The Bonfils Memorial Theatre (also known as the Lowenstein Theatre) was a community theatre located at 1475 Elizabeth Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It operated from 1953 to 1986, staging more than 400 productions including plays, operas, concerts, films, lectures, and television shows. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses a Tattered Cover Book Store.
History
The theatre was built by Denver philanthropist and Denver Post publisher Helen Bonfils in memory of her parents, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Belle Barton Bonfils. It was designed in the Art Moderne style by Denver architect John K. Monroe, who had previously worked as chief architect for the Archdiocese of Denver. The one-story structure, covering 66,000 square feet (6,100 m²), was faced in cream-colored brick and trimmed in buff-colored terra cotta and red sandstone. A contoured aluminum canopy overhung the entrance below a "wing-swept" marquee.
The interior featured a travertine lobby with a Prussian blue rug, wood-paneled walls, pumpkin-colored plaster, and tall windows. A grand staircase led to a lower lobby with a bar and restrooms. The theatre seated 550 patrons and was equipped with nine dressing rooms and an electronic lighting switchboard described as a smaller version of the system used at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. Helen Bonfils consulted with actor Raymond Burr on the theatre's layout.
Opening and Operation
The Bonfils Memorial Theatre opened on October 14, 1953, with a production of Green Grow the Lilacs for an audience of 500. It was the first live-performance theatre built in Denver in forty years. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a telegram of congratulations to Helen Bonfils for the opening.
The theatre was built at a cost of $1.25 million, funded through the Frederick G. Bonfils Foundation, which Helen Bonfils's father had established to support educational and cultural organizations. Bonfils designated the theatre as the new home for the University Civic Theatre (founded in 1929), which was renamed the Denver Civic Theatre upon its move. She rented the building to the Civic Theatre for one dollar per year.
The main artistic force behind the theatre was Henry Lowenstein, hired as a set designer in 1956, who later became producer and influenced a generation of Denver theatre practitioners. The theatre presented main stage productions, cabaret performances (Bo-Ban's Cabaret, opened in 1976 in the basement), and children's theatre. During summers, a "Festival Caravan" toured city parks, and free outdoor musicals were presented in Cheesman Park.
Notable performers who appeared at the Bonfils Memorial Theatre included Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, David Ogden Stiers, Joan Van Ark, Paul Winfield, Julia Child (who gave a cooking demonstration), Emlyn Williams, Cleo Parker Robinson, and Marilyn Van Derbur (Miss America 1958).
Closure
After Helen Bonfils died in 1972, the theatre became part of the Bonfils Foundation. In 1974, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) was formed, and the Bonfils Memorial Theatre came under its governing board. The DCPA continued operating the Bonfils as a community theatre, but as professional theatre gained popularity at the downtown DCPA complex, interest in the community theatre waned. In 1984, the board closed the main stage. The theatre was renamed the Lowenstein Theatre in 1985 in honor of Henry Lowenstein, but six months later, the DCPA board voted unanimously to close it permanently in 1986.
Renovation and Current Use
The theatre sat vacant for nearly twenty years. In May 2005, Charles Woolley of the St. Charles Town Company purchased the property from the Bonfils Foundation for $1.9 million. A $14–16 million preservation and renovation project converted the theatre into a Tattered Cover Book Store, which opened in June 2006. The exterior was cleaned and repaired with few changes; the interior was redesigned for retail use while retaining many historic details. The sloped theatre floor was leveled, but the original orchestra pit was preserved and filled with books on the performing arts. Some original red mohair-covered seats were retained in two rear balcony areas. The development received the 2006 Community Preservation Award from Historic Denver.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 2006 (NRHP reference number 91001417).
