Phantom of the Federal Theater?

The 102-year-old Federal Movie House reopens with a free concert. The theater was built in 1923 and has been closed to the public for the last five decades. This old movie house has stood in silence since its last movie was shown in the early to mid-1980s. When walking past this old theater on 3830 Federal Blvd., due to its haunted nature, you may even feel your hair stand on end. However, this old auditorium is now ready for a makeover. Will this 100 year old venue join Denver’s roster of historic music halls?

The new face of the theater features a restored neon sign and an eye-catching, brightly colored red and yellow marquee. When stepping inside, you will find freshly painted walls, including a fresh ceiling painting of a sky and fun renderings of churches’ old iconic touch.

Happel, one of the new owners, and his team hope to have many different forms of entertainment  at the new and improved theater, such as punk rock, metal, burlesque, and even magicians. Happel, in an interview with the Denver Post, compares the theater to other historic venues such as The Blue Bird, Gothic, Ogden, and the Paramount theaters. Bar manager Erica Beegle in an interview with the Denver Post proclaimed “Like a lot of people, I’d driven by the theater for decades and been like, ‘whats that.’ It’s really cool to see something in Denver being used in its original, preserved structure instead of being wrecked for new apartments”.

The new and beautified theater is kicking off its dust with a free opening on Friday, September 19- Saturday, September 20th the concerts are all ages featuring iZCALLi and Los Mocochetes. For more details, visit thefederaltheater.com.