About Us |
The Avalon Theatre Foundation, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1991 by Pat Gormley. Its original mission was the historic restoration of the beautiful Romanesque Revival building. It successfully undertook a fundraising effort in the mid 1990's that provided for the restoration of the theater's original 1923 façade.
Beginning in 2008, the Downtown Development Authority and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra led a master plan to transform the Avalon Theatre into a state of the art performing arts venue. Over the next several years, with significant support from the City of Grand Junction and the DDA, the Avalon Theatre Foundation raised funding from private individuals, businesses, and foundations to renovate and expand the theatre in order to improve the economic and cultural development of our community. The Foundation continues to center its mission on historic preservation, promotion and enhancement of the Avalon Theatre. It embodies an added sense of responsibility and vision aimed at the completion of the project into a facility capable of accommodating a wider range of uses that support significantly improved commercial and cultural benefits to the community. |
Our Mission"To preserve, promote and enhance the Avalon Theatre for community benefit."
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Avalon Theatre History
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"The preservation of our heritage and this historic building is a responsibility and privilege supporters of The Avalon Theatre are proud to accept."
- Walter Walker
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The idea of a new, state-of-the-art community theater was the brainchild and passion of The Daily Sentinel publisher Walter Walker. As a kid growing up in Marion, Kentucky, before the turn of the century, Walker took an interest in the entertainment business and began booking speakers and entertainers to perform in his hometown. He had a knack for the business and brought that skill with him to Grand Junction in 1903.
A vigorous supporter of the arts, Walker pictured a grand performance and movie house for his new community that would be a source of entertainment and community pride. He also believed that newspapers had a civic obligation to help bring cultural offerings to their communities.
After years of bringing in speakers and entertainers to various playhouses in Grand Junction, Walker felt the time was ripe for a more professional entertainment venue. He used his newspaper to generate massive public support for the project and persuaded area business leaders to invest in a state-of-the-art theater. Walker and his investors collected $100,000 and in 1922 constructed The Avalon Theatre, designed for both film screenings and live acts.
A vigorous supporter of the arts, Walker pictured a grand performance and movie house for his new community that would be a source of entertainment and community pride. He also believed that newspapers had a civic obligation to help bring cultural offerings to their communities.
After years of bringing in speakers and entertainers to various playhouses in Grand Junction, Walker felt the time was ripe for a more professional entertainment venue. He used his newspaper to generate massive public support for the project and persuaded area business leaders to invest in a state-of-the-art theater. Walker and his investors collected $100,000 and in 1922 constructed The Avalon Theatre, designed for both film screenings and live acts.
When the Avalon opened its doors on January 5, 1923, The Daily Sentinel called it, "a playhouse of which any city many times larger than Grand Junction would be very proud." The theater hosted many famous entertainers, from soprano singer Lucy Gates on opening night to acts such as Harry Houdini and John Philip Sousa. The Avalon remained the cultural and entertainment center of western Colorado for decades. Though a small, rugged, railroad town, Grand Junction became well acquainted with live theatre. As the mid-point on the train route between Denver and Salt Lake City, high-caliber touring companies were familiar faces to the Western Slope.
Stage shows, music performances, movies, and community events all took place at the Avalon. The Grand Junction Lions Club held an annual show at the theater during the 1920s to raise money to help the local college. The Soup Eaters, a program started by Daily Sentinel reporter Al Look, gave toys to underprivileged children during the Great Depression. Many local high schools used the theater for graduation ceremonies, and some of the top performers and music acts of the day tread the boards of the Avalon's stage.
By the 1940s, however, things began to change. The Avalon was sold to the Cooper movie theater chain, and the building was remodeled. The beautiful façade was covered over, and The Avalon became a movie house. By the mid-1990s, what was once the crown jewel of Grand Junction had fallen into shambles. The City of Grand Junction was forced to take over the building in lieu of taxes. Beginning in 2008, the Downtown Development Authority and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra led a master plan to transform the Avalon Theatre into a state of the art performing arts venue. Over the next several years, with significant support from the City of Grand Junction and the DDA, the Avalon Theatre Foundation raised funding from private individuals, businesses, and foundations to renovate and expand the theatre in order to improve the economic and cultural development of our community. A historic preservation movement eventually raised enough private funds to restore the exterior of the building to its original glory, leaving the interior largely unchanged. Today The Avalon is listed on the City of Grand Junction Register of Historic Sites.
The Avalon Theatre Foundation was established more than 70 years after the Avalon Theatre opened, but today we honor the late visionary with our brand- our logo is Walter Walker's actual handwriting.
Stage shows, music performances, movies, and community events all took place at the Avalon. The Grand Junction Lions Club held an annual show at the theater during the 1920s to raise money to help the local college. The Soup Eaters, a program started by Daily Sentinel reporter Al Look, gave toys to underprivileged children during the Great Depression. Many local high schools used the theater for graduation ceremonies, and some of the top performers and music acts of the day tread the boards of the Avalon's stage.
By the 1940s, however, things began to change. The Avalon was sold to the Cooper movie theater chain, and the building was remodeled. The beautiful façade was covered over, and The Avalon became a movie house. By the mid-1990s, what was once the crown jewel of Grand Junction had fallen into shambles. The City of Grand Junction was forced to take over the building in lieu of taxes. Beginning in 2008, the Downtown Development Authority and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra led a master plan to transform the Avalon Theatre into a state of the art performing arts venue. Over the next several years, with significant support from the City of Grand Junction and the DDA, the Avalon Theatre Foundation raised funding from private individuals, businesses, and foundations to renovate and expand the theatre in order to improve the economic and cultural development of our community. A historic preservation movement eventually raised enough private funds to restore the exterior of the building to its original glory, leaving the interior largely unchanged. Today The Avalon is listed on the City of Grand Junction Register of Historic Sites.
The Avalon Theatre Foundation was established more than 70 years after the Avalon Theatre opened, but today we honor the late visionary with our brand- our logo is Walter Walker's actual handwriting.
