| American Theater | |
| Designated Other1 Name: | St. Louis Landmark |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | STLL |
| Designated Other1 Link: | St. Louis Landmark |
| Designated Other1 Color: |
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| Location: | 416 N. 9th St., St. Louis, Missouri |
| Coordinates: | 38.63°N -90.1928°W |
| Built: | 1917 |
| Architect: | Lansburgh, G. Albert |
| Architecture: | Beaux Arts |
| Added: | March 18, 1985 |
| Refnum: | 85000617 |
The Orpheum Theater in St. Louis, Missouri is a Beaux-Arts style theater, built in 1917. It was constructed by local self-made millionaire Louis A. Cella and designed by architect Albert Lansburgh.[1] The $500,000 theater opened on Labor Day, 1917, as a vaudeville house.[1] As vaudeville declined, it was sold to Warner Brothers in 1930, and served as a movie theater until it closed in the 1960s.[1]
In the 1980s, the theater was restored and renamed to American Theater in the 1980s[1] and was listed under that name on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In 1993, the rock band Phish played two concerts at the venue - one in April and the other in August - both of which were released in full on the band's 2017 live album St. Louis '93.[2] UPDATE; June 2024: It was actually in the 1970's (not 1980's as previously stated) that the theater was restored and renamed the American Theater and used as a concert venue.
The theater was later sold to local businessmen Michael and Steve Roberts, who renamed it the Roberts Orpheum Theater. The Roberts brothers sold the theater in 2012, and it closed.[3] The Chicago developer, UrbanStreet Group, plans to restore the theater.[4]
The theater was closed in 2012. However, new owners, Jubilee Group, purchased the building in 2017.[5]