Champaign, IL Orpheum Children's Science Museum ~ Loge Bay
The Orpheum Theater was constructed in 1904 as a vaudeville theater. It was designed by Rapp and Rapp to mimic the Salle de la Spectacle at Versailles. It was converted to a movie theater in the 1920s by RKO. The facade received an update in the late 1960s.
It closed in the mid-1980s. It was saved from becoming a parking lot in 1991. The Mid-century Modern slipcover was removed at that time. The lobby and storefronts were renovated into the Orpheum Children's Science Museum. In 2005, the Museum received a Save America's Treasures grant to restore the interior and hopefully the interior.
The Champaign Historic Preservation Commission was granted a preview of the interior before the grand reopening. They've done a remarkable job on the interior and plan on making it a multi-use facility.
The Orpheum Theater is on the National Register #91000085.
Champaign, IL Orpheum Children's Science Museum ~ Loge Bay
The Orpheum Theater was constructed in 1904 as a vaudeville theater. It was designed by Rapp and Rapp to mimic the Salle de la Spectacle at Versailles. It was converted to a movie theater in the 1920s by RKO. The facade received an update in the late 1960s.
It closed in the mid-1980s. It was saved from becoming a parking lot in 1991. The Mid-century Modern slipcover was removed at that time. The lobby and storefronts were renovated into the Orpheum Children's Science Museum. In 2005, the Museum received a Save America's Treasures grant to restore the interior and hopefully the interior.
The Champaign Historic Preservation Commission was granted a preview of the interior before the grand reopening. They've done a remarkable job on the interior and plan on making it a multi-use facility.
The Orpheum Theater is on the National Register #91000085.