Movie houses became big in Denver in 1916. Pioneer Showman DeWitt C Webber chose to build his “Webber’s show” on South Broadway to rival Curtis street’s status as “movie row”. In 1916, an issue of “Moving Picture World” described his 1000 seat theater as cubist in design and constructed of ornamental stucco. It was embellished with French Doors and Bronze balconies. The interior boasted an aquarium with a background of mermaids painted on turquoise velvet and a water fountain sculptured in the form of a woman's head with water bubbling alluringly from her lips” “Even when the fancy Mayan opened just a few years later at 110 Broadway, some movie fans still preferred the Webber, because it was one of the first theaters in the city with an effective air-conditioning system” You can still see the old architecture of the theater that Archetype distillery now owns today.
In this vacant lot next to the old Webber Theatre was a building first known as the Royal Market.
Source: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/archetype-distillery-is-third-act-f...
Image Source: Denver Public Library Special Collections Call Number: Z-10221 - “Webber Theater” https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/819...
