Los Angeles Theatres: Orpheum Theatre: recent exterior views

The 2023 digital readerboard project:

The project's beginning. The contractor is Martinez Sign, Inc. This version of the marquee has been on the building since the early 1940s. In recent decades they used flat letters, not three dimensional ones. Photo: Ken McIntyre - January 7

Thanks to Wendell Benedetti of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for researching the permit: "Issued November 18, 2022 for the Orpheum: Exterior alteration / conversion of existing illuminated letterboard panels of historic theatre marquee to digital panels in compliance with the Broadway Historic Sign District (ordinance 184056) Section 9.11. No architectural changes to marquee - changing out letterboards only."| application 9/22/22 | permit 11/18/22 |

Work underway but taking a break. Photo: Bill Counter - January 8

A closer look at the center panel. Photo: Bill Counter - January 8

Back in action after several days called on account of rain. Photo: Bill Counter - January 11

The center digital panel in place and getting secured. Photo: Bill Counter - January 11

A peek at part of a long-hidden terracotta arch via a hole they cut in the back of the south panel. Photo: Bill Counter - January 11

Sign man #3 on the crew working inside to secure the new digital display in the center bay. Photo: Bill Counter - January 11

Positioning the new digital panel on the south side of the marquee. Photo: Bill Counter - January 12

Dodging sparks as some grinding is going on with men inside the marquee working to align and support the new panel. Photo: Bill Counter - January 12

The north panel was getting stripped out. The white readerboard face that was on it is getting loaded onto the truck. Thanks to Troy Barbu for capturing the moment and sharing his January 12 photo on the DTLA Facebook page.

The north side of the marquee with fluorescent tubes, sockets and ballasts stripped out. Ready to go home for the day. Photo: Bill Counter - January 12

The panel for the north side of the marquee rigged and ready to fly. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

The back side of the panel. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

A peek at some terracotta hidden for over six decades. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

The north panel up in the air. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

Easing the panel toward its position. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

A happy foreman. This phase will be done before the rains return. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

Ready for the men behind to secure the panel to new steel. Photo: Bill Counter - January 13

Regarding the use of the panels for ads, Escott O. Norton researched the Broadway sign ordinance: "It’s a total of 4 minutes of off-site ads per hour, and the screen can only change every 8 seconds. So that still means no crazy animation, but you can do the math, there will be some ads possible." He notes that there are more details on page 24 of ordinance 184056, available as a PDF from the City's Planning Department.

One of the Martinez Sign team putting in a few jumpers around missing pieces of tubing. Photo: Bill Counter - January 17

The south panel on for its first test. Chula Vista Electric was the contractor on the job for this phase. Photo: Bill Counter - January 18

The full 3-panel digital extravaganza with the whole display fired up. The 2 side panels were unchanging, the center one at the time of the photo was cycling between a "Welcome To the Orpheum" that mimicked a real readerboard, one that gave you the time and date, and this one with the photo. Photo: Bill Counter - January 19

The Orpheum double feature: a first look at the digital panels plus the neon. Still a few neon problems to fix here and there. Photo: Bill Counter - January 21

Changeable letters are back! Well, no. But it's a good simulation with the panel programmed to look like a traditional readerboard. Photo: Bill Counter - January 24

The south readerboard nicely trimmed out in pale blue. At the time of the photo the north side was also done but work remained around the center panel. Photo: Bill Counter - March 3

November 2022:

A look across from Level, a building at 9th and Olive. Thanks to Sam Curtis for this evening shot. He also included a morning view in a 2023 post on the DTLA Photo Group on Facebook.

The 2022 roof sign project:

Scaffolding going up as the work began. Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for spotting the activity and getting this April 12, 2022 photo. It appeared on the DTLA Town Square Facebook page. The sign once had a line saying "Vaudeville" at the bottom. Originally it was double sided.

Mark Fugina caught this April 12 shot late in the afternoon. Note the three guys in the upper right and two in the middle of the sign. Thanks, Mark!

A detail of the sign before painting began. Photo: Bill Counter - April 13

Painting the trim. Thanks to Don Goldberg for this April 18 photo.

A detail from Don's April 18 photo.

Looking very yellow after getting a new coat of paint on the "Orpheum" script. Photo: Bill Counter - April 21

The scaffolding being taken down. Thanks to Troy Barbu for sharing his May 3, 2022 photo on the DTLA Facebook page.

Relamped and back in business. Thanks to Don Goldberg for the photo. See his his May 3 video clip taken the first night the sign was back in action.

A glorious photo taken by Mark Fugina on May 3, 2022. See it in action on the video clip he posted on the DTLA Town Square Facebook page.

A detail from a photo Brady Hunsberger took on May 4, the day after the sign's debut.

Another angle. Photo: Brady Hunsberger - May 4, 2022. See a third shot from Brady on his DTLA Town Square Facebook post. Thanks!

The sign as seen from Hill St. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2022

Work on the vertical in 2022:

Work in progress. Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for the photo, a January 31, 2022 post on the DTLA Town Square Facebook page.

A closer look at the deco vertical. The sign once had "RKO" in that top circle. The letters have sockets for incandescent lamps, no longer used. Photo: Brady Hunsberger - January 31, 2022

The vertical lit again in February 2022. Thanks to Troy Barbu for his photo, a post on the DTLA Town Square Facebook page.

Another look at the vertical. It's animated. The the blue outline of the letters is on continuously, the trim around the perimeter flashes. Photo: Bill Counter - April 30, 2022

A view from the south. Wanda Sykes was appearing as part of the "Netflix is a Joke" festival. Photo: Bill Counter - April 30, 2022

Broadway views 2007 - 2022:

A 2007 look north. The building this side of the Orpheum is the 9th & Broadway Building, a design of Claud Beelman that opened in 1929. Photo: Bill Counter

A view south toward the United Artists. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The soffit neon. Thanks to Bud Care for sharing his 2007 photo on Flickr.

The building just north of the Orpheum is the 1927 vintage Platt Music Co. Building by Walker & Eisen, architects of the United Artists building. And, in yellow, Two Boots Pizza, a fine spot that's now gone. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A view from the 6th floor of the Bullock's Building at 7th & Broadway. The upper floors are now parking. That's a bit of Loew's State on the right. Farther down are the Garland Building/Globe Theatre, the Tower Theatre and the Orpheum. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for sharing his 2012 photo. Keep up with his recent explorations: on Facebook | HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr

South across 8th St. At this point the Rialto still had down-market retail in the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

South toward the United Artists. That's the Eastern Columbia Building on the right. It's a design of Claud Beelman that opened in September 1930. The Majestic Theatre used to be in that area now occupied by the Eastern Columbia's garage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

"Chinatown" for the L.A. Conservancy. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

A daytime marquee shot. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A different angle on the Orpheum and Eastern Columbia. The building in the upper right is the 1929 expansion to the Hamburger Department Store / May Co. building. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

Terracotta details on the facade. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A night with all three signs lit. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

North from the Orpheum toward the Rialto and Tower theatres. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A great shot from the top of the United Artists looking down in the canyon of Broadway toward the Orpheum. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

Gazing toward the Orpheum from the north fire escape of the United Artists building. The UA building was under renovation at the time and hadn't yet morphed into the Ace Hotel. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

A line around the block for the L.A. Conservancy's December 2012 screening of "A Christmas Story." The Conservancy's Facebook album about the event includes this photo by Larry Underhill.

That circle at the top used to say "RKO." Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

The vertical at night. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2013

A view north in 2013. Photo: Hunter Kerhart

A look upward. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2013

A detail of that distinctive Orpheum script. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2013

It was the "Day On Broadway," the celebration of the 6th anniversary of the decade-long Bringing Back Broadway initiative. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - January 25, 2014

Another January 25, 2014 "Day On Broadway" photo. It was perhaps the first time in years the Rialto, Tower, and Globe marquees had all been lit. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - LAHTF Facebook page.

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is actively involved in the study and preservation of the vintage theatres in the Los Angeles area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official FB page

Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for this terrific 2014 "Day On Broadway" photo with a view all the way down to the Palace.

A center panel detail. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2015

The January 2017 "Night on Broadway." Many thanks to Michael Frey for sharing his photo. It popped up, uncredited, on a DTLA Town Square Facebook post by Tony Hoover.

A busy time during the January 2018 "Night on Broadway" event. Thanks to Mike Hume for his photo. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for tech data and hundreds of terrific photos of the theatres he's explored. And don't miss his page on the Orpheum.

The marquee paint job underway. Here they were about 40% finished. Photo: Bill Counter - July 16, 2019

Working on the teal blue around the Orpheum letters on the front section. They were using small rollers to work around the tubing in many areas. Photo: Bill Counter - July 16, 2019

A look at the gleaming white interior of the freshly painted channel for the "Orpheum" letters. The neon tubing had been removed as there wasn't sufficient room to paint around it. Photo: Bill Counter - July 25, 2019

Most of the "Orpheum" tubing was back in place after the painting of the the sheet metal channel. At this point there was still some painting left to do, for example in the upper right. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2, 2019

Theatre life at a halt due to the Coronavirus. Orpheum owner Steve Needleman advised us what he was doing. Photo: Bill Counter - March 17, 2020

A last look at changeable letters on the marquee before the digital conversion. Thanks to Margot Gerber for sharing her December 2022 photo taken from the Eastern Columbia building. It's one of eight views of the theatre's signage she included on a Facebook post.

Roof sign views 2002 - 2020:

The rear of the sign, a 2002 view that's part of the Sign Structures collection from Mark Swope Photography.

An end view by Mark Swope from 2002. It's in his Sign Structures collection. Thanks, Mark!

The famous roof sign from street level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The sign gets its closeup at dusk. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

The sign at night. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

Up in the air looking south. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

A later view south on Broadway. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

A drone's eye view of the sign from Ian Wood's "Downtown Los Angeles" on Vimeo. He spent several months in 2014 shooting downtown theatres and other historic buildings from a drone that resembled "a mutant chicken." It's four minutes and forty five seconds of wonder that's not to be missed.

A 2014 drone view south toward the United Artists from Ian Wood's 5 minute 2015 epic "Downtown Los Angeles" on Vimeo.

A look upward. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2015

A stunning 2015 view of the edge of the Orpheum's roof sign from JimmyLBC on the Bringing Back Broadway Facebook page.

Thanks to Shawn Dudley for this 2016 photo. You can see the rest of his thirteen photo Orpheum set on the LAHTF Facebook page.

The Orpheum from Hill Street:

The view looking east. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A Hill St. vista at night. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

Another view from the west. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

The Orpheum and the Eastern Columbia Building. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2012

Thanks to Stephen Russo for this fine 2011 view from a building on Hill St. It originally appeared on the L.A. Conservancy Facebook page.

A 2010 look over toward the theatre included in Corey Miller's Theatre Signs set on Flickr.

Around the back:

How do you spell "Orpheum" backward? At one time you didn't need to read it backward -- it was a double faced sign with one on this side directed to travelers arriving by train. Photo: Shawn Dudley - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016

A great rainy day view of the rear of the Orpheum roof sign. Photo: Yasmin Elming - Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page - 2012

Thanks to David Israel for this terrific 2016 photo of the rear of the theatre and adjoining buildings as seen from Main St. It was a post on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.

A closer view from Spring St. The green fire stairs at left are for some of the dressing rooms and the house left organ chamber access. Note the roof sign at the Broadway edge of the building. The stagehouse, with more dressing rooms -- and 7 floors of what are now loft apartments above, is the rust colored structure at the far left of the image. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The ticket lobby:

A look in from the street. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The view toward the south display cases. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Looking north. The structure on the right, now a boxoffice, used to be operated as a snackbar accessible from the street. The brass boxoffice was originally over on the right and was reconfigured and moved when they wanted a boxoffice closer to the street. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

Another look at the former snackbar that's in the original boxoffice location. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

The back of the boxoffice as seen from the entrance doors. Thanks to Yasmin Elming for her 2018 photo.

The ticket lobby ceiling. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Los Angeles Theatres

Orpheum Theatre: recent exterior views

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