Denham Theatre

Denham Theatre was a Denver, Colorado entertainment venue that operated from 1913 until 1974. It occupied the theater portion of the six-story Denham Building at the northeast corner of 18th and California Streets in downtown Denver. Although it ultimately became known primarily as a movie theater, the venue began as a legitimate stage house presenting stock-company productions, plays, musicals, and vaudeville. Its history therefore reflects several major changes in American entertainment: the rise of permanent theatrical houses, the decline of live theater during the transition to sound cinema, the expansion of large-format roadshow films, and the later difficulties faced by large single-screen downtown theaters. The building was constructed in 1913 under the name Shubert Theatre. Construction was interrupted by financial problems, and the Cooper Investment Company advanced funds needed to complete the project. The company managed the estate of former Colorado governor Job A. Cooper and leased the site from him. Shortly before opening, the directors rejected the proposed name National and renamed the building and theater Denham in honor of Mrs. Job A. Cooper, the governor's widow. The venue was leased to actor and producer O. E. Woodward, who installed a resident stock company led by Eva Lang. Its opening on November 8, 1913, featured The Widow's Might and attracted a large audience, with contemporary reports describing the house as filled beyond ordinary seating capacity. The Denham was designed as a substantial, fire-resistant urban theater using steel, concrete, brick, and Colorado-Yule marble. Its auditorium used blue and gold decoration and included an orchestra level, balcony, gallery, boxes, and more than 3,000 lights. Contemporary accounts placed its intended capacity at approximately 1,800 seats, although the number was reduced to improve patron comfort. The building's architectural attribution is not entirely consistent: contemporary reporting credited William Albert Swasey, while construction references attributed the theater building to the St. Louis firm of Clymer & Drischler. The venue remained a legitimate theater and vaudeville house into the early 1930s. In 1930, during the disruptive change from live musical accompaniment to synchronized sound films, it briefly became a union-operated theater. The Denver Co-Operative Amusement Company, formed by local stagehands' and musicians' unions, leased the building and promoted it as a labor-financed theater. The experiment reopened in April and continued until late June of that year. The Denham then moved decisively into motion pictures. During the early sound era it was managed by Lou Hellborn, with Carson Harris handling publicity. In 1934, Charles J. Cooper and Allen Cooper acquired Hellborn's interest, and Allen became manager. Around the same period, B. D. Cockrill and his wife, Vera, became increasingly involved. Cockrill gained controlling interest by 1936 and became president of Denham Theatre, Inc. His organization later operated theaters in Denver and Indianapolis. After his death, Vera L. Cockrill continued as owner and managing director. A major modernization in 1960 repositioned the theater for prestige roadshow cinema. The approximately $250,000 renovation reduced seating from roughly 1,635 to 802, removed the top balcony, widened the screen opening, and installed 70-millimeter Philips projectors and a six-channel sound system. The remodeled venue reopened with Ben-Hur and subsequently presented other major productions, including Exodus, El Cid, West Side Story, King of Kings, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Cleopatra. In 1964, it hosted the world premiere of MGM's The Unsinkable Molly Brown, a film about Denver-associated figure Margaret Brown. Like many aging downtown single-screen theaters, the Denham later shifted toward adult-film programming. Highland Theatres leased the venue from 1971, while Urban Investment and Development Co. became the owner of the Denham Building. The theater closed permanently at midnight on November 19, 1974, after a final engagement of American Graffiti and Last Summer. The building was demolished in early 1975 in connection with downtown redevelopment, and a parking garage subsequently occupied the site. The Denham thus survives as a historical theater name rather than an active operating brand.

Denham Theatre was established in downtown Denver in 1913 as a substantial venue for live entertainment. The structure was initially planned and built as the Shubert Theatre, reflecting the national reach of the Shubert theatrical interests. Construction encountered a period of financial difficulty, and completion required an advance from the Cooper Investment Company. The company managed the estate of former Colorado governor Job A. Cooper and leased the theater site from him. In October 1913, shortly before the opening, the directors changed the proposed name. Rather than calling it the National, they selected Denham in honor of Mrs. Job A. Cooper, the governor's widow. The theater occupied part of a six-story mixed-use building at 635 18th Street, at the northeast corner of 18th and California Streets. Actor and producer O. E. Woodward became the opening lessee. He organized a resident stock company headed by Eva Lang of St. Louis. The first performance, The Widow's Might, took place on November 8, 1913. Contemporary accounts described a very large audience and reported that standing-room demand exceeded the available capacity. The theater also received attention for employing Black men and women, an observation reported favorably by Denver's Colorado Statesman. In its original form, the building was a fireproof steel, concrete, and brick structure with Colorado-Yule marble. The auditorium used blue and gold decoration, deep-blue plush seats, a balcony, gallery, tiers of boxes, and more than 3,000 lights. Reports described a nominal capacity near 1,800 seats, although some seating was removed to give patrons greater comfort. The architectural history is partly disputed. Rocky Mountain News identified William Albert Swasey of New York, the Shubert organization's house architect, as the designer. Other construction references, including a 1913 building catalogue and a St. Louis architectural listing, attributed the Denver Shubert theater building to Clymer & Drischler. This differing attribution is part of the building's documented architectural record. For approximately its first two decades, Denham Theatre functioned as a legitimate stage house. It presented plays, musicals, and vaudeville, and later recollections emphasized its stock company and the notable performers who appeared there. The theater became involved in the national industrial disruption caused by sound cinema in 1930. As synchronized films reduced the need for theater musicians and altered traditional theater employment, members of Denver's stagehands' and musicians' unions formed the Denver Co-Operative Amusement Company. The group leased the Denham and promoted it as a theater operated and financed by labor union crafts. The venture was expected to support dozens of workers, including musicians, stagehands, ushers, and ticket sellers. It reopened on April 20, 1930, with Woodward returning as play director, but the experiment ended in late June. The venue converted to motion pictures in the early 1930s. Lou Hellborn managed the theater during the early sound period, assisted by publicity manager Carson Harris. In May 1934, Hellborn sold his half-interest to Charles J. Cooper and his son Allen. Allen Cooper then became manager. B. D. Cockrill, who had moved to Denver from Salt Lake City with his wife Vera, became managing director around 1934. By mid-1936 he had obtained controlling interest, and by the end of that year he was president of Denham Theatre, Inc. Cockrill's broader organization eventually operated theaters in Denver and Indianapolis. After his death, Vera L. Cockrill maintained ownership and management of the Denham. In 1960, the theater underwent a comprehensive renovation intended to compete in the era of prestige roadshow films. The work altered the building from cellar to roof level, reduced seating from approximately 1,635 to 802, removed the upper balcony, cut down the lower balcony, and widened the proscenium opening. A 53-by-23-foot screen was installed, described at the time as Denver's largest indoor movie screen. The theater also received Philips 70-millimeter projectors imported from the Netherlands and a six-channel sound system. The renovated venue reopened with a black-tie presentation of Ben-Hur on April 12, 1960, followed by public showings beginning the next day. Its subsequent prestige program included Exodus, El Cid, West Side Story, King of Kings, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Cleopatra. The Denham achieved a particular local distinction on June 11, 1964, when it hosted the world premiere of MGM's The Unsinkable Molly Brown. The film dramatized the life of Margaret Brown, the Titanic survivor whose public identity was strongly associated with Denver and Colorado. The booking connected the theater's roadshow role with the civic identity of its home city. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the economics of downtown exhibition had changed. Large single-screen theaters faced competition from newer venues and changing audience habits, and the Denham moved toward adult-film programming. Highland Theatres leased the theater in 1971. The Denham Building's ownership also changed, with Urban Investment and Development Co. of Chicago becoming the owner while developing Denver Plaza nearby. The theater closed at midnight on November 19, 1974. Its last program was a double feature of American Graffiti and Last Summer. The building was demolished in early 1975 as downtown redevelopment proceeded, and the site was later used for a parking garage. No active theater or corporate successor continues under the Denham Theatre name.

• 1975

  Demolition

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Denham Building is demolished and the site is subsequently used for a parking garage.

• 1974

  Permanent closure

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theater closes on November 19 after 61 years of operation.

• 1971

  Highland Theatres lease

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Highland Theatres leases the venue during its final operating period.

• 1964

  World premiere of The Unsinkable Molly Brown

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Denham hosts the world premiere of MGM's Denver-connected musical film.

• 1960

  Roadshow modernization

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The venue is extensively remodeled for 70-millimeter films, a larger screen, wider seating, and multichannel sound.

• 1936

  Cockrill control

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  B. D. Cockrill gains controlling interest and becomes president of Denham Theatre, Inc.

• 1934

  Cooper family involvement

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Charles J. Cooper and Allen Cooper acquire Lou Hellborn's half-interest, with Allen becoming manager.

• 1930

  Union-operated theater experiment

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Denver Co-Operative Amusement Company briefly operates the venue during the transition from live accompaniment to sound film.

• 1913

  The theater is completed and renamed Denham Theatre

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The building originally planned as the Shubert Theatre is renamed Denham Theatre shortly before opening.

• 1913

  Opening performance

  [1]Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theater opens on November 8 with The Widow's Might under the management of O. E. Woodward.

A prominent downtown Denver theater that evolved from a live-performance and vaudeville house into a large-format movie palace and prestige roadshow cinema.

• Legitimate theater · 1913

  Live stage productions

  The Denham began as a resident-stock and legitimate theater. Its early programming included plays, musicals, and other stage productions, with a new production planned regularly during the opening period. The venue's stage identity continued through the 1920s and briefly resurfaced during the union-operated experiment of 1930.

• Live entertainment · 1913

  Vaudeville

  Vaudeville was part of the Denham's original entertainment mix. The theater's stage configuration, balcony, gallery, boxes, and large seating capacity supported the variety-performance format common in American urban theaters during the early twentieth century.

• Cinema exhibition · 1930

  Feature motion pictures

  Beginning in the early 1930s, the Denham shifted from primarily live entertainment to feature-film exhibition. During the sound era it presented mainstream and prestige motion pictures and operated as one of downtown Denver's major movie houses.

• Large-format cinema · 1960

  70-millimeter roadshow cinema

  The 1960 renovation repositioned the Denham for roadshow engagements. The theater received 70-millimeter Philips projectors, a six-channel sound system, a 53-by-23-foot screen, and substantially wider seating. This format supported extended engagements of major productions such as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, and other prestige films.

• 1974

  Close the theaterOther

  Background

  The aging downtown single-screen venue faced changing exhibition economics and redevelopment pressures around the Denham Building.

  Action taken

  Highland Theatres ended operations on November 19 after a final double feature.

  Aftermath

  The building was demolished in early 1975 and the site became a parking facility.

  Source

• 1960

  Convert the venue for large-format roadshow filmsGeneration change

  Background

  The theater sought to remain competitive as prestige films increasingly used wider formats, extended engagements, and premium presentation.

  Action taken

  Management carried out a comprehensive remodel, reducing seating, enlarging the screen opening, and installing 70-millimeter projection and six-channel sound.

  Aftermath

  The renovated theater reopened with Ben-Hur and became a venue for major roadshow productions.

  Remodeling cost. $250,000 (1960)

  Source

• 1930

  Lease to a union-operated theater cooperativeStrategy

  Background

  The arrival of sound films threatened employment for theater musicians and changed the operating model of live theaters.

  Action taken

  The Denver Co-Operative Amusement Company, formed by stagehands' and musicians' unions, leased and operated the Denham.

  Aftermath

  The experiment reopened the theater in April but ended by late June of the same year.

  Source

• 1913

  Rename the planned Shubert Theatre as Denham TheatreStrategy

  Background

  The building was nearing completion under the Shubert Theatre name, but its directors reconsidered the name shortly before opening.

  Action taken

  The directors abandoned the proposed National name and selected Denham in honor of Mrs. Job A. Cooper.

  Aftermath

  The venue opened and operated under the Denham Theatre name for the rest of its existence.

  Source

1. 1Denham Theatreen.wikipedia.org