The Isis theater as it looked in 1939. Aspen Historical Society/Courtesy Photo
The pandemic stopped a 105-year streak of continuous movies at the Isis. The whole history of cinema has played out there.
The Isis is in the Webber Block built by Henry Webber, who was mayor of Aspen in 1888. He came to Aspen in 1880, had a shoe store and was a partner in the Emma Mine. The large brick building housed a wholesale produce business in the beginning and then was home to Landgreen and Hickey Wallpaper and Paint for many years.
It became a theater in 1915. Like the city taking over the building in modern times, the Women’s Civic Improvement League turned it into a theater to host community events because the Opera House had closed a couple years earlier due to the fire that damaged the theater portion. The building with a high ceiling and plenty of space only needed seating. The Improvement League salvaged seats from the Wheeler.