The West Theater

Colorado's last theater with a
double tiered balcony

Look across the street toward the West Theater building at 423 West Main and you will be setting your eyes on the last theater in Colorado featuring a double tiered balcony.

As the story goes, segregation was a reality of life in town during the early part of the century. While most of the West Theater was reserved for whites only, what many call the third balcony was reserved for blacks in the community.

The building that now houses the Fox Movie Theater itself was erected by Edward West in 1908 on land he seems to have acquired from Isabella Beard between 1880 and 1882.

The 1908 grand opening was quite a gala. Featuring an orchestra in from San Francisco, oysters imported from New York, and a large crowd dressed to impress, West brought a touch of the big city to the quickly developing frontier town.

An entrepreneur with a large sheep herding operation, West is the same businessman who built the West Block just a few storefronts down the street on the corner of Main and Animas.

The building itself features a high auditorium with very ornate gilded carvings adorning the ceiling, walls, balconies, and private boxes. Housed in the basement is a large ballroom.

Sources:

 

 

"A Walk Through the History of Trinidad" written by Jerry Stokes on behalf of the Trinidad Historical Society. 1986. Trinidad, Colorado.