Theatre Timeline

1890 – Opening of the park. For the first summer, the Theatreorium — as it was originally called — was little more than a 12-sided tent with rows of chairs.

1891 – Theatre opened for the summer. While it was originally open on all sides, this was the general structure that still stands today.

1893 – Some sources consider 1893 to be the first year of summer stock at the Theatre, but others consider 1897 to be the first year. In 1893 the Frank Norcross Company was hired for the full season, so it can be considered a regular summer stock cast, but in 1897 a resident summer stock company was formed as the Elitch Gardens Theatre Company.

1894 – The ‘Anne Hathaway Curtain’ was installed and remained hanging in the theatre for nearly 100-years. (Painted by Charles F. Thompson Scenic Company of Los Angeles.)

1896 – Thomas Edison shows his new invention, the Vitascope, in the theatre. These are the first films shown west of Chicago.

1897 – The Elitch Gardens Theatre Company is formed, making the Elitch Theatre the first Summer Stock theatre in the country. For over 60-years the theatre would hire a stock cast to play for the entire summer. Additionally, box seats were added to the theatre. (Originally there were 12 box seats, but in 1899 two of the lower boxes were removed and then in 1923 two of the upper boxes were removed.)

1899 – To start the season, “zoological” was dropped from the name of the park and it officially became known as “Elitch’s Gardens”. Then, starting in the winter of 1899, and continuing for several years, some major improvements were made to the theatre.

The original gas fixtures in the theatre were replaced with electrical equipment.
The foyer was removed and the space was added into the theatre, including 200 additional seats.
Seats were replaced with new wooden seats (that included a hat rack!)
The stage was widened.
Two additional exits out of the theatre were added to the main floor.
A new entry vestibule was added, as well as ticket booths on each side.

1904 – Several major rides were added to the park: a “Figure Eight” roller coaster, the Old Mill, and a “Circle Swing.”

1905 – The original park carousel was purchased from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and is know as PTC#6 (the sixth carousel they built.)

1909 – The original “log entrance” was replaced by an ornate, Greek-Revival styled stucco gate.

1916 – Mary Elitch sells Elitch Gardens and the Theatre. After a short period of ownership by John K. Mullen, John Mulvihill purchased the park and his family would run it for the next 80-years.

1917 – The Trocadero Ballroom is added to the park. (There was an earlier venue at the park known as the Trocadero, mentioned by Mary Elitch in her biography and also mentioned in a June 6, 1909, Denver Post article, but its location and layout is unknown. Mary describes it as a venue for orchestra concerts and free afternoon vaudeville shows.)

1918-1919 – Theatre closed due to recession and world war one.

1923 – Before the opening of the 1923 season, several major renovations were completed:

The balcony was raised by four-feet and the rise of the main floor was elevated.
300 seats with were eliminated to allow more room between the aisles as well as between the rows of seats.
On the lower floor, an inner wall was built between the lobby and the foyer, cutting off the noise from the outside amusements, concessions, and rides.

1928 – The original carousel (PTC#6) is sold to Kit Carson County in eastern Colorado where it is still in operation today. Elitch’s Gardens’ new carousel, PTC#51, took master craftsmen three years to carve by hand and it is still in operation at the amusement park today.

1936 – Mary Elitch passes away.

1940 – The first floor seats were replaced with new leather upholstered seats (which remain there today!)

1954 – This year saw some significant changes to the theatre (and to the park.)

The biggest change to the theatre was the addition of the Fly Building. The Denver Post noted “The backstage area will be a giant building, 100 by 126 feet, rising 60 feet to the roof over the playing stage.” (Borrillo, p. 236)
The new backstage area would also house dressing rooms, a prop department, and a carpenter shop.
Electrical and plumbing upgrades were made to the theatre, including footlights that were recessed into the stage.
Outside in the park, KiddieLand opened and popular television star Hop-A-Long Cassidy presides over the opening.

1958 – Due to the widening of 38th Avenue, the stucco entrance had to be removed and it was replaced by an art-deco aluminum arch.

1975 – The Trocadero Ballroom is torn down to make room for more rides.

1978 – The Theatre is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1987 – The final regular season of theatre was the summer of 1987. The season opened with Nunsense, and when it was clear that there would not be another season, they brought the crowd-favorite Nunsense (and Denver native, Mary Jo Catlett) back to close out the theatre.

1991 – To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the theatre they re-opened for a special run of the show, The Robber Bridegroom.

1994 – The last summer of Elitch Gardens Amusement Park in NW Denver.

1995 – The new Elitch Gardens opened at the downtown location. At the same time, Denver City Council unanimously designates the theatre at the original location as a Historic Landmark.

2002 – Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation (HEGTF) formed to pursue the restoration and preservation of the theatre.

2007 – Roughly $5 million dollars was raised for Phase One of the restoration, which included the meticulous — historically-accurate — reconstruction of the exterior of the building.

2012– Phase Two began with a budget of $600,000+ to complete interior upgrades, including the addition of lighting, plus health and safety upgrades which included the installation of a fire-suppression system.

2020 – Following a 2018 storm that caused approximately $800,000 in damage, the organization used insurance money, a grant from Denver Urban Renewal Authority, and a grant from the State Historic Fund to complete Phase Three, which included a new roof, new restrooms, interior painting, and exterior landscaping.

[Primary Source: Borrillo, Theodore A., Denver’s Historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (2012) ISBN 978-0-9744331-4-1. OCLC 823177622.]