Oriental Theater
4335 W. 44th Avenue,
Denver,
CO
80212
5 people favorited this theater
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The Oriental Theater (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Leo Andrew Desjardins
Functions: Art Gallery, Bar, Concerts, Movies (Classic), Special Events
Styles: Atmospheric, Oriental
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
303.455.2124
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Aug 25, 2010 — Oriental Theater for sale
The Oriental Theater opened on December 24, 1927 as one of Denver’s original movie palaces. It was equipped with a Barton organ. In 1931 it was replaced by a Kimball organ. With the assistance of MOD Productions, the Oriental Theater now operates as a multi-media event venue featuring classic movies, artwork in the lobby and concerts on the weekends. This is the only Colorado theater featuring exclusively classic films.
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
Another early view of The Oriental Theatre
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trying to locate Lane McCoy reply tp
Cool photos:
www.likeme.net/places/oriental-theater-denver
www.flickr.com/photos/finnriggins/360779226/
www.flickr.com/photos/tadsonbussey/303250527
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Talk about finding new uses for old movie theatres. Apparently a very colorful venue:
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http://www.westword.com/slideshow/view/12606
The Oriental in 1995, when shows were sporadic and the venue was dark most of the time:
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If you are looking for taste of old fashioned entertainment meets Colorado lifestyle than look no further. This was my first experience with The Oriental Theater and it wont be my last. I had only read reviews of the venue before buying tickets to see The Rail Splitters and The Steeldrivers. I ended up giving them a 5 star rating because the overall experience was top notch.
We got there early and enjoyed some beers during sound check and met most of the staff and all of the bands. Crazy how friendly and laid back the place was. Let me start with the owners – Great guys. They don’t over manage their venue. They let you enjoy it. Yes the building is old, but the character of the theater is priceless. The 1920’s charm of the venue really reminds you of better days, when you dressed up to attend the theater and it was a privilege to be there.
Drinks were cheap, easy to get, and not far from hand. Two bars in this small of a theater really makes it nice to leave your seat and grab a drink and not stand in line for 20 minutes missing all your favorite songs. The men’s restroom had no lines, and the women’s was a short wait (Not far from the bar and a new drink to enjoy while in line).
The only drawbacks of the whole night – 1. The sound guy was new… So any of his mistakes can easily be corrected with some more training and experience (he was sick and missed a training last week I was told). He managed to solve most of the issues in a matter of two or three songs. 2. The venue is kinda run down but not in a dirty or dingy way – The bathrooms were clean, the seating areas were clean, the floors looked clean. But this is an old venue and its hard to turn a large enough profit these days to keep the vintage style and look up to its original standards. It really made me feel more at ease and I sat back and enjoyed the show. I’m a sucker for the old theaters of our past.
Lastly, I highly recommend you attend an event here. This will forever be a great memory of a great concert. I attend over 50 events a year and rarely am I this satisfied with a venue. The Oriental Theater is a must. Meet the staff, enjoy the show, leave with many memories.
The interior lighting is not the best at the Oriental, but I took some shots tonight following a superb Bill Frisell concert. See the Photos section.
Article about the refurbished neon.
http://www.westword.com/arts/the-oriental-theaters-neon-lights-up-the-night-for-the-first-time-in-decades-7853034
The Denver Post reported today that the Oriental’s owners were trying again to restore the marquee. General manager Scott Happel said, “We’ve had it done twice, apparently by people that weren’t quite sure how to do it correctly.“ This time the work is being done by Morry Weseloh’s company, Morry’s Neon Signs. Full story with pictures here
Grand opening ad posted.