Downtown Golden had a movie theater for more than 60 years. The Golden Gem opened in October of 1908 in a former church, located across 10th Street from Parfet Park (location). They quickly upgraded, moving to the Merkle building (1110 Washington Avenue–now Windy Saddle Cafe (map). Films were silent at that time, and in 1910, the Gem employed a five-piece orchestra to accompany the films. In 1911, the owner installed “The finest electric sign ever placed in Golden.” (Colorado Transcript, 6/1/1911)
In 1911, the owners of the property at 13th and Washington decided to construct a new, modern building on the site. The Golden Athletic Club rented the second floor and the Golden Gem Theater rented the first floor. The Theater moved in June 1912 and stayed there for the rest of its existence.
Early films came on large reels, each reel weighing about 5 pounds and running for about 11 minutes. Advertisements would describe a film as a 2-reel film. An evening’s program would commonly include several films. The films weren’t necessarily stories–they often showed real events, such as a rodeo. In one case, they showed movies of a hunting trip taken by Theodore Roosevelt. The Gem showed their first “talkie” (movie with sound) in 1929.
The theater ran many promotions over the years. In 1928, they partnered with the Fromhart Motor Company and the Golden Transcript to give away a car to “the most popular young lady in Jefferson County.” During the Depression, they would give away silverware on Tuesday nights, and at times they held drawings for a box of groceries.
The Gem was “refreshed” several times, to update the look (and often the seats). One major remodel took place in 1949. A newly-updated Gem theater, with a brilliant new neon marquee, had its Grand Opening the same night the Golden Welcome Arch was illuminated for the first time (it used to have neon letters).
The Gem was always a centerpiece of our visitor attraction efforts. Golden was “the” downtown for many people living west of Denver and in the mountains, so people would come to Golden for a night out–dinner and a movie.
The Golden Gem, along with Golden’s downtown business district, slowly eroded throughout the 1960s and 70s. It went through several owners. One even showed x-rated movies. The Transcript mentioned that some young people referred to the place as “the Golden Germ.” Finally, the Foss family (of Foss Drug Store fame) bought the building and divided it into several retail spaces.
