The Boulder Theater’s iconic terracotta facade, damaged by years of water intrusion, has been completely restored. The milestone was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 5, capping an eight-year effort to save one of Boulder’s most recognizable landmarks.
Dozens gathered along 14th Street downtown in the afternoon sun to celebrate, among them local preservationists, city officials and state leaders, including Mayor Aaron Brockett, state Sen. Judy Amabile and Rep. Joe Neguse.
“This theater is sure to have a significant role in conveying the innovative and cultured spirit of Boulder to citizens and new visitors,” said Leonard Segel, executive director of Historic Boulder, the nonprofit that led the restoration.
Constructed in 1936 during the Great Depression, the Boulder Theater began as a grand movie palace, featuring a terracotta-tiled facade and sweeping interior murals that remain among Colorado’s most notable examples of Art Deco design that was popular in the U.S. during the 1930s. Today, Boulder Theater remains a busy concert and event venue, but its future hasn’t always looked bright.
In 1980, the theater stopped showing first-run films, unable to compete with multiscreen suburban cineplexes. Talk of demolition followed. Residents and preservationists, including Historic Boulder, rallied to save it, securing local landmark status. The theater changed hands in 1995, when Doug Greene purchased it, and Z2 Entertainment took over management in 1998, transforming it into a downtown hub for live music.
Soon it will take on a new role: as a venue for the Sundance Film Festival. At an August event hosted by Sundance at the Boulder Theater, staff likened its appearance to the Egyptian Theater in Park City and said they hope to premiere films there once the festival comes to town in 2027.
Talk of a restoration began after cracks were discovered on the facade in 2018. An engineering assessment revealed years of water intrusion at the roofline that threatened the structure. Local firm JVA, conveniently located across the street, completed initial leak repairs in 2022. The larger facade restoration began in August and finished in early October, at a cost of about $454,000.
“Look at it today,” Segel told the crowd. “It’s like a baby’s skin right now.”
Half the funding came from the State Historical Fund. The rest came from theater owner Greene, Z2 Entertainment and private donors, including $80,000 raised by Historic Boulder.
Renovations included repairing the roof and walls, restoring terracotta tiles, replacing water-damaged windows with historically accurate replicas and reapplying about half of the building’s stucco surface.
“I had the privilege of working with a great team dedicated to preserving not just the facade, but a piece of downtown Boulder’s soul,” said JVA engineer Jason Jeffries.
Anne McCleave, a preservation specialist with the State Historical Fund, said the theater’s Art Deco facade and role as a community gathering place made it a clear choice for funding. With the work complete, she believes the building is ready for another 90 years. “With all the work done, it will last,” she said.
For Rep. Neguse, the theater’s restoration is personal, recalling that one of his first dates with his wife was there. “I know there is not a single person here who does not have a distinct and visceral memory of an experience they’ve had here at the Boulder Theater,” he told the crowd.
He expressed gratitude for all those involved in the restoration efforts who “stepped up to ensure that countless residents of our community and folks from across the country will be able to build the kind of memories we’ve all been so lucky — really, blessed — to be able to build as a result of Boulder Theater.”
Special events are planned for January 2026 to commemorate the theater’s 90th anniversary.
I hope they’re planning to improve the movie seating too. I’ve seen a few Boulder Intl. Film Festival shows there and it has the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever sat in for a movie. Metal, padded stack chairs have got to go!
> The larger facade restoration began in August and finished in early October, at a cost of about $454,000.
I hope this is a typo – that seems about 10x what it should take for just a 2-story building of that size. For $450k you could easily get 50+ homes repainted with all material and labor, even in Boulder. And while this facade is more difficult, that cost seems outrageous.
The preservation of the facade of the Boulder Theater is not at all just a ‘repaint’ job.
This was a once-in- 90-year historic restoration on a 90′ wide facade with complicated and distinctive features. In addition to the work described in the article, the building’s 65 foot tall structural brick wall behind the front stucco façade had significant damage that had to be repaired. Some of the structural brick wall sections were in danger of starting to collapse in the next year or two. And the new finish on the entire stucco surface is an innovative, elastomeric compound that ensures that the building skin does not trap moisture.