Built in 1927 as a vaudeville and movie palace, the theatre was restored in 1999 and today is the home of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

It was one of the largest theatres in Iowa at its time and was certainly somewhat of a risk financially for Mr. Sanford, with a total construction cost of 1.75 million.

Throughout the years, the Orpheum was used for symphony performances, ballet and special attractions and hosted entertainers such as Fred Astaire, Tallulah Bankhead, and Katharine Hepburn.

[4] In 1982, the theater was "twinned" or cut into two small movie houses, and a wall of sheet rock was placed down the center aisle.

[5] The reconstruction, overseen by Ray Shepardson, was started in 1999 with the expertise of architect Ed Storm, AIA from FEH DESIGN in Sioux City at a cost of nearly $12 million.