In 2008 the Orpheum was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Madison's best surviving representative of the movie palace era.

[3] Once the market was established, some theaters were created extra fancy to stand out from the others - movie palaces.

They were larger, with lavish interiors meant to transport theatergoers to exotic places like ancient Egypt, the Palace of Versailles, or Moorish Spain.

They designed a limestone, Art Deco exterior, with a towering vertical "NEW ORPHEUM" marquee that became an icon of State Street.

Beyond that is the Grand lobby, a two story space with a concession stand at the back, flanked by two terrazzo staircases with bronze rails, and the area decorated in French Renaissance style with swags, wall sconces, chandeliers, vases, and a marble statue of "The Young Shepherd" overlooking the lobby.

The decor from the grand lobby, based on Louis XIV's palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleu, continues through the foyer and auditorium.

It cost $750,000 to build, with great attention to the comfort of customers in the climate control system, state-of-the-art lighting, a "cosmetique salon" for ladies, and smoking lounges for both sexes.

It opened March 31, 1927 with a program that included a newsreel, the silent film Nobody's Widow accompanied by organ, and vaudeville acts.