Bringing the Loretto Heights Theater back to life: renovation advances

David Heitz

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Loretto Heights Theater.Photo byCity and County of Denver

By David Heitz / NewsBreak Denver

(Denver, Colo.) For Denver City Councilmember Kevin Flynn, the renovation of the theater on the Loretto Heights campus in Southwest Denver is extra special.

The theater not only is in his district, but theater is in his blood. He revealed Tuesday that he grew up in community theater, singing “Gary, Indiana” at age 10 while starring in “Music Man.” He said he remained in theater through college until he had to decide “whether to starve as an actor or a writer, and I chose journalism.”

Flynn said community theater brought him out of his shell as a child, making things like serving on the City Council possible. He said for his final theater performance he played Linus in “Charlie Brown.”

City acquires May Bonfils Stanton Theater

The city acquired the May Bonfils Stanton Theater from the former Teikyo college campus. Next, the 60-year-old, 1,000-seat theater will undergo a renovation. The project is expected to cost about $50 million and also includes construction of a parking garage. Most of the money comes from the voter-approved RISE bond. About $15 million will come from a capital campaign.

The Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee awarded a $9.2 million contract Tuesday to Perkins Eastman Architects to redesign the theater located at the intersection of Federal and Dartmouth. The contract will cover public engagement, accessibility improvements and restroom renovations, replacement and reconfiguration of theater seating, upgrades to theater equipment, HVAC and data systems, renovation of public lobby spaces for modern functionality and access, exterior access improvements and landscaping.

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I've been in the news business 35 years, spending much of my career in editing roles at local newspapers in Los Angeles, Detroit, and the Quad-Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Upon moving to Denver in 2018, I began experiencing severe mental illness due to several traumatic experiences. I became homeless on the street for about a year before spending time in the state mental hospital. I am living proof that people can rebound from mental illness with proper treatment, even after experiencing homelessness. I consider myself a lucky guy to live in a great place like Denver. I hope my writing reflects the passion I have for living here. You can email me news releases and story ideas at NewsBreakDave@gmail.com

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