Long-vacant, 102-year-old movie house will reopen as a Denver music venue

After decades of darkness the Federal Theatre will relight its neon sign this summer as the city s newest mid-size music and entertainment venue The -capacity theater which was built in as a movie house stopped showing films in the mid- s commented co-owner Scott Happel and has essentially remained the same since then In fact it has been commercially dormant for so long that the city lacked electronic records of its history prompting leaders to dive into boxes of yellowing files to enter details into their permitting system However the building at Federal Blvd was in surprisingly good condition when Happel first walked through it in November which helped him envision its future as a revived inhabitants venue for Denver s northwest side A church had been utilizing the space off and on for quite a while but to what degree We don t really know declared Happel who also co-owns the Oriental Theater W th Ave But it s great for us because during busy season in the spring and fall we re turning shows away from the Oriental so this could catch selected of that spillover Happel expects final inspections and liquor license approval by mid-August He and co-owners Andy Bercaw and Peter Ore who also run the Retro Room Lounge and Salon and the Delorean an s-themed bar that opened in on South Broadway consider it a cousin to their Oriental Theater They hope to have the restored Federal marquee shining again with a grand opening in September In addition Happel co-owns the South Broadway rock club HQ with former Live Nation and Soda Jerk Presents promoter Ore That gave the Sager family which for decades has owned both the Oriental and Federal theater properties confidence that Happel s squad were the right ones to eventually restart the venue Happel declined to name the terms of the lease but mentioned the Sager family as well as the zoning of the Federal Theatre has allowed his club to restore it to its former glory without having to spend tens of millions of dollars Happel compared the Federal to other historic Denver movie houses-turned-music venues such as the Bluebird Gothic Ogden and Paramount theaters The Federal lacks the Paramount and Mayan Theatre s elaborate art deco design elements but it does bear the marks of a art deco remodel that make it one of the majority of handsome theaters in the city There s a cool recess in the lobby ceiling that has neon in it and when you first enter the theater the ceiling has neon in it he declared But even after looking we haven t been able to find a single photo of the interior when it was a movie theater The neon sign is being restored by family-owned Morry s Neon which worked on the Oriental Theater s historic sign and countless other prominent buildings locally Happel reported Happel plans to strengthen his connections with independent local businesses neighbors and artists chosen of whom revealed up to liquor license hearings curious about the future of the Federal He convinced them that the reopened theater would not become a nuisance to the neighborhood he reported The venue s to staff members will start with a limited shows on the weekends and experiment with formats such as residencies and eclectic types of performances such as dance circus and comedy in addition to music We are local and independent and we love this city and we re making a point of telling people that Happel disclosed of his conversations with residents and local businesses So various national tours come through Denver that it s become harder and harder for local acts to even find a space I think we re in a position to change that Related Articles Colorado music icon Charles Burrell the Jackie Robinson of classical music dies at Puppy yoga Juneteenth Music Festival and more things to do this weekend Taylor Swift granted restraining order against Colorado man accused of stalking Brian Wilson Beach Boys visionary leader and summer s poet laureate dies at Jeffco RTD hope to test Red Rocks residents transportation project this fall The owners are also rolling out a founder s club called Club Fed with membership tiers ranging from to per person It offers front-of-line privileges special merch designed and made by local artists presales discounts and other perks according to a press release See thefederaltheatre com for more Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox