The history of the Elitch family and the creation of Denver’s entertainment scene

DENVER (KDVR) – The Elitch name, which still pops up around Denver, can be traced back to the mid-1800s when Mary Elizabeth Hauck met John Elitch at a church in California.

The Historic Elitch Theatre describes the start of their relationship as Elitch passing notes to her through her brother and eventually asking Hauck to move with him.

The theatre said the two eloped when Hauck was 16 and Elitch was 22, and eventually moved to Denver to open a restaurant, thus starting much of the entertainment industry in the Mile High City.

Elitchs make their mark in Denver

The Elitch Palace Dining Room on 1541 Arapahoe Street, which now is a cluster of high-rise buildings on the 16th Street Mall, was said to be the largest dining room in Denver, sitting 200 people.

Elitch bought a 16-acre farm in Highland and nearby Berkeley Lake to support the restaurant with produce, however, the theater said plans changed quickly when Elitch sold the restaurant and the pair transformed the land into Elitch’s Zoological Gardens.

In 1891, Elitch died, leaving Mary in charge of the park. According to Elitch Gardens, she was the only woman in the world to own and manage a successful summer resort.

She ran the park and theatre until 1916 when she was forced to sell Elitch Gardens to John Mulvihill, according to the theatre. In the agreement, the park would keep the Elitch name which is still the name of the park, even after it moved locations.

“Elitch” still lives around Denver

Now, Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park lies in the Auraria neighborhood at 2000 Elitch Circle, both the park and the street keeping the original owners’ names.

As for the theatre, it was not part of the park’s move and was abandoned until the city listed it as a historic landmark. The space underwent a restoration and preservation project for the past 20 years, according to the theater, and it’s now finally welcoming guests back in with the Elitch family name still on the front of the building.

As for Mary, the amusement park said she lived in the gardens until late in life and eventually died at 80 years old.

While the creators of the Elitch legacy have long since passed, their names are still plastered around Denver as part of the entertainment history.