In 1927 the “New Orpheum” was built to replace the fire destroyed “Grand Orpheum” & to host vaudeville acts, variety shows, & some of the decades greatest entertainers. In the 1940s, motion pictures replaced vaudeville as preferred entertainment, & the Orpheum couldn’t survive the Great Depression. The Orpheum was purchased for just $75,000 & the theatre became the Malco, presenting first-run movies on its big screen. 

In the 1970s many businesses had left downtown Memphis. The clubs of Beale Street succumbed to disrepair. Single-screen movie theaters were no longer profitable, & Malco decided to sell the Orpheum. Less than 50 years after its lavish revival, the theatre was in danger of demolition. A group of concerned citizens formed the Memphis Development Foundation to save the theatre in hopes of kick-starting a downtown reawakening. 

The foundation purchased the building, renamed it the Orpheum, & Broadway shows soon returned. The Orpheum Theatre also became one of the first buildings in Memphis to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

Hotel Chisca

The Hotel Chisca on South Main Street opened on Christmas Day in 1913. Constructed of concrete with a red brick facade, the nine story hotel was named for a Chickasaw Indian chief who had lived in the area before Hernando De Soto discovered the Mississippi River. Unlike the Peabody, the Chisca was considered a "second- tier" property, sturdy, solid, & well done. Billed as a "popular priced" hotel, it boasted 400 rooms, & catered to railroad travelers, employees, mule dealers, & entertainers. 

In 1953, the WHBQ radio station relocated to the Hotel Chisca. From there, disc jockey Dewey Phillips, played Elvis' first recording, “That’s All Right, Mama” between 9:30-10:00 the night of July 8, 1954. Dewey played the record seven times in a row as Memphis listened & participated in the discovery of a new voice. 

The following day the news reported...“The response was instantaneous! Forty-seven phone calls came in right away, along with fourteen telegrams — or was it 114 phone calls & forty-seven telegrams?!”