Originally known as the PANTAGES, the Warner Brothers bought the building from Pantages about 1928. The lobby was very small: really only a rear-of-house cross aisle. Built during the regrettable era of Jim Crow laws, there were two balconies - a large balcony for the white folks and above that the "colored only" balcony. It was considered the grandest theater in town. A brilliantly lighted marquee stretched the full width of the gleaming white, terra-cotta facade, and every inch of the interior was covered in ornate, gilded plasterwork. The building was demolished in 1968 for a bank skyscraper.  This beautiful building in its open setting with that grand marquee, was the most photographed of all the Memphis theatres.

Loew's State was actually built into an older warehouse with a front entrance on Second Street. Second Street wasn't a suitable address for such a prestigious theater so Loew's acquired a single storefront on Main Street which aligned with the warehouse/auditorium on 2nd. Unfortunately, there was an alley between the two buildings which the City of Memphis wouldn't allow Loew's to close off. The solution? The storefront was gutted and turned into a lovely half-block-long lobby which ended in a single grand stairway which rose to a level high enough to allow a bridge over the alley to enter the auditorium.  This all marble entrance was lined with mirrors and crystal chandeliers and was an impressive walk to the auditorium.  The State had a vaudeville stage and pit and the hall was never renovated during its life and so retained all it's Thomas Lamb "Loew's Adam" decor to the end. The two big Loew's theaters in downtown Memphis were under construction at the same time.  Loew's State became notable for being the place where Elvis Presley got his first job, in 1948, as an usher and later being fired, and then re-instated.

Loew's Palace had a fairly small lobby with stairs on each side. There was a glass window wall between the lobby and the auditorium. Beyond the window wall as an open orchestra foyer/standee area. Above this was an under-balcony dome. Ascending the stairs led one to an lower balcony cross aisle with a well at the dome. Looking down into the well, one looked down on seats. Looking up one saw the saucer (under-balcony) dome. This whole lower balcony cross-aisle was cove-lit in pink neon.  Loew's Palace was the Memphis Cinerama movie house.

The Grand Opera House opened at the famous corner in 1890 and was touted as the finest opera house outside New York City.  In 1899, it was renamed Hopkins Grand Opera.  The new owner hired his own resident Stock Company, and went about changing the house into a Vaudeville Theatre. He replaced the gas lighting with 586 sparkling lights and changed the color of the foyer from a drab olive to a brighter gray and gold. He completely renovated the house in 1903 and the color scheme was changed again to rose and gold, with the boxes accented with green and yellow. Although the great Sarah Bernhardt performed here, the primary fare was Vaudeville.

In 1907 the theatre officially became part of the Orpheum circuit and was renamed the Orpheum Theater.  In 1923, a fire broke out during a vaudeville show and the old Orpheum Theater burned to the ground. Five years later, on the foundation of the old theater, a New Orpheum Theater was built at a then-staggering cost of $1.5 million. This is the Orpheum that we know today.  It was twice as large as the old theater, and much more ornate and luxurious, decorated in the style of Francois I, the Memphis Orpheum was beyond anything the builders of the old opera house could have ever dreamed, with brocade draperies, enormous crystal chandeliers, gilded moldings, and a mighty Wurlitzer organ.  It opened on November 19, 1928. The auditorium, which seated 2500, was decorated in shades of gold, red and cream, and included a huge stage, orchestra pit, balcony and domed ceiling. The grand lobby had twin staircases, enormous crystal chandeliers and gilded plasterwork. The Orpheum Theater also contained a nightclub called the Broadway Club, as well as smaller lobby spaces to the sides of the grand lobby.

By 1940, after the heyday of vaudeville, the Orpheum Theater was purchased by the Malco chain and switched to a movies-only format. The renamed MALCO Theater continued to run first-run films until it closed in 1977. After the closure, there was even talk of demolishing the old theater to build an office complex. In 1977, the Memphis Development Foundation purchased the Malco, restored the Orpheum name and began bringing Broadway productions and concerts back to the Theatre.

Fifty-four years had taken a toll on the grand old Theatre. It closed in 1982 to begin a $5 million renovation to restore its 1928 opulence after decades of decline.  In January 1984, a grand reopening ceremony was held, which signaled the rebirth of entertainment in downtown Memphis.   Today, the theatre is named the Orpheum Theater and is Memphis' premier venue for touring Broadway shows. The Orpheum Theater has hosted more touring Broadway productions than any other theater in the US.  In addition to its stage shows, the Orpheum hosts concerts, and is the home of the Memphis Ballet and the Memphis Opera.