Town Hall Arts Center, once Littleton's official Town Hall, now offers art gallery showcases and theater productions.
The Center is located at 2450 West Main Street. The building faces Abe's Cafe and is located in the midst of historic downtown Littleton.
Built in the 1920s, it ws the heart and center of historic Littleton, housing city offices until the mid-1950s.
"[Jules Jacques] Benedict designed the original portion of the building as well as several other buildings in the greater Littleton area," said Executive Director of the Hall, Bill Rodgers. Benedict is well known in the Denver area and the southwest for his graceful arches and ornamental detail in his architecture. He also designed Denver's Woodbury Library, the Carnegie Library, and the chapel of St. Thomas Seminary in Denver.
"Architects still stop by to study the exterior's Florentine design and columbines," Rodgers continued.
"The decision to turn Town Hall into a theater happened in 1980," sadi Rodgers, who served on the Hall's board for nine years and has served as its executive director for the past three years.
"It opened after renovations in 1982, with a show entitled 'Fiasco' (satirizing Littleton)."
Today, theTown Hall Arts Center is run by a non-profit organization, the Littleton Center for Cultural Arts Foundation. The Center offers a variety of performances Thursday through Saturday evenings, as well as a Sunday matinee.
The Center also puts on multi-cultural events to school children.
The building's original site was limited to the foyer and concession areas. The renovations included storage space for props, a set shop, a paint area, four dressing rooms, an elevator, and a black box modified theater capapble of seating 260 occupants.
The building also includes a gallery that features a different artist or group of artists every month. The gallery is open before performances, and all of the artwork is available for purchase.
Because the construction took place in the early 1980s, Town Hall has limited accessibility and seating for the handicapped.
Since the renovations, Town Hall Arts Center has established for itself a reputation for quality professional theater in a community setting. The Denver Post called it "...the best intimate theater in the region."
They also established several community outreach programs, including the "Cultural Classroom...designed to give primary and elementary school children a positive experience in real theater."
In addition, it is Rodger's stance that "we never repeat ourselves, with the exception of several musicals during our 20th anniversary celebration."
Because of an overexposed and limited musical catalogue, Town Hall mixes dramatic theater performances and musicals. This repertoire fills the needs of the dramatic theater patron as well as the musical theater patron, and all those in between.
Town Hall Arts Center currently makes available student passes. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. For more information, call
