The Orpheum was opened on Monday, November 29, 1909. It was located at 610-612 Second Street. The theater was owned by E. H. Martin and operated by son, Fred N. Martin, the owner of the Unique Theatre. The opening night's bill featured "the finest vaudeville ever seen in Webster City. The orchestra rendered a number of high class elections and Billie Reeves, Irish comedian and parody singer, opened the program. He was followed by the Demarestio brothers, instrumentalists. Little Silver Plume, the child vocalist, was a favorite and has a wonderful voice. Lessick Anita, jugglers, closed the vaudeville offering." According to the Dec 2, 1909 edition of the Webster City Journal, "The Orpheum is a modern and beautiful little theatre. Manager Martin risked a good deal in attempting to put on the high class bills he is offering in this magnificant house. The amusement loving people of the city owe it to him to extend a generous patronage to the end that the high standard of present offerings be maintained." The opening night ticket price was $1.00, which was reduced to 10 cents for adults and 5 cents for children under seven years. by Dec. 23, 1909.

"This theater was built of brick walls and concrete floors. Every 16 inches there are one inch steel rods to reinforce the floor. The floor is raised one foot to every ten, occupying the first floor and basement. The rear stage will have a height of over fourteen feet. It will readily be seen that besides being the home of refined vaudeville and moving pictures, the Orpheum might be used as a legitimate theatre."

"With the completion of the Orpheum, Mr. Martin will also install his own private electric light plant. It will consist of a gasoline engine and dynamo with sufficient capacity to furnish light for both the Family and Orpheum Theatres."

By 1911 the management was taken over by N. P. Hyatt, former manager of the Armory Opera House, according to the 1911 city directory. It was operated at this location from 1911 until 1916 when it was moved west one storefront to 610-612 Second Street. This location was in a new building built by E. H. Martin, whose name still appears on the building today. This new location provided a much larger theater with two aisles dividing the theater into three sections. There were two small side sections and the larger center section. This theater showed the first run movies and vaudeville acts in the beginning. "Manager Hyatt has booked the Emperian Concert Company for a special show. The prices are slightly elevated to 10 cents and 30 cents," according to the Feb. 16, 1911 Webster City Journal.

The theater housed a piano and a very large organ which provided the mood music by playing tunes to fit what appeared on the screen. For a time the organ was played by a blind man, Frank Volker. Earlier Gertrude Neudeck played in the Orpheum as well as the Isis for the silent films. This theater had a balcony. The projection booth was in the center of the balcony. The theater was later sold to George Stevens and Floyd R. Puffer.

It was Mr. Puffer who hired Art Downard to work as an usher. At Christmas time in December, 1929, Art’s mother was attending church services and sat next to Mr. Puffer. When asked how things were going at the theater, Puffer replied that things would be fine if he could hire someone to help him. Mrs. Downard suggested her son, Art, then aged 14, might be willing to work. That was the beginning of Art Downard’s long career in the theater business in Webster City that ended with his retirement in 1988. Stu Lund, later an attorney in Webster City, was the doorman when Downard was hired. When Lund left the theater to become the night clerk at the Willson Hotel, Downard took over the doorman duties.