Washington Pavilion taking over Orpheum Theater management in July

5/13/2019

May 13, 2019
Argus Leader

The Washington Pavilion next month will celebrate 20 years of operation in the heart of Sioux Falls. And the next era for the nonprofit that runs the city-owned facility that once served as a high school will include managing another historic building downtown.

The Sioux Falls Finance Department will unveil a proposal Tuesday afternoon to have Washington Pavilion Management, Inc. take over operations on the Orpheum Theater this summer.

For the nearly two decades, the facility has been managed by SMG, the same company that operates the Denny Sanford Premier Center, the Sioux Falls Arena and Convention Center, and Sioux Falls Stadium.

T.J. Nelson, deputy chief of staff in the mayor's office, did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But he told the Argus Leader in February that the administration was considering making a management change at the 106-year-old performance venue.

Washington Pavilion Executive Director Darrin Smith said Monday he and his staff are excited to add the Orpheum Theater to the Pavilion's portfolio. 

"Initially there was a lot of due diligence that was done on our part to make sure it’s a good fit for us, the Orpheum and the city," Smith said. "We came to the conclusion that it is."

Pending the City Council's blessing, Washington Pavilion Management, Inc. will formally take over operations on July 1.

Smith said the transition should be relatively seamless with existing Pavilion staff manning operations. However, he plans to hire at least one additional employee as a result of addition of the Orpheum Theater.

Built in 1913 by Solari Bros., the facility opened as a vaudeville theater before it fell into decline in the mid 1900s. Eventually it was purchased by the Sioux Empire Community Playhouse, which used the space until the city took ownership of it in 2002.