The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-06
81. PAUL TO ENTER
0RPHEUM CIRCUIT
Heads Of Vaudeville Company
Decide to Build Theater
Here

The Orpheum Circuit company, In
control of the high-class vaudeville
business in the West, is to include ST
Paul in its list of cities having modern
Orpheum vaudeville theaters next sea-
son.
Final settlement of this much dis
cussed question was reached in San
francisco yesterday morning, and the
results of that important conference
telephoned from Chicago by Martin
Beck, general manager Of the Orpheum
Circuit company yesterday afternoon,
the first recipient of the news being G.
e. Raymond, resident manager of the
Orpheum theater in Minneapolis.
General Manager Beck's message
said:
You can authoritatively announce
that the Orpheum Circuit company
will build in st. Paul this season and
that the site for the building has been
selected. Announcement of the Local
ton will be made in few days."
This announcement is the logical re-
suit of the Orpheum Circuit company's
construction and successful opening of
the Minneapolis Orpheum last fall. At
the time of the decision to invest in
Minneapolis Mr.. Beck, M. Meyerfeld
Jr., president of -Orpheum Circuit
company. and F. B. Henderson, super
lntendent of construction for the COM
pany, looked over the st. Paul field,
but found nothing exactly suitable for
their purpose. Subsequently, and par
t1cularly upon the occasion of the Min
neapolis Orpheum's opening last Octo-
Der, the officers of the company again
visited st. Paul and At that time Sc
cured an option on a site which, it is
understood, is the one finally deter
mined upon.
Excellent Support Wins
Had it not been for the excellent
support given the Minneapolis Or
pheum since its opening and the steady
patronage of persons who journeyed
from st. Paul to visit the Minneapolis
playhouse in token Of their apprecia-
ton of modern vaudeville, the chances
of high class vaudeville house in st.
Paul would have remained decidedly
remote. Expressions, practical and
sentimental from ST. Paul people con-
WINGED the Orpheum Circuit company
that conditions here are ripe for
first-claSS vaudeville house and were
largely responsible for the decision
which will place st. Paul in the ex-
elusive vaudeville circuit of the West.
In deciding to erect its own building
the Orpheum Circuit company is but
following the custom established when
its Los Angeles and Kansas City thea
tiers were constructed. This system has
resulted in the building during the past
ten years of the Los Angeles, Kansas
City, New Orleans, Denver, Omaha and
Minneapolis theaters and the opening
of the st. Joseph house. When the st.
Paul Orpheum is opened next fall there
will be controlled and operated by the
Orpheum Circuit company the follow
ing high class and decidedly popular
vaudeville houses:
Orpheum, San Francisco; Orpheum,
Los Angeles; Orpheum, Denver; Or
pheum, Omaha; Orpheum, st. Joseph;
Orpheum, Kansas City; Orpheum, New
Orleans; Orpheum, Minneapolis; Or
pheum, st. Paul; Grand opera house,
Indianapolis; Columbia, st. Louis;
Columbia, Cincinnati; Grand opera
house, Haymarket, and Olympic, Chi
cago. To this list well be added when
completed the 100000 New Males
tic, Chicago, which will be without
doubt the finest vaudeville theater in
the United States.
In supplying the patrons of these
theaters the Orpheum Circuit COM
pany engages the most expensive and
most attractive vaudeville talent in
this and continental countries. Vaude-
vile is in vogue now more than it ever
was before and st. Paul, through the
erection and completion of the st.
Paul Orpheum, will become metropoli-
tan in matters theatrical as in every
other way.
House to Cost 100000
In building it's ST. Paul playhouse
the Orpheum Circuit company will fol-
low the general lines upon which the
Minneapolis Orpheum was construct
ed. There will be front of Doric pill
lars, terra Gotta and brick; large iron
and glass portico for the protection of
patrons in stormy weather, absolutely
freproof construction, seating ca
pacity Of nearly 1900 and general at
tention to the safety and comfort of
guests such as is seldom afforded by
theater builders. The st. Paul theater
will represent the same investment as
that necessitated by the Minneapolis
Orpheum, $780, 900.
When the final decision in the mat
ter of locating in st. Paul has been
reached, in the absence of any local
representative, F. B. Henderson, SUI
perintendent of construction for the
Orpheum Circuit company, who SUI
perintended the building of the Mime
apolis Orpheum and is at present in
San Francisco, will soon return to st.
Paul and will represent the company
here until the spring. when Col. C. E.
Bray, late manager of the New Orleans
Orpheum and present assistant general
manager of the company, will make st.
Paul his headquarters until this link
in the Orpheum chain has been COM
pleted.