460:(DCPA), and in 1974 the Bonfils Memorial Theatre came under the jurisdiction of the governing board of the DCPA, which had been formed from Bonfils' estate. The board continued to operate the Bonfils Memorial Theatre as a community theatre, but in 1984, as professional theatre gained popularity at the DCPA, the board closed the main stage. The cabaret and children's shows continued to be staged until 1986, when the board closed the theatre permanently. After the DCPA opened, the productions at Bonfils continued to attract a large audience. The story goes, Don Seawell, Chairman of the DCPA, attended a production of Sweeney Todd, did not like the competition, and decided to close the Bonfils. Many in the local theater community considered the renaming of the Bonfils to the Lowenstein to be an honor but also a slap in the face to Henry.
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345:. In 1942 Bonfils gifted a different site, at 1425 Cleveland Place, to the University Civic Theatre, but due to World War II the building could not be remodeled. In 1948 Bonfils acquired the property at 1425 Elizabeth Street and arranged for the removal of a ten-room house to make room for construction of a theatre, which she rented to the newly renamed Denver Civic Theatre for one dollar a year.
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bookstore. While few changes were made to the exterior, the sloped flooring of the theatre had to be leveled and the interior redesigned for retail trade. The redesign, executed by architect Josh
Comfort, retained many "historical details and finishes"; for example, some original red mohair-covered
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The theatre sat vacant for two decades. In May 2005 Charles
Woolley of the St. Charles Town Company purchased the property from the Bonfils Foundation for $ 1.9 million. The development company undertook a $ 16 million preservation and renovation project to convert the theatre into a bookstore and
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was complemented by gray side walls and red carpeting. Backstage were nine dressing rooms. Monroe designed an electronic lighting switchboard – a "smaller version of the system used in New York City's
Metropolitan Opera House" – to accommodate a variety of productions, including plays, operas,
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style by Denver architect John K. Monroe. The one-story structure, covering 66,000 square feet (6,100 m), was faced in cream-colored brick and trimmed in buff-colored terra cotta and red sandstone. Below the "wing-swept"
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and Belle Barton
Bonfils, it staged plays, operas, concerts, films, lectures, and television shows, presenting more than 400 productions. In 1985 it was renamed the Lowenstein Theatre in honor of its longtime producer,
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With its opening on
October 14, 1953, the Bonfils Memorial Theatre was the first live-performance theatre to open in Denver in four decades. It quickly became the "social center of the city", with
250:. The theatre closed in 1986 and sat vacant for two decades. It was purchased in 2005 by Charles Woolley of the St. Charles Town Company, which renovated and reopened the building in 2006 as a
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and Belle Barton
Bonfils. Bonfils designated the theatre as the new home for the University Civic Theatre, an amateur theatre which since 1929 had operated on the campus of the
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Henry
Lowenstein, hired as a set designer in 1956, became the theatrical producer in 1967. In 1985 the theatre was renamed the Lowenstein Theatre in his honor.
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During the summers, the theatre sent a "summer festival caravan" around to city parks to entertain audiences, and presented a free outdoor musical in
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The theatre remained open for more than a decade after Helen
Bonfils' death in 1972. In 1973 the Denver Civic Theatre moved to the
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The
Bonfils Memorial Theatre was built at a cost of $ 1.25 million by Helen Bonfils, a Denver philanthropist and owner of
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dispatched a congratulatory telegram to Helen
Bonfils upon the theatre's opening. The first production,
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rug, wood-paneled walls, pumpkin-colored plaster, and tall windows". On one side of the lobby stood a
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starring Burr used the premises as a filming location between 1987 and 1989.
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690:"Encore for a classic Tattered Cover transforms historic Lowenstein Theater"
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concerts, films, and lectures. The venue was also appropriate for use as a
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in England. The lower lobby and bar was accessed via a grand staircase.
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presided over by Bonfils and attended by society figures. President
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Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
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seats were retained in two rear balcony areas, and the original
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Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
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826:High Altitude Attitudes: Six Savvy Colorado Women
254:bookstore. The theatre building is listed on the
16:United States historic place, in Denver, Colorado
491:In June 2006 the theatre building reopened as a
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906:National Register of Historic Places in Denver
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524:"National Register Information System"
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529:National Register of Historic Places
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398:(she gave a cooking demonstration),
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233:in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of
317:Helen Bonfils consulted with actor
761:"A History of the Bonfils Theatre"
362:, was seen by an audience of 500.
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808:. University Press of Colorado.
647:. Denver Urban Renewal Authority
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901:1953 establishments in Colorado
823:Riley, Marilyn Griggs (2006).
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107:Show map of the United States
759:Moore, John (26 June 2009).
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19:United States historic place
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911:Theatres completed in 1953
610:"Bonfils Memorial Theatre"
366:Productions and performers
241:in memory of her parents,
169:Northeast Denver, Colorado
200:NRHP reference
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850:. Big Earth Publishing.
844:Varnell, Jeanne (1999).
829:. Big Earth Publishing.
802:Noel, Thomas J. (2016).
339:Frederick Gilmer Bonfils
243:Frederick Gilmer Bonfils
223:Bonfils Memorial Theatre
190:Architectural style
55:Theatre building in 2009
30:Bonfils Memorial Theatre
120:1475 Elizabeth Street,
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370:The theatre presented
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150:39.74000°N 104.95667°W
614:Colorado Encyclopedia
534:National Park Service
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359:Green Grow the Lilacs
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645:"Lowenstein Theater"
479:is in the foreground
388:Cleo Parker Robinson
354:Dwight D. Eisenhower
343:University of Denver
155:39.74000; -104.95667
82:Show map of Colorado
695:Rocky Mountain News
484:add a record shop,
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896:Theatres in Denver
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416:Marilyn Van Derbur
412:David Ogden Stiers
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227:Lowenstein Theatre
891:Community theatre
877:, October 7, 2014
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424:Miss America 1958
312:television studio
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286:Inside, the
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396:Julia Child
384:Tony Church
380:John Ashton
324:Perry Mason
276:Art Moderne
194:Art Moderne
153: /
141:104°57′24″W
129:Coordinates
885:Categories
857:1555662145
836:1555663753
787:Riley 2006
669:Riley 2006
511:References
486:art cinema
464:Renovation
372:main stage
288:travertine
138:39°44′24″N
124:, Colorado
552:Noel 2016
507:in 2006.
422:1957 and
326:TV movies
182:Architect
772:15 March
706:12 March
651:15 March
620:15 March
229:, was a
207:91001417
117:Location
796:Sources
452:Closure
376:cabaret
298:to the
281:marquee
262:History
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434:, and
386:, and
296:shrine
235:Denver
122:Denver
174:Built
852:ISBN
831:ISBN
810:ISBN
774:2017
708:2017
653:2017
622:2017
177:1953
166:Area
426:),
202:No.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
