Bonfils Memorial Theatre

Last updated
Bonfils Memorial Theatre
Bonfils Memorial Theater.JPG
Theatre building in 2009
USA Colorado location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1475 Elizabeth Street, Denver, Colorado
Coordinates 39°44′24″N104°57′24″W / 39.74000°N 104.95667°W / 39.74000; -104.95667
AreaNortheast Denver, Colorado
Built1953
ArchitectJohn K. Monroe
Architectural style Art Moderne
NRHP reference No. 91001417 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 27, 2006

Bonfils Memorial Theatre, also known as Lowenstein Theatre, was a community theatre in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, which operated from 1953 to 1986. Built by Denver philanthropist Helen Bonfils in memory of her parents, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils 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, Henry Lowenstein. 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 Tattered Cover bookstore. The theatre building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

Location

The theatre building is located at 1475 Elizabeth Street, on the southwest corner of East Colfax Avenue, in Northeast Denver. [2]

Description

Theatre entrance Bonfils Memorial Theatre - historic.jpg
Theatre entrance

The theatre was designed in Art Moderne style by Denver architect John K. Monroe. [3] [4] The one-story structure, covering 66,000 square feet (6,100 m2), [5] was faced in cream-colored brick and trimmed in buff-colored terra cotta and red sandstone. [3] [2] Below the "wing-swept" marquee, a contoured aluminum canopy overhung the entrance. [3] [6]

Inside, the travertine lobby sported a "Prussian blue rug, wood-paneled walls, pumpkin-colored plaster, and tall windows". [3] On one side of the lobby stood a shrine to the Abbey Theatre in England. The lower lobby and bar was accessed via a grand staircase. [3]

The theatre had seating for 550. Its Prussian-blue stage curtain 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, concerts, films, and lectures. [3] [7] The venue was also appropriate for use as a television studio. [3]

Helen Bonfils consulted with actor Raymond Burr on the theatre layout. Decades later, the Perry Mason TV movies starring Burr used the premises as a filming location between 1987 and 1989. [8]

History

The Bonfils Memorial Theatre was built at a cost of $1.25 million by Helen Bonfils, a Denver philanthropist and owner of The Denver Post , in memory of her parents, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Belle Barton Bonfils. [7] [3] 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 University of Denver. [8] 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. [3]

With its opening on October 14, 1953, the Bonfils Memorial Theatre was the first live-performance theatre to open in Denver in four decades. [8] [3] It quickly became the "social center of the city", with opening nights presided over by Bonfils and attended by society figures. [8] President Dwight D. Eisenhower dispatched a congratulatory telegram to Helen Bonfils upon the theatre's opening. [8] [3] The first production, Green Grow the Lilacs , was seen by an audience of 500. [3] [5]

Productions and performers

The theatre presented main stage, cabaret, and children's theatre. [8] [3] It staged more than 400 productions from 1953 to 1986. [3] Performers at the Bonfils Memorial Theatre included John Ashton, Tony Church, and Cleo Parker Robinson. [8] Celebrities who appeared in theatrical productions included Helen Bonfils (herself an actress and theatrical producer), [7] Mary Jo Catlett, Julia Child (she gave a cooking demonstration), Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Ted Shackelford, David Ogden Stiers, Marilyn Van Derbur (Miss Colorado 1957 and Miss America 1958), Joan Van Ark, Emlyn Williams, and Paul Winfield. [8] Bonfils lent her extensive collection of "fur coats, jewels, silver, furniture, and rugs" as props for many productions. [9]

During the summers, the theatre sent a "summer festival caravan" around to city parks to entertain audiences, and presented a free outdoor musical in Cheesman Park. [8]

Henry Lowenstein, hired as a set designer in 1956, became the theatrical producer in 1967. [8] In 1985 the theatre was renamed the Lowenstein Theatre in his honor. [8]

Closure

The theatre remained open for more than a decade after Helen Bonfils' death in 1972. In 1973 the Denver Civic Theatre moved to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), [4] 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. [3] 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. [3] [2] The cabaret and children's shows continued to be staged until 1986, when the board closed the theatre permanently. [3] 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.

Renovation

Tattered Cover bookstore in the former theatre; the orchestra pit is in the foreground Tattered Cover Book Store, East Colfax Avenue, Denver.jpg
Tattered Cover bookstore in the former theatre; the orchestra pit is in the foreground

The theatre sat vacant for two decades. In May 2005 [4] Charles Woolley of the St. Charles Town Company purchased the property from the Bonfils Foundation for $1.9 million. [3] The development company undertook a $16 million preservation and renovation project to convert the theatre into a bookstore and add a record shop, art cinema, and 230-space parking garage to the adjoining lot. [3] [4]

In June 2006 the theatre building reopened as a Tattered Cover bookstore. [6] 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. [3] [6] The redesign, executed by architect Josh Comfort, retained many "historical details and finishes"; for example, some original red mohair-covered seats were retained in two rear balcony areas, and the original orchestra pit, accessed via a ramp, was filled with a display of "books on the performing arts". [3] [6] The backstage dressing rooms, rehearsal area, and offices made way for a restaurant and coffee shop. The development company received the 2006 Community Preservation Award from Historic Denver for the project. [3] [4]

The theatre building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoinette Perry</span> American actress and director (1888–1946)

Mary Antoinette "Tony" Perry was an American actress and director, and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. She is the namesake of the Tony Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tattered Cover</span> Independent bookstore chain in Colorado, United States

<i>The Denver Post</i> American daily newspaper in Denver, Colorado

The Denver Post is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 million page views, according to comScore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Center for the Performing Arts</span> Set of concert halls within the larger Denver Performing Arts Complex

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts(DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the community and rental facilities. It was founded in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Civic Center</span> Neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, USA

The Denver Civic Center is a civic center area that includes two parks surrounded by government and cultural buildings and spaces. Civic Center is located in central Denver, Colorado, on the south side of Downtown Denver. Much of the area is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. A somewhat smaller area was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2012 as one of the nation's finest examples of the City Beautiful movement of civic design. Denver Civic Center lies partially within the north end of an official Denver neighborhood also named Civic Center. It includes the Colorado State Capitol building, in the west end of Denver's official Capitol Hill neighborhood, and it includes a few buildings in the south end of Denver's Central Business District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central City Opera</span>

Central City Opera is the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States, founded in 1932 by Julie Penrose and Anne Evans. Each festival is presented in the 550-seat historic Central City Opera House built in 1878 in the gold mining era town of Central City, Colorado. Pelham G. Pearce was selected in 1996 as Managing Director for Central City Opera, and he was named General/Artistic Director in May 1998, when John Moriarty became Artistic Director Emeritus. Since 2006 John Baril is the first Music director of the opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Performing Arts Complex</span> Entertainment complex in Colorado, U.S.

Opera Colorado is an opera company located in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1981, it presents an annual season of three to four fully staged productions. Its primary performance venue is the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Theatre (Denver)</span> United States historic place

The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denver's famous 16th Street Mall. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,870 but is a popular destination for large acts looking for a smaller concert setting. With spelling as Paramount Theater, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elitch Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre, serving as home to America's first and oldest summer-stock theatre company from 1893 until the 1960s. The first films in the western US were shown there in 1896. Cecil B. DeMille sent yearly telegrams wishing the theatre another successful season, calling it "one of the cradles of American drama."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haila Stoddard</span> American dramatist

Haila Stoddard was an American actress, producer, writer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Seawell</span> American publisher

Donald Ray Seawell was an American cultural and civic leader, born in Jonesboro, North Carolina. He was the founder of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts</span> Theater and former movie theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was founded in 1925 and has grown into one of the largest community theatres in the United States. Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts is located in downtown Grand Rapids in an 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) facility consisting of four historic buildings: the Majestic Theatre (1903); the Hull Building (1890); the Botsford Building (1892); and the Wenham Building (1878).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairmount Mausoleum (Denver, Colorado)</span>

Fairmount Mausoleum is a public mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. The building was designed by architects Frederick E. Mountjoy and Francis W. Frewan. Constructed in 1929 and opened in 1930, the Fairmount Mausoleum contains the remains of more than 17,000 people and houses one of the largest stained glass collections in the state of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akron Civic Theatre</span> Theater and movie theater in Akron, Ohio

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Somnes</span> American director (1887–1956)

George Somnes, born George Carleton Flye was an American theatre director and producer and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Bonfils</span> American actress, theatrical producer, publisher, and philanthropist (1889–1972)

Helen Gilmer Bonfils was an American heiress, actress, theatrical producer, newspaper executive, and philanthropist. She acted in local theatre in Denver, Colorado, and on Broadway, and also co-produced plays in Denver, New York City, and London. She succeeded her father, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils, as manager of The Denver Post in 1933, and eventually became president of the company. Lacking heirs, she invested her fortune into providing for the city of Denver and the state of Colorado, supporting the Belle Bonfils Blood Bank, the Bonfils Memorial Theatre, the University of Denver, the Denver Zoo, the Dumb Friends League, churches, and synagogues. Her estate endowed the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Bonfils Stanton</span> American heiress and philanthropist

Mary Madeline "May" Bonfils Stanton was an American heiress and philanthropist. She and her younger sister, Helen Bonfils, succeeded their father, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils, as principal owners of The Denver Post. However, May's elopement at age 21 with a non-Catholic salesman had forged a rift in her relationship with her parents and sister that worsened when Helen inherited the majority of their parents' estates. Following a three-year legal battle over the inheritance, the sisters cut off all communication with each other. May married twice but did not have children. Living a reclusive life, she invested her fortune into building and furnishing her 750-acre (300 ha) estate in Lakewood, Colorado – which included a mansion that was an exact replica of Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon château in Versailles – and into many philanthropic endeavors in the state of Colorado. The Bonfils–Stanton Foundation, established by her second husband after her death in 1962, continues to support the arts in Colorado. She was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitfield Connor</span> American actor, director and producer

Whitfield Connor was an American actor, director and producer.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 Noel 2016, p. 282.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Bonfils Memorial Theatre". Colorado Encyclopedia. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lowenstein Theater". Denver Urban Renewal Authority. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 Riley 2006, p. 84.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Chandler, Mary Voelz (17 June 2006). "Encore for a classic Tattered Cover transforms historic Lowenstein Theater". Rocky Mountain News . Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Varnell 1999, p. 97.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Moore, John (26 June 2009). "A History of the Bonfils Theatre". The Denver Post . Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  9. Riley 2006, p. 85.

Sources