The historic Federal Theatre is set to reopen as a music venue, bringing new life to the century-old building.
The old theater stands at 38th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, its marquee blank and its poster slots empty. The space was originally built in 1923 as a movie theater, then closed its doors in the 1970s. More recently, it was used as a church until 2023.
It could welcome musical acts starting in September, thanks to a revitalization effort led by Scott Happel, Andy Bercaw and Peter Ore. They’re the people responsible for bringing back the Oriental Theater in 2012, and they expect to bring the same independent spirit to the Federal.
“We don't have the same sort of corporate overlords telling us, ‘You can't do this kind of show anymore. It doesn't make enough money,’ or whatever. We're trying to do as wide a variety of stuff as possible,” Happel told Denverite.
The team received the keys to the Federal Theater in January 2024. They’re working with the same landlord who owns the Oriental.
“All three of us, as owners, do other jobs outside of owning and operating these venues in order to make our own personal finances work. Owning these venues isn't giving us a life of luxury by any means. But you do it for love, and yes, you do it for some money,” Happel said. “But it’s a lot of fun and it’s really important.”
The Federal Theatre is about 25 percent smaller than the Oriental Theater, and Happel said size will be the main difference between the shows held in the two theaters.
“As far as programming, we don't expect anything to really distinguish the two. One of the things we're most proud of at the Oriental is how eclectic our calendar is,” Happel said.
Happel said the two sizes can create a tiered system for artists, which in turn will let them decide the venue based on the crowd they're expecting to bring in.
“It is our intent to bring an incredibly varied program of both national touring and local live music, comedy, wrestling, burlesque, podcasts and more, just like The Oriental Theater,” a website for the project states.
Ore and Happel were also behind the transformation of 3 Kings Tavern, a former local rock music venue, into a new music venue, HQ, in 2020.
Happel urged local leaders to support projects like the Federal’s revitalization, arguing that independent music venues are just as important as those owned by corporate giants.
“Independent venues are super important and have a super big impact on the local economy, the travel economy, everything. And it just feels really nice and good and heartwarming to have a job that's doing that,” Happel said.”
The entrepreneurs are celebrating the Federal project — and raising money — by selling memberships to a VIP Founders Club. According to a press release, one of the perks is a print of a painting of the theater created by Denver portraiture artist Andre Lippard.
“It's really just a way that people who are excited and want to be a small part of it can hop in, get some cool merch, and help us out as we're going through these final stages of getting the place open,” Happel said.
The theater has gotten its necessary approvals through the city, though they’re waiting on a liquor license. The group held off on announcing the project until the building passed inspections. They wanted to be sure there weren't any expensive repairs awaiting them.
“Independent music operation, it's never easy and it's never a 'get rich quick' scheme. It's not a Powerball ticket,” Happel said. “But we feel good about fighting the good fight for independent (music) venues.”
