original elegance and grandeur for everyone who visits to enjoy.
As such an iconic and well-known part of Vancouver’s history, the Orpheum has its fair share of rumours. Hushed whispers between employees and patrons talk of mysterious happenings and the possibility of spirits who have never left the gilded walls of the theatre. Sandra McRae, who was the Audience Services Manager for the City of Vancouver for 13 years, split her time between the Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse and the Orpheum Annex. McRae recalls that certain areas of the Orpheum Theatre held more inexplicable events and feelings than others.
One of these areas is the downstairs men’s bathroom, where McRae said that, “it feels like there’s someone there – an attendant. Back in the day, there used to be someone that, if you’d washed your hands, they’d give you a towel.” She adds that there was also a large lounge room for men in that area, “so, to me it felt like there was a washroom attendant that didn’t want women down there.”
Another area of the theatre that McRae mentions that is perhaps less well-known but equally unsettling are some of the rooms on the fourth floor. Vancouver Civic Theatres runs seasonal tours through the Orpheum, showcasing the history of the building and addressing some of the ghostly rumours.
“The society that runs the tours in Vancouver – they’ve got a little room set up to scare people,” McRae explains. The room opposite of the staged one is actually where the most activity happens, on the fourth floor. “[W]e didn’t store anything in there because when you tried to open the door… you feel like somebody’s pulling it from the inside. It’s so weird. It’s not that the lock is sticking – you can clearly hear the lock going, but it feels like someone’s on the other side holding the doorknob.”
Although there are no official documentations of deaths at The Orpheum, McRae explains a rumoured death on stage at the theatre. She says, “it was a vaudeville act that had gone wrong, and someone apparently died on the stage. And so, some people feel like there’s an energy there of a man that passed away during his act.” While this alone is enough to give some patrons an eerie feeling, McRae continues to mention, “when you stand on the stage alone, and the whole building is silent and dark, it definitely feels like people are watching you.” This phenomenon could be explained by the residual energy left behind from almost a century of patrons funnelling through the Orpheum’s doors to spectate the plethora of events hosted here, or perhaps it’s something more unexplainable.
McRae affirms that the Orpheum is, “a place that, if I were to die, I’d probably want to spend my time too,” which seems like it could be a sentiment shared by a couple of spirits in the theatre today. Whether you’re a believer in the paranormal or not, there is no denying that the rich history of this iconic building is still seen and felt by all of its patrons to this day.