Ogden Theatre

Opened in 1918, the Ogden Theatre was Denver’s leading vaudeville house before it transformed into a second-run movie theater, which it remained until closing in 1990. In 1993, Doug Kauffman of Nobody in Particular Presents re-opened the Ogden as a concert venue, forever fusing rock and roll with the theater’s storied history: In its eighty-eight year existence, the Ogden has hosted everyone from Harry Houdini to Iggy Pop, Jackson Brown to the Smashing Pumpkins. Now Nobody in Particular has revitalized the theater to ensure it thrives for another eight decades.

Designed by NIPP’s Steve Schalk, a Hollywood prop master who spearheaded the renovation of the Gothic Theater in 1999, the new Ogden features state-of-the art architectural elements that both preserve the building’s historical integrity and reintroduce it as a world-class concert venue, designed with the audience in mind. An intimate wrap-around balcony, enlarged stage and improved sight lines increase capacity and ensure there’s not a bad seat in the house. The sound system was entirely rebuilt by sound engineer Bret Dowlen of Dowlen Sound; recycled materials that line the floors improve the acoustics, making this one of the best sounding rooms in town. The new Ogden is a treat for the senses, as well, with ornamental steel rails, a beautiful, hand-crafted bar on the upper-tier balcony and a whimsical, color-saturated interior by decorative painter Karin Mirick, owner of Denver’s Create a Scene. Even the bathrooms have been remodeled. The theater’s original proscenium remains intact, however, as do many of the design flourishes built by the original architects. As a feat of design and an investment in the revitalization of Colfax, the new Ogden is an instant classic.