They like to call it the “20-minute advantage,” but it’ll be a lot more than just a timesaver.
The Chambers-Grant Salon in the lower level of the Quigg Newton Municipal Auditorium will offer theatergoers a whole new level of socializing and dining within the glass-arched pathway of Denver’s Performing Arts Complex.
Instead of stopping off at a nearby restaurant for drinks or a meal before the performance, patrons will be able to park at the complex and dine within the complex at a new restaurant. Opera- and ballet-goers will have the added convenience of dining up until minutes before curtain time, then mounting a terrazzo staircase that takes them into the orchestra-level seating. After the performance, they can return to their tables for dessert or coffee.
In that way, they gain the “20-minute” advantage of not having to pay their tab and run 20 minutes before curtain time, said Sarah Brown, principal of the architectural firm Semple Brown Design, which masterminded the $92 million renovation of the auditorium.
The salon was included in the original plans for the auditorium renovation but was left unfunded because of the Webb administration’s belief it should be up to the patrons and private sector to fund the “gilding” of the opera house.
In May 2003, Jack Finlaw, former chairman of Opera Colorado, assumed command of the city’s Division of Theatres and Arenas and promptly negotiated two substantial contributions. One was a $7 million gift from the George Caulkins family, which included the naming rights of the opera house for George’s wife, Ellie; and a $2 million gift from Merle Chambers and Hugh Grant, two longtime opera-lovers and business leaders. The salon will be named the Chambers-Grant Salon.
Entrance into the 11,260-square-foot salon will be either by a grand terrazzo staircase from the orchestra level of the opera house or by elevators and another staircase near the auditorium’s 14th Street valet entrance. The room can accommodate up to 750 people.
In the center of the salon, against the original sandstone foundation of the auditorium, will be a large bar, with the visual focus on three large Vance Kirkland paintings. Toward the 14th Street end will be a stage for live jazz, classical music or other performances.
At the opposite end of the salon, near the terrazzo staircase, will be Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House, a restaurant named for and operated by the well-known Denver restaurateur. Taylor operates two restaurants in the nearby Hotel Teatro, as well as Palette’s in the Denver Art Museum. Taylor was selected to run the space by city officials and by Center Plate Productions, which holds the liquor license for the arts complex.
The restaurant will seat 150 people, with 40 seats on an elevated stage for major donors or guests. Running a theater-influenced restaurant requires a special operation, because nearly everyone is seated at the same time, and everyone leaves at the same time.
“We’ve been doing this for six years (at Teatro), so we know how to do it well,” said Taylor, 43. He added that he also has a specially trained service staff that will provide catering and beverages in the 21 patrons’ boxes.
Despite the disadvantages of a theater-based restaurant, Taylor has a great opportunity to run a facilities catering service in which he will cater out of the same kitchen for numerous events in the salon and other spaces in the auditorium. The spaces include the yet-unfinished rehearsal theater on the fourth level.
“We will compete on a smaller scale with the Seawell Ballroom,” he said. “We’ll accommodate 150Ð300 people, while the Seawell is much larger at 800Ð1,000.”
Although the city’s brochure lists the restaurant as “five-star,” Taylor said it won’t be that expensive. “We expect entrees to be in the range of $20Ð$25,” he said, while acknowledging he has the right to raise prices as high as the market will bear. Fears that the opera house might become overly exclusive have already found their way into conversations.
As for the cuisine, Taylor described it as “eclectic. It could change. For ‘Carmen,’ we might have Spanish food. For an Italian opera, we could have Italian,” he said.
Taylor estimates the restaurant and bar will be open about 240 nights a year. If the auditorium is dark, patrons attending the Buell Theatre, Boettcher Concert Hall or other venues will be able to dine there.
