Orpheum Theatre: interior views

1192 Market St. | map |

Also see: Orpheum Theatre - history + exterior views

The main lobby:

In the main lobby looking toward the stairs and entrance to the inner lobby at the back of the main floor. It's a 1926 photo from Terry Helgesen that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.

The checkroom and stairs up. It's a 1926 Terry Helgesen collection photo from Jack Tillmany.

Looking back toward the entrance doors. It's a 1926 photo from Terry Helgesen that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.

A look up at the ornament in the center of the main lobby ceiling. Although other areas have been repainted over the years to a simpler look, this area has remained untouched with its 1926 look. Thanks to Gary Parks for his 1991 photo on the Cinema Treasures page about the Orpheum. Note no chandeliers, unlike at the present.

Looking into the lobby from the entrance. The doorway on the upper level is an overlook from the lobby at the 1st balcony level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

Another view in from the entrance. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Balcony stairs and, on the right, a peek into the inner lobby at the rear of the main floor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015  

The Market St. end of the lobby as seen from the balcony stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

The painting above the entrance doors. Thanks to Andra Young for the photo. See her 10 photo 2020 Orpheum Theatre set of interior photos from a visit to see "Hamilton." Also see a 15 photo 2019 Orpheum Theatre set. Both are on the BAHT Facebook page. 

Basement lounge area:

We're downstairs near the men's room looking north in the corridor toward the ladies room and, beyond, the stairs up to the lobby. Presumably there were once nice lounge areas down here, but it's all been rebuilt. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Another corridor view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

 

The inner lobby:

 

Looking in toward the inner lobby. It's a 2022 photo by Scott Walton appearing with the Wikipedia article about the theatre. 

Looking toward house left -- the auditorium is off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

An inner lobby chandelier. Photo: Andra Young - 2019  

 

Looking down into the inner lobby from the first landing on the balcony stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

A detail of the beam we see in the shot above. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

The inner lobby from house left. The light in the distance is coming in from Market St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015  

Another look at a ceiling fixture and painted detail on the beams. Photo: Andra Young - 2020

An inner lobby exit sign. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015  

A detail of the back stairs, house left. Photo: Andra Young - 2019

The upper lobby levels:

The 1926 look of the lobby at 1st balcony level. The windows at center look out onto Hyde St. In the corner to the left is a ladies room. The stairs at the right get you up to the 2nd balcony. It's a photo from the Terry Helgesen collection via Jack Tillmany.   

The main floor lobby setup of the Orpheum is straightforward -- a conventional arrangement. But it gets screwy as you head up the stairs due to the way the house is situated on an angled lot. The two upper balcony lobbies are sort of triangular in shape. And from them you enter not center or house left but only to house right. Want to enter house left? Well, from both the 1st and 2nd balcony lobbies you'd go down a flight to a landing and take stairs over in that direction. 

On the back (house left) stairs there's no lobby area at either the 1st or 2nd balcony levels:  you go right into the seating section.

We're house right on landing .5 -- the stairs to the left get you down to the main lobby. Looking up we see the ceiling of the 1st balcony lobby. The light there is from the windows looking out onto Hyde St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Looking up the stairs from the .5 landing toward the 1st balcony lobby. Out of frame to the right, the light is coming in from windows overlooking Hyde St. The auditorium is off to the left. Above us a pleasant ceiling showing off the 1926 plasterwork but far from the original look. It had all been painted over (by the Cinerama gang and others no doubt) and never fully restored. But -- take a left up the stairs to the 2nd balcony lobby where the plasterwork is about the same but all the richness of the original painted detail still remains to gawk at. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Looking in toward the house up in the 1st balcony lobby. We're house right -- there is no lobby space at house center or left on either of the two balcony levels. The stairs we see get you up to a similar traingular space at 2nd balcony level where we get a more ornate ceiling -- up there original ceiling finishes remain. Behind us are windows onto Hyde St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

A fixture and ceiling detail. Photo: Andra Young - 2020

The stairs up from the 1st balcony lobby. Seating is in through the drapes at the right. If you bought the cheaper seats in the 2nd balcony (known as the smoking loge in 1926) then up on the landing you have two choices. Stairs at the left get you to the 2nd balcony lobby and house right. Or take the stairs to the right to get to the center of the 2nd balcony. But then you miss the very nice lobby. Symmetrical? Hardly. It's a bizarre layout.  Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

Looking back down to the 1st balcony lobby from landing 1.5. Up the stairs to the right you're in the 2nd balcony lobby. Our usher is standing at the house right entrance to the 1st balcony. And that vista through the arch straight ahead? You're looking out into the upper level of the main lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

A fine, but somewhat strange, column on the landing between the 1st balcony lobby and the 2nd balcony lobby. Perhaps it just looks a bit out of context as all the original detail work on the walls and ceiling in its vicinity is now missing. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Heading up to the 2nd balcony lobby. Note the newer carpet. Photo: Andra Young - 2020

On the main stairs house right looking up from the landing toward the 2nd balcony lobby. Certainly not an original light fixture (or wall treatment) but the ceiling at this level retains its 1926 painted detail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

From the 2nd balcony lobby looking back down to the landing at level 1.5. The roped off stairs get you to the center entrance of the 2nd balcony -- but you get no lobby at the top of those stairs. You head right into the seating area. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

The 2nd balcony lobby. It's similar in size and shape to the space below for the 1st balcony.  That's a men's room over on the left. That would be the location of the stairs if we were down a floor lower. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

A bit of the ceiling in the 2nd balcony lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015  

A bit of painted detail near the ceiling in an alcove in the 2nd balcony lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Vintage auditorium views:

A house left wall view in 1926. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection via Terry Helgesen.

A view to the rear of the house. It's a 1926 photo from Terry Helgesen that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.

A proscenium view from the 1st balcony. It's a 1926 photo from Terry Helgesen that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.

Checking out the projection equipment on the big screen in 1926. It's a photo from Terry Helgesen that's in the Jack Tillmany collection. Thanks, Jack!

The frame and speaker installation underway out in front of the proscenium in 1953 for "This Is Cinerama." The photo appears on the Orpheum page of  InCinerama, Roland Lataille's comprehensive site about everything related to the format.  

 

The louvered Cinerama screen going up in December 1953. The photo appears on Roland Lataille's In Cinerama website. Thanks, Roland! There's a smaller version of the photo on the San Francisco Public Library website.

 

A cheerful group ready to see "Seven Wonders of the World," the third Cinerama presentation, in December 1956. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting this Examiner photo when it was for sale on eBay.  Note a bit of the center projection booth on the right.

 

 

A look into the house taken for the Examiner in May 1977 by Robert McLeod. At the top of the image note what appears to be some masking that reveals the curve of the Cinerama screen that had been in the theatre. Thanks to Glenn Koch for spotting the photo when it was on eBay. When it was published the caption was "The refurbished Orpheum Theater, new home of the Civic Light Opera." 

Recent main floor views:  

Painted ceiling detail on the 1st balcony soffit. Photo: Andra Young - 2019

A look up from the main floor. Photo: Andra Young - 2019 

The set for "Hamilton." Photo: Andra Young - 2019 

The house right wall near the proscenium. Photo: Andra Young - 2019 

 
The urn in the niche. Photo: Andra Young - 2019

A plaster detail. Photo: Andra Young - 2019. Thanks, Andra!  

 

The windmill and blue elephant in place for the run of "Moulin Rouge." It's a September 2022 photo from BroadwaySF. Also see "How huge 'Moulin Rouge' stage was recreated inside S.F.'s Orpheum Theatre," a Datebook article by David John Chavez

 

The 1st balcony level:  

The back of the 1st balcony from house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

 

 

A fine view from house right. Thanks to Scott Walton for posting this one on the Facebook page Theatre Architecture. 

Looking down on a main floor exit sign. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

Looking across at 1st balcony level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

The house left wall near the proscenium. Photo: Andra Young - 2020

Up in the 2nd balcony:

The ceiling from the rear of the 2nd balcony. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

 

 

The lions in the cove above the chandelier. Thanks to Douglas Taylor for this photo and his others appearing here. He shared them in a 2024 post on the BAHT Facebook page and notes: "Lions surround the audience in the Orpheum. 117 around the auditorium and 20 around the chandelier.

Also, they are full lions. Not just the front."

 

 

The lions get their closeup. Photo: Douglas Taylor - 2024 

 

 

Another angle on the lions at the center of the ceiling. Photo: Douglas Taylor - 2024

A chandelier detail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015  

 

Across the house from the front of the 2nd balcony. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015 

Behind two of the 117 lions appearing as part of the main ceiling cove. Photo: Douglas Taylor - 2024

 

 

A wide angle view across. It's a 2022 photo by Scott Walton appearing with the Wikipedia article about the theatre.

 

Before a December 2023 performance of "Lion King." Thanks to Philip Krikau for sharing his photo in a Facebook post.  

More information: Additional interior views can be found in the Orpheum Theatre album on the BAHT Facebook page.

Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller. For more photos and comments see the Cinema Treasures page on the theatre. 

The Orpheum Theatre pages: history + exterior views | back to top - interior views | the 1909 Orpheum |

| San Francisco Theatres: by address and neighborhood | alphabetical list | list by architect | pre-1906 theatre list | home |