Tabor Grand Opera House

I work at a stone/monument company in Denver CO and we have a pair of the stone columns from the theatre before it closed. We have been in business since the 1920’s and acquired the columns along the way, they are beautiful and in great condition. Should anyone be interested in purchasing the pair please contact me directly.

Darrell Habben, Jr

It must have been 1948, my friend Bob Leffler and I cut class at East High to see Sally Rand at The Tabor. The ticket was $2 and the show was a rip-off. The stage was completely dark, Sally had a huge white fan and a blue spot light. The theater was still grand. Downtown Denver looks little now like it did in the 1940’s, is it progress?

Jim Mimmack
Palo Alto California
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The Tabor Grand Theatre had a Grand Opening night of April 6th., 1929.

I had the privilege of seeing the Tabor Grand when I was about 10. We went to see the road show presentation of OKLAHOMA in Todd-AO. I knew the Tabor story well (my 4th grade teacher delivered groceries to Baby Doe in Leadville when he was a boy) so I knew the importance of this building. During the intermission I walked down front and turned around to see the entire theatre. The balconies and some of the boxes were there, but the access was closed. Still, it was magnificent.

I couldn’t believe that they tore it down. Sadly, it was in the way of a big urban renewal project in the ‘60s which removed 22 blocks of downtown Denver. Fortunately they couldn’t afford Phase 2, so all the buildings in what is now LoDo were spared.

The Federal Reserve Bank is an interesting building, but in the wrong place. Here’s a photo:

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After 9/11 they decided to put up a better security fence, so they put in a dreadful frilly thing with flower pots that looks like the 1920s. Awful.

This is a vintage photo of Curtis Street. The Colorado Theater can be seen on the right.

The Tabor Grand Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It was managed by Bush & McCourt. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. The seating capacity is given as 1,220, but the breakdown does not add up to that figure: Orchestra, 390; Dress Circle, 192; Balcony, 150; Gallery, 130; total: 862, plus box seats, and maybe standees. The house had both gas and electric illumination, and was on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 33 feet wide X 37 feet high, and the stage was 45 feet deep. There were 8 members of the house orchestra.

A photo of the Tabor Grand.
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