Mines Theatre
1535 Miner Street,
Idaho Springs,
CO
80452
1535 Miner Street,
Idaho Springs,
CO
80452
1 person
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The Idaho Springs Opera House was built in 1912. By 1931 it had been renamed Mines Theatre. It was closed around 1976.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
Here is a 1984 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/c66qyq
The Mines Theater is now operating as The Opera House Mall, 1535 Miner Street.
Great photo added courtesy of The Denver Eye Facebook page. Should be used as the page photo.
Sanborn photo of the signage of Miner St., Idaho Springs, late-30s/early-40s
Signs above the entrance of this building read “The Opera House” and “Erected 1912.” It was apparently the second location of the Idaho Springs Opera House, as another theater of that name was in operation at least as early as 1886. This Waymarking page has a photo and text of the historic marker pertaining to the theater building and its former neighbor, a commercial block destroyed by fire in 1989 and since replaced by a small park. The earliest mention of the name Mines Theatre I’ve found dates from 1931, but the name might have been adopted earlier.
The Mines was not part of wesco in 1963. It was privately owned by my family from 1960 to 1976, Mohesky then Heye due to a divorce. I worked there my entire childhood. After selling the new owner was unable to make it and went under. There was a laundromat next to the theater and then the Colorado Bar next to it in the vacant lot to the east still there when I left in 1976 and now a park. The upstairs was burned out in a fire before we bought it. Popcorn was 5 or 15 cents coke, 7 up or Dr. Pepper was 15 or 20 cents. Candy was 5 or 10 cents with 3 or 4 expensive ones for 15 cents. We had ice cream, pickles, polish sausages and beef jerky as well. Admission was around $1.00 and 50 cents for kids I don’t remember as much as I worked the concession stand.
Motion Picture Herald, Nov. 8, 1947: “Sam Langwith, owner, Western Service & Supply Co., sells Mines, Idaho Springs, Colo., to Smith & Reed, who operate in Wyoming and Nebraska.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 25, 1955: “Kenneth Chism has bought the interests of his partner Paul Allmeyer, in the Mines, Idaho Springs, Colo.”
He bought it twice?
Boxoffice, Sept. 12, 1960: “Ken Chism has sold the Mines Theatre, Idaho Springs, to Joe Mohesky.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 14, 1961: “Sam Langwith has sold the Mines Theatre in Idaho Springs to Joe Mohesky”
That makes sense my mother told me they bought the business first, then the building, she was quite the entrepreneur.