Elitch Theatre

Elitch Theatre
LocationW. 38th Ave. and Tennyson St., Denver, Colorado
Coordinates39°46′6″N 105°2′46″W / 39.76833°N 105.04611°W / 39.76833; -105.04611
AreaHighlands
Built1890
ArchitectLee & Liden
Architectural styleStick/Eastlake, Shingle Style
NRHP reference No.78000844
CSRHP No.5DV.143
Added to NRHPMarch 21, 1978

The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre, serving as home to America's first and oldest summer-stock theatre company from 1893 until the 1960s. The first films in the western US were shown there in 1896. Cecil B. DeMille sent yearly telegrams wishing the theatre another successful season, calling it "one of the cradles of American drama."