The Orpheum Theater at 9th & St. Charles Streets

Bill Streeter’s film Brick by Chance & Fortune will be showing at the Orpheum Theater in downtown St. Louis this Saturday, December 17th at 3:30 PM.

St. Louis is a city with a rich and unique hsitory of brick architecture. Home to some of the largest amd most innovative companies of the 19th and 20th centuries, the city boasts some of the finest examples of brickwork ever produced.  In his film, Streeter explores the history of brick-theft, neglect and urban renewal pose to the future of the city’s architectural heritage.

The film will be shown at the historic Orpheum Theater located at 416 North Ninth. Constructed in 1917 from the designs of G. Albert Lansburgh, the theater was part of the Orpheum Circuit owned by Martin Beck headquartered in San Francisco. The steel and concrete building is clad in exteror ornamentation executed by the Winkle Terra Cotta Company from the designs of Italian sculpture, Leo Lentelli.

The Orpheum Circuit was one of the largest and oldest vaudeville companies in the United States. Previously, Orpheum acts were shown at the Columbia Theater owned by Louis Cella. The new theater was the only theater in St. Louis devoted exclusively to Orpheum bookings. The rise of the full length motion picture supplanted the vaudeville industry. By the 1930′s the Orpheum was sold to Warner Brothers.

This is your chance to see a locally procuced film about St. Louis and explore the Orpheum Theater in downtown St. Louis. A cash bar will be available and a Q&A session with the director will take place after the screening.

Reservations are appreciated but not required. The cost is $10.00 for admission. The doors will open at 3:30PM and the show will begin promptly at 4:00PM. Call 314-421-6474 to RSVP.