Richard L. Crowther

Richard L. Crowther, FAIA (December 16, 1910 – December 25, 2006) was an architect and author who achieved international renown for his progressive holistic compositions, particularly his pioneering designs employing passive solar energy.

Crowther was born in Newark, New Jersey, and moved to San Diego, California at age 21. He worked for a neon sign manufacturer and later employed neon light as an architectural element and as ambient illumination. In 1948, Crowther moved to Denver, Colorado, where he built ticket booths and renovated the ballroom at Lakeside Amusement Park. He also began building energy-efficient homes in Denver.

Crowther designed the spacious, sleek-lined Cooper theaters in Denver, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and the Indian Hills Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. All were the first theaters designed around the Cinerama film technology, with cushioned seats on curving risers. The original blueprints for the theater are in the Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy Department.

The first such theater, the Cooper Theater, in Denver, featured a 146-degree louvered screen (measuring a massive 105 feet by 35 feet), 814 seats, courtesy lounges on the sides of the theatre for relaxation during intermission (including smoking facilities), and a ceiling which routed air and heating through small vent slots in order to inhibit noise from the building's ventilation equipment. [1]. The other two theatres were built in a similar format, however, the last theatre, the Indian Hills Theater had a slightly larger screen and other improvements.

Each element of the theaters was designed to enhance the Cinerama experience. The circular design took advantage of the discovery that patrons, if left to their own devices, would seat themselves in an oval pattern. The exterior circular shape served as a constant reminder to passing motorists that this was a Cinerama theater. The design included a cylindrical shape and a flat roof.

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