Jones Theater to launch GoFundMe campaign for building upgrades

posted by Michael Zoldessy on March 10, 2014 at 2:57 pm

WESTCLIFFE, CO — The nearly 135-year old Historic Jones Theater will launch a GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign on March 1st to raise money for repairs and updates to the building. The campaign is organized and directed by former Westcliffe residents Peter Link, and Julia Wade of Watchfire Music & Watchfire New Media.

The campaign aims to raise sixty thousand dollars to re-insulate and restore the Jones Theater auditorium. This includes restoring the floor of the auditorium with a concrete base, repairing the east wall of the auditorium and re-insulating it to cut down on heating costs. Additionally, the old heaters in the auditorium will be replaced with new energy efficient ones.

A very special part of the project is the installation of a hearing loop in the auditorium, which will enable those wearing hearing aids to enjoy the cinema films, as well as live theater and music without distortion. Headphones will be provided for those with less severe hearing loss.

The duration of the campaign will be six weeks. Funds will then be used to start repair of the auditorium during the “Shakespeare in the Sangres” productions, which will take place during June and July in Garett Carlson’s park behind the theater. If further time is needed, the forth production of the summer will also take place in Garett’s park.

The brick structure, which houses the Jones Theater today, was originally a saloon and pool hall in the 1880’s, where miners could hang out and spend what they earned from mining silver in nearby Silver Cliff and Rosita. In the 1920’s a Westcliffe man by the name of June Canda purchased the “Klutz” building and began showing movies here, as well as hosting other events in the rural town of Westcliffe Colorado. The theater passed through a number of owners until it became the Jones Theater and was transferred to the Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts, a not for profit corporation, in 1992, It continues to serve Custer county and the towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff as the only movie and live theater for one hundred and twenty miles round trip.

For those interested in making a contribution to the campaign, please visit GoFundMe.com or contact us through . For more history of the Jones Theater visit http://www.jonestheater.com/. We look forward to a successful campaign and welcoming you back to an updated Jones Theater auditorium.

Contact: Official Homepage Facebook