Before the Aggie: Fort Collins Fire Paves Way for Downtown Venue

If you've ever wondered why the exterior of the venue at 204 S. College Ave. doesn't look like the turn-of-the-century buildings in Old Town, it's because the original structure burned down in the 1950s. (Who knew? Not me...) Here's a little background: 

Denver Westword cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz lays out the pre-live music days of the Aggie pretty well in a comic strip [see it here], which explains how the Aggie opened as a movie theater back in the 1950s (showing Ivanhoe as its inaugural film).

The Aggie (movie) Theatre called it a wrap in the '90s though, and seating was cleared out to make way for the music venue we now know.

That's pretty cool, but what we found even more interesting is that prior to the boxy mid-century building which stands on the 200 block of S. College, was an early 1900s store called Neutze Furniture, which was destroyed by a fire. The Fort Collins historical archive has a photo of what it looked like [see more here].

RELATED: Old Town Crown Pub Damaged by Fire

So, from now on, be really careful when you put your lighters up in the Aggie -- you don't want history repeating itself.