Two Colorado Art Deco film theaters. First up, the Boulder Theater.

Originally built as an opera house in 1906, it was remodelled in
terra cotta Art Deco by Robert Boller in 1936.

The Boller Brothers were from Kansas City and built Art Deco theaters all over Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The theater was turned into a concert hall in 1981, and great care
is taken to preserve this building.

Even though Boulder had a smoking ban long before the rest of the state, and because Boulder is a college town, the theater has a reputation that on concert nights there still seems to be some sort of smoke wafting around. ;<)

Next up, the Mayan Theatre in Denver.

The Mayan was also built in terra cotta Art Deco style, with a design by
Montana Fallis. It was slated to be demolished in the 1980s, but it was
rescued by preservationists and restored and reopened as an art theater in 1986.

Art Deco theater designers often revived historical cultures like the Egyptian and the Mayan. In fact Montana Fallis also designed the Egyptian Theatre in Delta, CO, two years prior to The Mayan.

Montana Fallis designed the Buerger Brothers Building one of Denver’s most famous Art Deco landmarks. I was going to link to my pictures of it, but I am shocked to see that I haven’t posted photos of it yet. I could have sworn I had. Look for that as the next post!

Fallis also designed the Oxford Hotel Annex in 1912, just north of the main building. While it is not Art Deco, it is clad in white terra cotta.

(click this picture)

A beautiful Usonian-style design, the Dammann House, 1966 by famed Boulder architect, Charles Haertling

This wild butterfly roof home was designed by Hobart Wagener, 1957

This house has had very little modification, and seems to currently be under restoration!

Great news, as it sits on a large piece of prime Boulder real-estate, so there was concern that it would be scraped!

Another Charles Haertling, the Willard House from 1961. You can see some of the unfortunate, controversial construction placed far too close to this treasured house.

This construction has stopped, but it is a shame to see the hillside destroyed, especially after such careful, thoughtful placement of the Haertling structure.

This incredible building seems to go beyond Usonia. It is mind boggling to think how such an intricate design could have ever been committed to paper!

Interesting use of rectangular volumes in these first two pictures of mid-century modern homes in Boulder, CO.

Sampson House, 1958 by Tician Papachristou

This beautiful Boulder Usonian-style home is clearly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s New York Exhibition Pavillion from 1953.

The Usonian Exhibition Pavilion was a temporary display built on the 5th Avenue location eventually occupied by the Guggenhiem Musuem.

Boulder, Colorado, Usonian-style home, 1959 by Papachristou

sketchup

Beautiful landmark Art Deco Glen Huntington Bandshell in Central Park, Boulder, Co from 1938

Often casually overlooked, this is a stunning compound arch design, which Huntington modeled after the Hollywood Bowl

Huntington worked in a variety of styles, building many houses in Boulder and Denver, including two great Denver Prarie-Style homes, along with the Art Deco Boulder Courthouse

Many musical acts have played here, including Tommy Bolin, Colorado’s equivalant of Jimi Hendrix

Hiding in plain sight on a hillside in Boulder, Colorado . . .

The Moment House, designed by Charles Haertling, 1966.

Another one of the rare historical examples of International Style in Boulder, an office building from the 1960s designed by Roger Easton.

Much of the new construction going on in Boulder these days seems to wish that they could recreate this style of architecture.

One element they seem to be missing in the current designs is a sense of scale. All the new construction seems so oversized.

Also, much of what they are doing these days is cosmetic. There is a barber shop in Boulder currently adding a tower similar to this one below, only without windows or any reason to exist that I can see.

Nation Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, 1966 by renowned architect I.M. Pei.

Pei referred to this commission as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

Beautifully located on a mesa near the Flatirons of Boulder.

Pei wanted to create a structure that would harmonize with the mountain backdrop, yet not be dominated by the surroundings.

Master architect Pei has designed many important structures all over the world including the famous National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Pei also designed the Louvre Pyramid (of recent Da Vinci Code fame) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both glass pyramids

Three important I.M. Pei Denver commissions were the Mile High Tower, The Zeckendorf Plaza and the 16th Street Mall.

Both Mile High Tower (1956) and Zeckendorf Plaza (1960) have only partially survived, which is truly surprising considering Pei’s importance in the world of architecture.

N.C.A.R. designed by I.M. Pei. Built throughout the mid-1960s, it was completed in 1966.

The design was partly influenced by the spectacular Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in southwest Colorado.

(Enjoy the view from this unusual cut in a stairwell.)

Woody Allen chose N.C.A.R. as one of 5 outstanding examples of Colorado modern architecture to represent the future in his 1973 film, Sleeper. I will feature the other 4 locations in future MMM posts.

Aggregrate for the cement was partially derived from the soil on the site, giving the structure a color that is natural to the location.