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Theatres, since the early twentieth century, have often experienced frequent changes in ownership. This venue was typical. Located within a five-story office building, it was known first as the Empress Theatre in 1913, and later renamed the Hippodrome Theatre. Alexander Pantages (1876-1936) purchased the location and renovated the facility to become his Broadway Theatre. (He remodeled this large theatre to accommodate vaudeville acts traveling on his theatrical circuit. The Broadway superceded his Pantages Family Theatre.) The leading Portland architectural firm of the day, A.E. Doyle and Associates, performed the 1926 renovations. By 1929, Pantages had serious legal problems (compounded by the Stock Market Crash) forcing him to sell his holdings incrementally. The Broadway after 1929 became the Orpheum, and functioned as this until its demolition in 1976. A Nordstrom Department Store later occupied the site of the theatre and office building in which the Orpheum was located.

The brick-faced Pantages Theatre had two parts: a three-story entry/lobby portion and a taller auditorium behind. An electric sign on the roof read, "Pantages Unequaled Vaudeville." A metal canopy covered one corner of the building sheltering the front entrance. After its 1926 alterations, Pantages's Broadway Theatre seated 1,900 patrons. In its later years, the Orpheum Theatre was sub-divided into a three-screen facility.

PCAD id: 14713