Copyright Boulder Daily Camera
Like any iconic diva, the Boulder Theater has always known her best angles. For nearly a century, she’s played the role of Pearl Street’s leading lady, glowing steadily beneath marquee lights while enduring harsh snowstorms, relentless sunshine and the occasional well-aimed pigeon dropping. But time — as it does to all of us who are lucky enough to live long — had recently begun to leave its marks. After decades of movies, weddings, conferences, film festivals, concerts, graduations, rallies and late-night encores, last spring, the Boulder Theater did what any aging star would do: She got some work done. Beginning in April, the theater endured nearly six months of scaffolding, plaster repair and color restoration. In other words, it was an architectural facelift that left no layer of stucco unchipped. The project, which ran throughout early October, addressed long-term water damage that caused the building’s exterior to crack, crumble and fade. Crews repaired and resealed the façade, restored the original terracotta detailing, replaced damaged stucco and repainted the surface in a soft cream tone that matches its 1936 design. Historic Boulder Inc. celebrated the successful preservation project with a ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday in front of the theater in downtown Boulder. The Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, has been part of the city’s cultural story for nearly nine decades. Before it stood, the Curran Opera House, built in 1906, occupied the same site. By the mid-1930s, that wooden structure was replaced with a new “movie palace” designed by the Boller Brothers, a Kansas City firm renowned for its grand theaters across the country, according to Historic Boulder. When the Boulder Theater opened in 1936, it reflected the optimism of the era: sleek Art Deco design, geometric terracotta detailing and a neon-lit marquee that became an instant downtown landmark. Built during the height of the Art Deco movement — the design era known for its streamlined geometry, symmetry and squeaky, shiny metallic sheen — the Boulder Theater is one of only a handful of surviving Art Deco “palaces” in the Rocky Mountain region, making it a rarity whose marquee still glows with the same linear glamour it had in 1936, according to Historic Boulder. “The Boulder Theater is a truly remarkable, unique Art Deco building in the heart of Boulder,” said Historic Boulder Executive Director Leonard Segel. “We hope people look up now and see it as pure and pristine, without cracks or damage, just a gorgeous Art Deco building.” Historic Boulder led the restoration effort, which addressed one large issue: Over time, hairline cracks began spreading across the building’s façade as moisture seeped behind the stucco and trapped itself under layers of impermeable paint, Segal said. By 2025, nearly half of the surface had been compromised. Without intervention, Segel said, the front wall could eventually have broken apart in pieces, causing the building (or unassuming passerbys) irreparable damage. Enter the preservation dream team. Project managers Ruth McHeyserand Tom Thorpe, both seasoned veterans of Historic Boulder’s restoration work, oversaw the effort. Thorpe, a retired architect and former managing principal at Downing Thorpe & James, brought in Summit Sealants, a specialty contractor known for repairing historic exteriors across Colorado. Together, they analyzed the problem, designed a repair plan, and executed the work from scaffolding that covered the building through the summer and fall. “They were the amazing, productive contractor for us,” Segel said. “They stripped off all the rotted-out parts that had delaminated due to water infiltration over many years and did a great job rebuilding and sealing the façade.” Supporting the effort was JVA Engineers, a Boulder-based structural and civil engineering firm that produced the design documents for the building permit. The project also called in Barlow Cultural Resources, window restoration experts who recreated the theater’s historically accurate windows using archival references from the Carnegie Library. Those archives, Segel noted, were “an unbelievable source of data about buildings and architecture in Boulder, from the earliest days to now.” In true architect fashion, Segel lit up when talking about one of the smallest details: the paint. “The paint that’s now been applied to the surface of the building is permeable,” Segel said. “That means water vapor can get out of the building. Before, there were layers and layers of impermeable paint that were trapping moisture and causing cracking. Now the building can breathe.” The project cost around $450,000, funded through a mix of grants, donations, and private investment. Historic Boulder secured a $225,000 grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund, covering half the cost. The remainder came from theater owner Doug Greene , operator of Z2 Entertainment, and a wave of community donations, including proceeds from the January 2025 “Save the Face” benefit concert featuring a cappella group Face Vocal Band, an effort led by Historic Boulder. (Z2 Entertainment also books shows at Fox Theatre and Chautauqua Auditorium.) Segel said Historic Boulder had to front roughly $80,000 to qualify for the grant before later backfilling those funds through public support. “There was a great groundswell from the community,” Segel said. “Individuals, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Boulder Partnership all pitched in. We couldn’t be happier with the result.” Historic Boulder’s connection to the theater stretches back nearly half a century. When multiplexes began replacing single-screen cinemas in the 1970s, the Boulder Theater was shuttered and faced demolition. Segel said board members from Historic Boulder stepped in, purchased the property, and secured its landmark status. To safeguard its exterior, they also established a legal façade easement, giving Historic Boulder permanent oversight of the building’s maintenance. “We have about a dozen of those easements around town,” Segel said. “Our job is to be an extra set of eyes for the owners, to make sure they’re aware of issues that could cause damage.” That vigilance paid off. When the cracks reappeared in 2018, Historic Boulder alerted the owners, setting the repair process in motion. “We’ve been involved with this building since 1980,” Segel said. “So it’s very personal for us.” The restoration peeled away roughly half of the façade’s aging stucco, reinforced the structural wall behind it, repaired mortar joints and carefully preserved the original terracotta tiles that define the building’s Art Deco visage, Segel said. “All that beautiful terracotta tile is original,” Segel said. “The joints between the tiles were reinforced to make sure they bonded properly to the building.” The newly restored façade now reflects the color the theater likely wore on opening night in 1936. “It actually looks a little different than it did before the restoration,” Segel said. “It’s a richer, creamier color. It had been bleached almost white from years of facing west in Boulder’s harsh sunlight. What you see now is the original tone. It’s new to us, but old to the theater.” Inside, Z2 Entertainment continues to maintain the theater’s Art Deco murals and ceiling, as well as upgrading sound and lighting systems. The theater’s calendar remains full: concerts, film festivals, fundraisers and conferences that draw more than 100,000 people downtown each year. Segel said that’s part of what makes the Boulder Theater such a civic treasure. “It’s almost like a public building,” he said. “It attracts people of all ages, all ethnicities, all genders. It’s one of the greatest crossroads in Boulder.” Looking ahead, the facelift couldn’t have come at a better time. The Boulder Theater will play a central role when the Sundance Film Festival expands to Boulder in 2027. “It’s a good time for that,” Segel said. “With Sundance coming to town, there will be even more need for the theater than ever before.” Segel added that he hopes the improvements will last as long as the theater’s first 90 years. “I’m not sure if it’s hyperbole or not,” Segel said, “but when I talk to the project managers, they say this repair should give the building another 90 years of life. You can quote me on that, of course, but it doesn’t mean I can guarantee it.” He added: “I guess we’ll all find out in a little bit under a century.”
