Historic restored neon Fox sign on Colfax to be illuminated again
DENVER (KDVR) — A freshly restored neon sign at one of Aurora’s historic landmarks will be illuminated and revealed on Saturday.
The Aurora Fox Arts Center, located at 9900 E. Colfax Ave., was built as the Fox Theater in 1946. As World War II was coming to a close, the people of Aurora lobbied for a movie theater. According to the city’s website, there was no movie theatre in the city at the time.
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Denver architect Charles Strong designed the theater and it was built with extra military supplies for a Quonset hut, according to a release from the city.
Fox Theater was a popular destination for decades until a fire caused extensive damage in 1981. But residents and the city of Aurora rallied to save the building, and it was restored and reopened in 1985 as a performing arts venue called the Aurora Fox Arts Center.
The neon sign has undergone minor repairs over the last 40 years of exposure to the elements. Over the last 11 months, the sign has been completely restored to its original colors.
The city’s Historic Preservation Specialist and the sign company designer did some research on other Fox theaters across the nation to determine the common color schemes for the signs in the 1940s.
“While a sign survey identified yellow on the tops of the F-O-X letters, it wasn’t until hand scraping the paint off the rest of the sign revealed yellow in other places as well as a light green accent color on the blade and bullnose,” the city said in a release.
Mark Hanger, whose father helped repair the sign after the fire in 1981, confirmed the original neon colors.
The city received a State Historical Fund grant in 2020, which the city said covered about half of the cost to restore the sign. The rest of the cost was covered thanks to donations.
In total, it ended up costing $143,264 to restore the sign, according to the release.
“The yellow upper marquee, which made its debut in the early 1960s, was replaced with white panels in keeping with the original design,” the release stated.
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Additionally, the historic letters attached to aluminum tracks were retained and the neon tubing was reinstalled in mid-June.
The sign will shine again at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, immediately after the performance of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.”
More renovations will be underway in the coming months, and the city said the theater will have new seats, carpet and paint as well as improved accessibility ramps.
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