After decades of darkness, the Federal Theatre will relight its neon sign this summer as the city’s newest mid-size music and entertainment venue.
The 650-capacity theater, which was built in 1923 as a movie house, stopped showing films in the mid-1970s, said co-owner Scott Happel, and has essentially remained the same since then. In fact, it has been commercially dormant for so long that the city lacked electronic records of its history, prompting officials to dive into boxes of yellowing files to enter details into their permitting system.
However, the building, at 3830 Federal Blvd., was in surprisingly good condition when Happel first walked through it in November 2023, which helped him envision its future as a revived public venue for Denver’s northwest side.
“A church had been utilizing the space off and on for quite a while, but to what degree? We don’t really know,” said Happel, who also co-owns the Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. “But it’s great for us because during busy season in the spring and fall, we’re turning shows away from the Oriental, so this could catch some of that spillover.”
Happel expects final inspections and liquor license approval by mid-August. He and co-owners Andy Bercaw and Peter Ore — who also run the Retro Room Lounge and Salon, and the Delorean, an ’80s-themed bar that opened in 2024 on South Broadway — consider it a cousin to their Oriental Theater. They hope to have the restored Federal marquee shining again with a grand opening in September.
In addition, Happel co-owns the South Broadway rock club HQ with former Live Nation and Soda Jerk Presents promoter Ore. That gave the Sager family — which for decades has owned both the Oriental and Federal theater properties — confidence that Happel’s team were the right ones to finally restart the venue.
Happel declined to name the terms of the lease but said the Sager family, as well as the zoning of the Federal Theatre, has allowed his team to restore it to its former glory without having to spend tens of millions of dollars.
Happel compared the Federal to other historic Denver movie houses-turned-music venues, such as the Bluebird, Gothic, Ogden and Paramount theaters. The Federal lacks the Paramount and Mayan Theatre’s elaborate art deco design elements, but it does bear the marks of a 1948 art deco remodel that make it one of the most handsome theaters in the city.
“There’s a cool recess in the lobby ceiling that has neon in it, and when you first enter the theater, the ceiling has neon in it,” he said. But even after looking, “we haven’t been able to find a single photo of the interior when it was a movie theater.”
The neon sign is being restored by family-owned Morry’s Neon, which worked on the Oriental Theater’s historic sign and many other prominent buildings locally, Happel said.
Happel plans to strengthen his connections with independent local businesses, neighbors and artists — some of whom showed up to liquor license hearings curious about the future of the Federal. He convinced them that the reopened theater would not become a nuisance to the neighborhood, he said. The venue’s 12 to 15 staff members will start with a few shows on the weekends, and experiment with formats such as residencies and eclectic types of performances — such as dance, circus and comedy — in addition to music.
“We are local and independent and we love this city, and we’re making a point of telling people that,” Happel said of his conversations with residents and local businesses. “So many national tours come through Denver that it’s become harder and harder for local acts to even find a space. I think we’re in a position to change that.”
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