History

1907 – 1911 The building first opened as Mammoth Roller Skating Rink. Architect Edwin H. Moorman provided this “mammoth” building at Colfax Avenue and Clarkson Street with a design you might expect to see in an English resort town or an amusement park. The architecture reflects the building’s original function as a roller skating rink. In 1907, the Mammoth Skating Rink Company, headed by Samuel Cohen, purchased a vacant tract of land and erected this $32,000 recreation facility. The building also included an “up-to-date” restaurant serving soft drinks. One newspaper noted, “Roller skating is all the rage over the country at present, and this will be the first high-class rink to be opened in Denver.

1911 – 1917 Occupied by Fritchle Automobile and Battery Company, a manufacturer of electric cars capable of traveling 100 miles between charges.

1935 – 1962 Opened as Mammoth Gardens, a first-class sports house offering ice-skating, hockey, ice polo, basketball, wrestling and boxing. During its life, Mammoth Gardens was the home to Denver’s first professional ice hockey and basketball teams. James Brown performed in the room in 1960.

1962 – 1967 Building served as a warehouse for Colorado Mercantile Company.

1969 – 1970 Stuart Green bought the building with plans of turning it into a concert venue emulating Bill Graham’s Fillmore in San Francisco; during the next six months, the venue hosted concerts from artists such as the Grateful Dead, The Who and Joe Cocker. In October of 1970, the building was boarded up.

1976 Briefly opened as “The Market,” where vendors sold fresh baked goods, produce and arts and crafts.

1981 – 1982 Mammoth Gardens is opened as a facility that would accommodate sporting events, entertainment, music, dancing and restaurants; after only 14 months, the building was again closed because of disagreements between partners.

1986-1998 Mammoth Gardens is purchased by Manuel and Magaly Fernandez and opened as a home for their multi-cultural concerts and dances. In addition, the couple worked with outside promoters to bring national touring concerts to the venue.

1999 Opened as The Fillmore Auditorium with Trey Anastasio on May 19, 1999. Operated first by “BGP Denver” (Bill Graham Presents) and currently by the world’s largest concert promotion company, Live Nation. Artists across the spectrum of popular music have appeared at The Fillmore Auditorium. Legends including Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Beastie Boys, George Clinton, Robert Plant, Phil Lesh, and Iggy Pop, perennial favorites STS9, Tech N9ne, Widespread Panic, and Umphrey's McGee, influential artists such as Willie Nelson, Pixies, Erykah Badu, and The White Stripes, and some of today's biggest stars from The Zac Brown Band to Imagine Dragons, Mumford and Sons and many more have graced The Fillmore Auditorium's stage and helped make it the premier concert venue in Denver. The tradition continues...

2006 Box Seats and VIP Restrooms were added between the north and south mezzanine.

2016-2017 Remodel completed backstage to include catering lounge and kitchen, added dressing rooms and downstairs public restrooms. 

2018 New marquee installed in front, included the custom logo designed in 1999 for this building. Floor tiers installed to improve guest experience and sight lines. Large TV’s installed with hi-def live feed from the stage to improve guest experience.

2024 25th Anniversary of this building being The Fillmore Auditorium.