Esquire Theatre
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEsquire Theatre was a historic Denver cinema known for art-house, international, repertory, midnight and community programming.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Esquire Theatre was a historic neighborhood cinema at 590 Downing Street, at the intersection of East Sixth Avenue and Downing Street in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The building opened in 1927 as the Hiawatha Theater, a cinema conceived by Denver theater operator Gordon B. Ashworth and designed around an American Indian decorative theme associated with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha. Its original presentation combined motion pictures with live entertainment, including stage acts and dance prologues, reflecting the mixed programming typical of late-1920s neighborhood theaters. The Hiawatha opened on September 3, 1927, with Joan Crawford’s Winners of the Wilderness, a short film presentation, live performers and a free children’s matinee. The approximately 800-seat venue was promoted as an unusually distinctive western theater. Denver artist Corliss McGee created colorful interior murals and decorative elements based on Hiawatha imagery, while the building’s original brick exterior featured a stepped parapet, arched windows and a box-like marquee. The theater also became an early site for sound-related experimentation: in late 1927 it installed an Orchestraphone, a disc-based accompaniment system that played records alongside silent films before fully synchronized sound systems became standard. The property changed hands soon after opening. J. J. Hamilton acquired it by December 1927, and the International Amusement Company took over operations in 1933. By the middle of the 1930s it was associated with the Fox theater organization. The Hiawatha eventually closed around 1939. During its early years it served as more than a movie house: it hosted children's programs, neighborhood activities and a theater softball team that participated in Denver-area leagues. The venue also had connections to Denver’s Jewish community, including film screenings and civic or cultural events documented in local Jewish press coverage. The building reopened in November 1942 under the name Esquire. Fox-Intermountain Theaters operated it as a neighborhood cinema, with Helen Jean Spiller managing the theater from 1942 until approximately 1954. Under Spiller, the Esquire hosted annual toy matinees, children's programming and prestige engagements, including a 1949 Denver roadshow presentation of Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet. In November 1954, Fox-Intermountain repositioned the venue as its principal Denver outlet for international and art-house films. It also developed a subscription-based film festival circuit extending across a 25-city, seven-state territory. The Esquire became closely associated with Denver’s film culture. The Denver Film Society used it as a primary exhibition venue, and the theater established a reputation for international, independent, repertory and difficult-to-book films. In 1956 it introduced a no-late-seating policy for Diabolique, several years before Alfred Hitchcock used a comparable policy for Psycho. Denver architect Richard L. Crowther redesigned the building’s exterior in 1965, giving the venue a later architectural identity while retaining its long-standing marquee presence. Landmark Theatres began operating the Esquire in 1980 and continued its art-house and repertory orientation. In 1988, the theater became the site of Denver’s exclusive run of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. The engagement attracted protests but also produced record attendance for the venue. The Esquire further distinguished itself through a long-running midnight-film program, including one of the longest continuously running presentations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the United States. Operations were interrupted by water damage in 2018 and by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Landmark Theatres ceased operating the Esquire in July 2024 after its lease expired. The building, which had been owned by Franklin 10 LLC since 2021, was slated for adaptive reuse as restaurant and retail space, with the historic theater marquee signs intended for preservation. Although no longer operating as a cinema, the Esquire remains significant as a surviving Denver theater building and as a former center of neighborhood, art-house and repertory film culture.
History
The building now known as Esquire Theatre began as the Hiawatha Theater, announced by Denver theater operator Gordon B. Ashworth in May 1927. Ashworth presented the project as a distinctive cinema inspired by The Song of Hiawatha, with American Indian motifs, vivid colors and a design intended to make the neighborhood venue comparable in character to larger movie palaces. Construction began on May 24, 1927, under Dutton and Kendall General Contractors. The planned capacity was approximately 900 seats, although contemporary descriptions of the completed theater placed seating closer to 800. Denver artist Corliss McGee supplied colorful interior murals and decorative work depicting Hiawatha-related imagery. The original building was a brick structure with a stepped parapet, arched windows, steel casement windows and a prominent marquee. Its interior used bronze-colored walls, patterned decorative bands, Indian-themed lighting elements, pottery and a similarly themed carpet. The Hiawatha opened on September 3, 1927. Its opening-night program included Winners of the Wilderness, a short film and live performances, followed by a free children's matinee. The theater initially operated in the mixed format common to the late silent-film era, presenting films alongside vaudeville, dance prologues and other stage entertainment. The venue adopted new sound-related technology shortly after opening. In December 1927 it installed an Orchestraphone, a disc-based system that played records through loudspeakers to accompany silent pictures. The system was an economical transitional technology and did not provide the fully synchronized soundtrack associated with later sound-film equipment. The Hiawatha changed ownership within a few months, with J. J. Hamilton identified as its purchaser by December 1927. In 1933, the International Amusement Company took over operations and retained manager Louis Williams and the existing staff. Trade and newspaper references later connected the theater with the Fox organization, whose regional operations were active in Denver during the 1930s and early 1940s. The Hiawatha served as a neighborhood institution during the Depression. In addition to film exhibition, it supported children's activities and fielded a softball team in Denver-area leagues. Local Jewish press coverage associated the theater with Jewish community life, including film-related and civic events. The original Hiawatha closed around 1939, after which the building remained connected to the regional theater business but was not continuously advertised as an operating cinema. The venue reopened in November 1942 as the Esquire under Fox-Intermountain Theaters. Helen Jean Spiller managed it for roughly the next twelve years. The theater combined mainstream neighborhood service with community-oriented activity, including toy matinees and children's programming. It also hosted prestigious film presentations, notably a 1949 roadshow engagement of Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet. In November 1954, Fox-Intermountain formally repositioned the theater as its leading Denver location for international and art-house films. The company used the Esquire as the center of a subscription film festival circuit covering 25 cities in seven states. During the 1950s and subsequent decades, the Esquire developed an important role in Denver’s film culture. The Denver Film Society used the theater as a principal exhibition venue. The theater became known for international films, repertory titles, special engagements and programming policies designed to protect the viewing experience. Its 1956 no-late-seating policy for Diabolique preceded the better-known similar policy associated with Psycho. In 1965, architect Richard L. Crowther redesigned the exterior, creating a later architectural layer over the 1927 building. Landmark Theatres assumed operation in 1980 and maintained the Esquire as an art-house, repertory and specialty-cinema venue. One of its most publicized engagements came in 1988, when it hosted Denver’s exclusive run of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Protests accompanied the booking, while public interest generated record attendance. The theater also maintained a long-running midnight-movie tradition, especially through screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which became one of the venue’s signature offerings. The Esquire experienced a temporary closure after water damage in 2018 and another interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Landmark’s operation ended in July 2024 when the lease expired. Franklin 10 LLC, which had owned the building since 2021, planned adaptive reuse for restaurant and retail purposes. Proposed preservation of the marquee signs recognized the building’s longstanding visual and cultural importance, even as its use as a movie theater came to an end.
- 2024
Cinema operations end
[1]Landmark Theatres ceased operations in July after the lease expired.
- 2020
COVID-19 closure
[1]The theater closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2018
Closure following water damage
[1]Operations were interrupted after water damage affected the building.
- 1988
The Last Temptation of Christ engagement
[1]The Esquire hosted Denver’s exclusive run of Martin Scorsese’s film, attracting protests and record attendance.
- 1980
Landmark Theatres begins operation
[1]Landmark Theatres took over operation and continued the venue’s specialty-cinema identity.
- 1965
Exterior redesigned
[1]Denver architect Richard L. Crowther redesigned the building’s exterior.
- 1956
No-late-seating policy introduced
[1]The theater applied a no-late-seating policy to Diabolique.
- 1954
Repositioned as an art-house venue
[1]Fox-Intermountain made the Esquire its key Denver outlet for international and art-house films and launched a multi-city subscription festival circuit.
- 1942
Reopens as Esquire
[1]Fox-Intermountain Theaters reopened the building in November under the Esquire name.
- 1939
Hiawatha closes
[1]The original Hiawatha operation ended around this year.
Products and positioning
A historic neighborhood cinema repositioned as a Denver destination for international, art-house, repertory and cult-film programming.
Cinema programming · 1927
Feature-film exhibition
The Esquire operated primarily as a motion-picture exhibition venue. Across its history it presented neighborhood films, prestige roadshows, international cinema, art-house releases and repertory titles. Its programming shifted substantially over time, from mixed silent-film and live entertainment in the 1920s to specialty cinema under Fox-Intermountain and Landmark Theatres.
Specialty cinema · 1954
Art-house and international films
Beginning particularly in the mid-1950s, the Esquire served as a major Denver outlet for international and art-house films. Fox-Intermountain used the theater as the anchor for a subscription-based festival circuit spanning multiple cities, and the Denver Film Society later used the venue for film exhibition.
Cult and repertory cinema
Midnight movie series
The theater maintained a long-running midnight program that became part of its identity. Its recurring presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was especially notable and was described as one of the longest continuous runs of the film in the United States.
Community programming · 1927
Children’s matinees and community programs
The venue repeatedly served local audiences beyond ordinary film bookings. Programs included free or annual children's matinees, toy events, community gatherings and cultural screenings, reinforcing its role as a neighborhood institution.
Marketing campaigns
- 1954Subscription film festival circuit
Denver · United States multi-city territory
Fox-Intermountain used the Esquire as the Denver base for a subscription-based international and art-house film circuit covering 25 cities in seven states.
Outcome. The program helped establish the theater as a regional specialty-cinema venue.
- 1927Hiawatha opening promotion
Denver
For the opening, Gordon B. Ashworth flew over Denver in an airplane and dropped numbered circulars offering theater passes and airplane rides. The launch also included a gala opening and a free children's matinee.
Outcome. The opening attracted film-industry guests and audiences from across the city.
Brand decisions
2024
End of cinema operations and planned adaptive reuseStrategyBackground
Landmark Theatres’ lease expired after years that included closures caused by water damage and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
Landmark ended operations, while the owner planned restaurant and retail reuse of the building.
Aftermath
The theater ceased operating as a cinema, with the marquee signs slated for preservation.
1956
No-late-seating policy for DiaboliqueOtherBackground
The theater sought to protect the viewing experience for a tightly structured suspense film.
Action taken
Late arrivals were not admitted after the screening began.
Aftermath
The policy became an early example of a practice later associated with major releases such as Psycho.
1954
Shift toward international and art-house cinemaStrategyBackground
Fox-Intermountain sought to make the Esquire its principal Denver venue for specialty film programming.
Action taken
The theater was repositioned around international and art-house films and connected to a subscription festival circuit.
Aftermath
The Esquire developed a durable reputation as a Denver art-house and repertory cinema.
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