Paramount Theatre (Denver) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Paramount Theatre
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| Location | Denver, CO |
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| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Temple H. Buell |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000893 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1980 |
The Paramount Theatre is a famous concert hall in Denver, Colorado. It's located on Glenarm Place, close to Denver's popular 16th Street Mall. Even though it seats about 1,870 people, it's a favorite spot for big music acts who want a smaller, more personal show. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because of its special history.
A Look Back: The Paramount's Story
The Paramount Theatre first opened its doors in 1930. Back then, it was a grand movie theater, part of a big company called Paramount-Publix Theatre Circuit. This company belonged to Paramount Pictures, a famous movie studio.
The theater was designed by a Chicago company called Rapp and Rapp. A designer named Vincent Mondo added beautiful decorations. Louis Grell, an artist from Chicago, painted amazing murals inside. The main entrance used to be at 519 16th Street, through another building.
The building you see today, with its main entrance on Glenarm Place, was designed by a local architect named Temple Hoyne Buell. His design is a modern, Art Deco style, inspired by Gothic buildings. It's made mostly from cast concrete and white terra cotta, which is a type of baked clay.
For many years, the Paramount was one of the best movie theaters in the Rocky Mountain area. But like other large movie theaters, fewer people visited it as towns grew and people moved to the suburbs. By 1978, it was the last "movie palace" left in Denver. A movie palace is a very large, fancy movie theater.
The Paramount started hosting opera shows in October 1978. Since then, it has changed and grown. Now, it hosts many concerts and live performances. The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The city of Denver also recognized it as a historic landmark in 1988. In 1996, the comedian Sinbad filmed his HBO comedy special "Son of a Preacher Man" here.
In 2002, the Paramount and the building next door were bought by a company now known as Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
The Amazing Wurlitzer Organ
The Paramount Theatre is home to something very special: one of only two twin-console Wurlitzer theatre organs left in the United States. The other one is in New York City, at Radio City Music Hall.
This Wurlitzer organ is huge! It has four keyboards (called manuals) and twenty "ranks" of pipes. A rank is a set of pipes that make a certain sound. With over 1,600 pipes, it's one of the biggest organs ever put in the Rocky Mountain region. It was designed by a famous theater organist named Jesse Crawford. The organ was installed in the theater on July 23, 1930.
The Wurlitzer organ is often a highlight on Denver's cultural tours. Over time, a special set of pipes called a "Vox Humana" was replaced with an "English Post Horn." But in 2012, the original Vox Humana pipes were put back. This means the organ now has twenty-one ranks of pipes! The second console, which is smaller, is also a Wurlitzer.
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Paramount (Denver) para niños
