The Fox West Theatre Alliance and the City of Trinidad are proud to announce the completion of Phase 1 of the hazardous materials abatement at the historic 1908 Fox West Theatre in Trinidad, Colorado. Supported by a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, this work focused primarily on the retail bays. The east bay, originally a saloon, was converted to office space in 1916, when alcohol prohibition took effect in Colorado. The west bay, originally Hausman’s Drug Store, served as the Sal-Mar Dress Shop beginning in the 1960s. In this space, a drop ceiling and partitioning walls were removed, revealing the original marble tile floor and well-preserved pressed-tin ceiling. The removal of partitions in both spaces, as well as the removal of hazardous materials, was performed by BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC, based in Centennial, CO.
In conjunction with this phase of the building’s rehabilitation, the City of Trinidad provided the Fox West with new, temporary power service, deactivating the building’s original systems for perhaps the first time in its history. The Fox West Theatre Alliance wishes to thank the City of Trinidad, Urban Neighborhoods, Inc., and the Trinidad Police Department, for working to ensure that both the exterior and interior of the Fox West Theatre are and will remain under 24-hour video surveillance.
With support from History Colorado’s State Historical Fund and the Department of Local Affairs, additional rehabilitative work on the theatre will begin this summer, including the first phase of a comprehensive exterior stabilization. This work will include brick and masonry repair and removal of a solar collector mounted on the front exterior face of the auditorium. While the intention of this addition was to improve the building’s efficiency, the system was never put into operation and has fallen into disrepair. The Fox West Theatre Alliance will seek additional funding from a variety sources including private donations and grants from foundations and governmental agencies, to complete this important work.
The Fox West Theatre opened in 1908 to serve as the artistic and cultural center of its community, hosting traveling Vaudeville performances until its conversion into a film theater in 1929. The Fox West auditorium features a remarkably intact historic stage with original rigging, lighting systems, hand-painted backdrops, and lighting circuits. The auditorium includes two balconies, four box seats, and an orchestra pit. The design of the Fox West is credited to Isaac H. Rapp and William M. Rapp of Trinidad, Colorado. Though Isaac and William were prominent designers, their brothers, Cornelius and George, gained a national reputation for their opulent movie palaces during the twentieth century. Extensive historic research supports the theory that the Fox West is the result of the collaboration of all four Rapp brothers; the Fox West Theatre is likely to be the first theatre in the country designed by the Rapp brothers of Chicago. The Fox West predates the Five Flags Theatre of Dubuque, Iowa by two years, which multiple sources credit as their first theatre.
The Fox West was created with many purposes in mind. In addition to the two retail bays, the building has an expansive ballroom and parlors on the lower level. Purchased from the Sawaya family by the City of Trinidad in 2018 with support from History Colorado, the rehabilitation of the Fox West is being
managed by Dana Crawford and Urban Neighborhoods, Inc. The Fox West Theatre Alliance, a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2019, supports the operation of the theatre, community outreach, and fundraising initiatives. For more information, please visit foxwesttheatre.com.
Inquiries may be directed to Christopher Smith, project manager, at christopher@danacrawford.net or via cell at 802 310 2030.
