Revitalization overview

Phase 1 · complete

Make the building hold.

Before new systems could go in, the Fox needed a sound roof over a stable structure. Two linked projects replaced and insulated the roof, supported historic trusses, repaired valley framing, and addressed parapet masonry.

Defined Phase 1 scope substantially complete by early February 2024.

Tall temporary timber posts and bracing supporting historic roof framing inside the Fox.
Field note 03 Temporary shoring carried the load during structural repair.
Roof
Replaced
Insulation
First in the building
Structure
Stabilized
Phase 1 scope
Complete · early 2024
Lit Fox Theatre marquee at night after the 2017 neon restoration, with Ferdinand on the readerboard.

Before Phase 1 · 2017–2023

The Fox did not wait in the dark.

Movies and community events continued while maintenance and fundraising moved the building forward. In 2017, Gordon Sign removed and restored all of the marquee neon, fabricated replacement tubes where needed, and relit the sign over Main Street.

That marquee work is the prologue, not Phase 1. It shows the pattern: keep the theatre useful, then do the next piece of permanent work.

Before construction

Diagnosis, then community design.

The 2018 Historic Structure Assessment established the building-wide roadmap. CU Denver students and residents then explored how the Fox could serve the community. Phase 1 is where those earlier chapters became funded construction documents and field work.

Historic Structure Assessment Findings + original report photographs → CU Denver community design Student concepts + 171 responses →
Cover of the May 2018 Fox Theatre Historic Structure Assessment and Preservation Plan.
Final report · May 2018 · 198 pages

Two grants · one public phase

The roof and structure had to move together.

Phase 1 is the public name for two interlocking History Colorado State Historical Fund projects. The signed agreements and engineering record define the work; no combined dollar total is published while the final grant ledgers are being reconciled.

SHF 2021-M2-023

Roof + insulation

Main and fly-roof replacement, associated roofing details, and the first roof insulation in the building’s history.

SHF 2023-02-029

Structure + parapet

Shoring, steel support beside existing trusses, valley-framing repair, mortar analysis, and parapet masonry.

This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.

The construction record

What changed, in the order it happened.

Selected from 586 Phase 1 photographs and videos in the Fox project archive.

  1. Close view of an aged timber roof beam and its metal connection before Phase 1 reinforcement.
    September 2023 · See the structure clearly

    Before

    See the structure clearly

    The work began with the roof open to inspection: aged timber, earlier connections, and the places where the structure had moved over time.

  2. Auditorium seating and an opened work area prepared for access to the roof structure.
    October 2023 · Reach what patrons never see

    Opened up

    Reach what patrons never see

    Crews prepared work areas in the auditorium and attic so the historic roof structure could be reached safely.

  3. Tall temporary timber posts and bracing supporting historic roof framing inside the Fox.
    December 2023 · Take the load

    Supported

    Take the load

    Temporary shoring held the roof and balcony-truss area while crews removed sag and installed permanent reinforcement.

  4. Long exposed brick parapet above the open roof deck during masonry repairs.
    December 2023 · Repair the parapet

    Rebuilt

    Repair the parapet

    Mortar analysis and an approved mockup guided work on deteriorated joints while the roof deck was open.

  5. Worker, tools, and roofing materials spread across the Fox roof during Phase 1.
    Winter 2023–2024 · Close the roof

    Weather-tight

    Close the roof

    The main and fly roofs were replaced and insulated—the first roof insulation in the building’s history.

  6. Completed timber reinforcement and a steel beam installed beside dark historic roof framing.
    January–February 2024 · Make the repair permanent

    Complete

    Make the repair permanent

    New timber reinforcement and steel support were installed beside the historic framing. JVA reported that the observed work substantially conformed to the construction documents.

More from the archive

The record, grouped by date.

These supporting views sit between the major field notes above. Select any image to open the full viewer and move through the complete Phase 1 visual record.

Construction photography: Craig Asher and the Fox project archive.

Before construction

The grant record established the exterior condition before the roof and parapet scope began.

East elevation of the Fox Theatre before Phase 1, photographed in bright sun from Main Street.
East elevation before the Phase 1 roof and parapet work.

November–December 2023

Steel support, roof decking, and parapet work moved together while the building was open to the weather.

Long steel beam and new supports installed beside historic timber roof framing inside the Fox.
Steel support installed beside the historic timber framing.
New plywood roof decking fitted beside the historic brick parapet under a blue sky.
New roof decking fitted beside the historic brick parapet.

January 2024

The closing sequence records winter masonry conditions, auditorium access, and the final timber-and-steel connections.

Blue temporary enclosure and masonry supplies beside the south brick wall in snow.
A temporary enclosure protected winter masonry work at the south wall.
Wide view of the Fox south brick wall beneath a winter sky after masonry work.
The south brick wall after the winter masonry sequence.
Narrow protected work path running beside the auditorium seats and temporary construction access.
Protected access through the auditorium beside the work area.
Close view of new timber blocking and reinforcement joined to dark historic roof framing.
New timber reinforcement joined to the existing roof structure.
Close view of new timber braces fitted around a dark steel support inside the roof structure.
Timber bracing framed tightly around the new steel support.
Tape measure held across a steel connection during a field fit check.
A field measurement checked the steel installation before closeout.

The project team

Named for the work.

The boundary matters

Phase 1 was complete. The building was not.

The engineer found the observed Phase 1 structural work substantially conformed to the construction documents. Other building work still remained before occupancy. Phase 2 took up that next scope.

See all phases Continue to Phase 2

Phase 1 visual record