The People's Theatre, located at 15th and Cleveland, Denver, Colo., originally opened as the Metropolitan Theatre on September 23, 1889. H.A.W. Tabor purchased the building in July 1890 and changed the name to the 15th Street Theatre with Phil McCourt, Tabor's brother-in-law, in charge. Name was later changed to the People's Theatre in September 1891. The theater burned on June 10, 1892. The performance being given at the time of the fire by the People's Theater Company was: Our Boarding House. For many years, the exterior stone walls of the structure remained in place until finally being torn down in 1910.
Contact Western History and Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado.
The People's Theater Company was a stock company under the direction of George Wessells. George W. Wessells (1849-1908) and his wife, Mildred N. Hall (1869-1945), were both well-respected touring actors and the aunt and uncle of Antoinette Perry. The Wessells & Samm stock company sub-leased the People's Theater on September 30, 1891 under a five year lease.
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