On Friday, July 24, Denver officials and arts leaders swapped their usual podiums for hard hats, kicking off a major renovation of the Theatre at Loretto Heights. The project aims to restore the mid-century May Bonfils Stanton Theatre and transform it into a public cultural hub for southwest Denver, with new audience seating, upgraded lighting and AV, and a full overhaul of electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. The venue is slated to reopen in 2028, and officials are pitching the effort as an investment in arts access, neighborhood opportunity and workforce training.
According to CBS Colorado, voters signed off in 2021 on $60 million to renovate the building, then approved an additional $4 million in Vibrant Bond funding last year for a dedicated parking structure. Mayor Mike Johnston told the crowd the groundbreaking “is about more than restoring a historic theater; it’s about creating opportunity and strengthening community.”
What the renovation will change
Denver Arts & Venues says Phase I is all about accessibility and bringing the building in line with modern theatrical standards. According to Denver Arts & Venues, the work will add passenger elevators and wheelchair ramps, replace all audience seating with increased row spacing, and upgrade lighting and rigging along with AV systems and orchestra-pit hydraulics. Crews will also remove hazardous materials and replace the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems entirely, to bring the 1963 venue up to code and create flexible space for performances, rehearsals and classes.
Design contract and site…