 Apollo Hall opened quickly after the city 's founding in 1859 and staged many plays for eager settlers . In the 1880s Horace Tabor built Denver 's first Opera House . After the start of the 20th century , city leaders embarked on a city beautification program that created many of the city 's parks , parkways , museums , and the Municipal Auditorium , which was home to the 1908 Democratic National Convention and is now known as the Ellie Caulkins Opera House . Denver and the metropolitan areas around it continued to support culture . In 1988 , voters in the Denver Metropolitan Area approved the Scientific and Cultural Facilities Tax ( commonly known as SCFD ) , a 1 cent sales tax that contributes money to various cultural and scientific facilities and organizations throughout the Metro area . The tax was renewed by voters in 1994 and 2004 and allows the SCFD to operate until 2018 . 
