Flatirons Theatre - Boulder, Colorado
Posted by: 
Big B Bob
N 40° 00.426 W 105° 16.584
13T E 476409 N 4428581
A Boulder movie theater is on it's way back from a coffee shop, thanks to the bad economy.
Waymark Code: WM6AJH
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2009
Views: 6
from the Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder's Flatirons Theatre celebrating renovations
By Amy Bounds
Sunday, March 29, 2009
BOULDER, Colo. — The Flatirons Theatre is returning to its roots.
Almost sixty years ago, area residents walked through the University Hill theater’s front doors to catch the new Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck movie. Soon, they’ll be able to watch movies there again, along with catching performances and attending charity events.
Developer Mark Young is renovating the 12,000-square-foot theater portion of the building, opening the updated space Friday with performances by local artist collective Family Moons.
“I want it to be a community center,” Young said. “I’m pretty excited about it.”
Though it’s been years since movies were shown in the plush, 1,000-seat theater, the space has been used for community events and live music performances. It’s also home to a coffee shop, the Buff Barber Shop and Rose hill Liquor. The coffee shop, which has been closed for two weeks during renovations, reopens Tuesday.
Young paid nearly $3 million for the property at 13th Street and College Avenue in 2006. He had planned to retrofit the building to add residential units, but the economy tanked and financing fell through.
Scaling back his plans, he decided instead to return the building to its original use as a theater.
“I’ve gone from developer to stage builder,” he said.
Unlike most other businesses on the Hill, he said, he doesn’t plan to cater mainly to college students. Instead, he’s hoping to offer music performances, theater and other events that also appeal to an older crowd.
“We have a an opportunity to attract a different type of entertainment,” he said.
He said the new state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems should attract “world-class” performers, while he’s hoping the venue also will help local artists get their start. He’s also renting space at a reduced rate to a start-up group that’s providing summer band camps for kids.
For movies, he’s planning to show independent films and provide a way for local filmmakers to get their work shown. He’s even considering a University of Colorado senior thesis movie night. He’s also started booking charity events and expects to provide space for CU Conference on World Affairs events next year.
“We haven’t really told anybody that we’re opening and we’ve still had so many calls,” he said.
James Jobson, who goes by the stage name Buddha Bomb, is performing at the Friday celebration. He said he has fond memories of watching movies like “Apocalypse Now” at the theater in the ‘70s and is thrilled about the plans for a community performance space.
“It’s a rejuvenation,” he said.
Given Boulder’s a vibrant music scene, he said, more performance places also are always welcome.
“There are never too many venues,” he said.
Number of Screen(s): 1
Year Theater Opened: Not listed
Ticket Price (local currency): Not Listed
Matinee Price (local currency): Not Listed
Concessions Available: Not Listed
Web site: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Must take a photo of the theater.
Please try to include yourself or gps in the picture.
Tell of your experience at the theater, if it is still a theater. If it is no longer a theater tell of an experience from the past at the theater, if this can be done.