Every day we wake up, start our day without questioning anything, and live practically in automatic mode. That’s why today I’m going to tell you why you should value the world around you more, notice the things that happen, and the places you pass by.

You’ve probably heard of and even passed by the Orpheum Theatre, but do you know its history? Do you know how magical and beautiful it is inside? Well, this is one of Vancouver’s great places, marking the city’s history, full of culture inside, and beloved for its tradition, art, and elegance.

What is now the stage for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, major shows, and cultural events, was very close to disappearing a few decades ago.

In 1927, the theatre was designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca and inaugurated. Right from the start, it was a great success, after all, it was a chic, elegant space, very tasteful, almost as if you were entering a castle. Since nothing is perfect, after 30 years of great success, new movie theatres began to appear and win people’s hearts, so the space became a property of Famous Players, and their idea was to transform the Orpheum into a multiplex. In 1969, the name changed, and it was now called the Vancouver Theatre until 1974, when, after the idea of ​​transforming the place into a more modern cinema for the time, the population didn’t like it and protested. A group of all kinds of culture and art lovers came together to prevent this from happening, until the space was bought for more than 7 million dollars by the City of Vancouver to save it from being demolished.

Between 1973 and 1975, a lot of renovations, restoration, preparation had to be done to reopen, and all this to become the grand place we know today. If you’ve never been inside the Orpheum, it’s like stepping into another century. The space is enormous, everything shines as if it were pure gold, giant chandeliers, and everything is perfectly in its place.

The Orpheum is proof that culture and history doesn’t survive alone. If it weren’t for the people fighting to keep it standing, maybe today we wouldn’t have such a magical theatre in the city we call home.

Orpheum is a heritage site and an important part of our identity.