By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – The Orpheum Community Hub is temporarily closed as Homewise begins a major renovation project aimed at expanding its office space while preserving one of Downtown Albuquerque’s most historic buildings. Community programming has temporarily moved to Fourth & Barelas, and the organization expects to reopen the Orpheum in 2027.
Before closing for renovations, the Orpheum Community Hub served as a gathering place for community events, arts programming and classes in downtown Albuquerque. The venue regularly hosted ABQ Artwalk exhibitions, including its annual Art Teachers Are Art Makers showcase featuring New Mexico arts educators. It also welcomed events such as the All Abilities Art Show, which featured artists from the disability community, and free weekly Latin dance classes open to the public.
The temporary closure has also affected the many community groups that relied on the Orpheum’s theater and event space. Monica Bencomo, community development creative manager at Homewise, said the venue was in constant use throughout the year.
“We had 243 days out of the year that the space was used,” says Bencomo. “There was a few of them where there were three organizations using the space in one day.”…