The ‘Ute’ Theater, presently known as the Ute Theater and Events Center, was built in 1947 and opened for business in January 1948. The brick building was designed by Don Monson, an Olympic U.S. Nordic ski champion who was in the 1939 Lake Placid Olympics. His father-in-law, Fred Lind, supervised the construction, which at that time cost $75,000 for the building and $25,000 for the equipment. He and his wife, Mary, managed the theater for many years. Mary Lind designed the six original illuminated pictures in the theater auditorium. They depict the 1940’s economy, which included hunting and fishing, the sheep and cattle industry, sugar beets, which were once grown in the area, and a picture of the Vanadium Mill, a major employer at the time, located east of town.
The City of Rifle acquired the building in 2006, when it learned the theater was going up for sale and the interested buyer wanted to use it for a thrift store, selling used furniture and clothing. Located one block north of the main business district, the economic viability and asset the theater could bring to the downtown was recognized.
By the time the City acquired the building, the towers on the façade had been removed and replaced with cedar siding which was common in the 1970’s, where bats took up residency. Other issues needing to be addressed were a leaking roof, sagging chairs, aging heating and ventilation system, antiquated sound system and of course asbestos throughout the building. It was publicly labeled a ‘sick’ building and attracted fewer and fewer people.
In the fall of 2009, a group of citizens came together and formed a non-profit corporation naming it the ‘New Ute Theatre Society’, NUTS for short. Comprised of downtown business owners, contractors and community visionaries, the group set out to rebuild the ‘UTE’ to its original Art Deco architecture. It was a daunting task, as City resources were depleting after witnessing the most recent oil and gas decline in Western Colorado.
The first task was to obtain an assessment of what needed to be done with the building. Through the State Historic Funds, a Historic Structural Assessment was accomplished for $11,000. Through fundraising efforts with memberships and donations, the NUTS group decided to renovate the façade of the building first and bring it back to its 1947 art deco style. With the front of the building complete, the public was thrilled to see progress, momentum strengthened and more fundraising strategies were explored. First on the list was the asbestos removal. With a grant from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment, this was accomplished.
Through the efforts of City of Rifle, the Downtown Development Authority, and Visitor Improvement Fund, plans were made to work towards finding ways to fund the remaining interior renovation of the theater project. Grants obtained from the Boettcher Foundation, Adolph Coors Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation gave propulsion to the project. Other grants came from American Shale Oil, Inc., Union Pacific Railroad, and private family foundations. Large scale grants included DOLA’s Mineral Impact Fund Grant, City of Rifle Capital Funds, Federal Mineral Lease District Funds and an unused Visitor Information Building Fund.
The interior renovation and construction costs were around $2.2 million. The renovation took about 8 months, opening in May of 2014. Upon construction, the organizational plans for the ‘UTE’ included a mixed use approach with an expanded stage to hold performing arts venues, state of the art mechanical, electrical and digital sound systems, the ability to hold banquets, weddings and community events and become the catalyst in promoting culture and performing arts in Rifle as well as the Western Slope.
Presently, the Ute Theater has meet those goals and has become a favorite performing arts venue on the Western Slope of Colorado.
