EDGEWATER COUNCIL Want More Walkability? Your Wish Is ‘Granted’ Page 4
EDGEWATER COLLECTIVE Road Closures On May 11 For Roger’s Run 5k Page 5
40 WEST ARTS Spring Has Sprung And 40 West Art Is Blooming Page 9
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Only Time, Ice-Cream Zoning Stand Between Plans And Redevelopment n By
Mike McKibbin
T
he long-awaited renovation of an abandoned King Soopers at 20th Avenue and Depew Street in Edgewater could wrap up this summer, according to a development company official. Meanwhile, another developer wants two city zoning changes so renovation of former city properties can proceed. The sale of the 20th and Depew site to Littleton Capital Partners was approved by City Council last September. The Edgewater Marketplace project includes retail renovation and development of over 76,000 square feet of commercial space, including a food hall operated by various food truck vendors, a brewery, large bar and central seating in the former King Soopers building. LCP originally planned to build a greenhouse on the property but abandoned that part of their plan. Outdoor summer movies are planned at the site. A story in the Neighborhood Gazette last August called the project one of the largest in Edgewater since the redevelopment Continued on page 11
HISTORIC ELITCH THEATRE IS BEING RESTORED TO ITS FORMER GLORY, with lobby renovations and the addition of restrooms in progress, while repairs are being made from last summer’s storm. PHOTO COURTESY HISTORIC ELITCH THEATRE.
Despite Storm, The Show Goes On At Historic Elitch Theatre n By
G
Sally Griffin
rowing up in northwest Denver, I always remember the excitement of going to Elitch’s for our yearly family reunion and picnic. I loved the rides and the abundant watermelon. Watermelon was a favorite of the whole family and was fresh from our family’s farms. I liked watching people dance at the Trocadero Ballroom. But I always wondered about that oddshaped building that was the Theatre. I’d been to the Aladdin Theater to see movies on Saturdays, but I had no idea what was meant by live theater. Then Grandma got tickets to take my sister and me to a play at Elitch’s Theatre. I know that there was somebody famous playing a part and remember the play as fascinating and lively, but I honestly can’t remember the name of the play or the actor. But, boy, do I remember that building. The strange shape, the open lobby, and the wooden seats. My sister and I dressed up in our Sunday best and felt both elegant and special. The balcony was enchanting. We could look right down on both the players and the audience. I was hooked. Later, I got to see Broadway plays performed on Broadway and they were wonderful, but none were as enchanting as that first play at Elitch’s. Today the theater is undergoing needed restoration in the wake of major storm damage that hit in the summer of 2017. Prior to this, since 2014, the Theatre had been open for public events, but without plumbing or public restrooms. The damage was so severe that the 2018 session was completely cancelled. Once lobby plumbing and restroom restoration are done and storm damage is repaired, the Theatre will be resuming its summer stock plays in the 2020 session. If the work can be done sooner, the Theatre will resume
programming earlier. So, stay tuned. Bringing back the Theatre to its former glory was started in 2002 with the formation of the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation. However, the history of the theater goes back much further. It was originally built in 1891. Described by Cecil B. DeMille as “one of the cradles of American drama,” it hosted many widely known performers. In fact, it presented the first full-length season of summer stock in the history of Denver. And it was summer stock at its finest. The Theatre also served as one
of the first movie theaters in western United States. The first silent films were shown there in 1896 by Thomas Edison. Yes, you read that right – by Thomas Edison. The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the late seventies and named a landmark by the City of Denver 20 years later. Integral to all this was Mary Elitch. At 16, Mary fell in love with an actor and the two eloped and moved to Denver. There they turned an apple orchard into Elitch’s Zoological Gardens. At the close of the first
season, they invested in building a theater and hiring a theater troupe. But before the theater could be used or the troupe employed, John Elitch suddenly died. At 34-years, in an era when women didn’t own anything, Mary suddenly became the successful owner and operator of a zoo, gardens, and a theater. She made music and performances important parts of the Gardens with a focus on child-friendly entertainment. Her focus on children is Continued on page 2
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
West Side Books’ Lois Harvey: ‘Enlarging And Enlightening’ People’s Lives n By
Laurie Dunklee
“All that you touch, you Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.” –from “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler
S
ince 1997, Lois Harvey has seen a lot of changes in the West Highland neighborhood from the storefront of her West Side Books. “It’s my philosophy to learn to embrace change,” said Harvey, who has lived in northwest Denver for 40 years. “This was a Chicano neighborhood when I moved in; before that it was Italian. My philosophy of embracing change helped me when business was terrible, because I knew that would change too. “It’s interesting to see all the young people with strollers and dogs because when I moved in, I was a young person with a stroller and a dog. Continued on page 2
“I ALWAYS ONLY WANTED TO DO BOOKS,” says Lois Harvey at West Side Books, 3434 W. 32nd Ave. PHOTO BY LAURIE DUNKLEE