Things to do / Travel Guide
While the natural beauty of the Colorado Rockies' mountains is unquestioned, the manmade beauty of the region's architecture is also quite superb, characterized by a rich history and structural innovations. Take your gaze down to the street level to appreciate the elegance made possible by the Gold Rush and to appreciate those cutting-edge Colorado Rockies architectural works that honor the region's terrain without disrupting its cycles. Published maps for self-guided architectural walking tours are produced by the Chambers of Commerce of the Southwest Colorado towns of Gunnison, Silverton, Crested Butte, Ouray and the South-Central Colorado town of Leadville, and can be found at local visitors' centers and Chambers of Commerce offices.
Architecture in Aspen and Breckenridge, Northwest Colorado
While the world-class Aspen and Breckenridge ski resorts are on the cutting-edge of just about everything that has to do with snow and mountains, they also manage to champion fine alpine architecture. With the goal of blending into the landscape, many Aspen and Breckenridge architectural firms have been on the forefront of “green” buildings, solar constructions, and sustainable designs intended to use the planet's resources without depleting them. While the great majority of this region's experiments in ecologically-sound architecture are private homes you may see from the street or hills, you can visit a prime example of this trend at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass on Snowmass Road. The solar-heated 4,000-square foot center has a wide range of exhibits on environmentally-responsible architecture and living habits.
Architecture in Leadville, South-Central Colorado
Largely paid for by mining magnate multi-millionaires, Leadville's historic architecture remains a sight to behold. Tabor Opera House, on Harrison Street in downtown, was once the most elegant building in the West. Finished in 1879, the three-story opera house built of stone, brick, and iron (the majority of the materials were carted in by horse-drawn wagon), featured 16-inch-thick walls and 72 burning gaslights. Touted as the finest theater between St. Louis and San Francisco, Harry Houdini, Oscar Wilde, and the New York Metropolitan Opera once graced its stage. Another fine example of Leadville's Gold Rush-era architecture is located on Fifth Street and Harrison Street, the former American National Bank. Built in the Romanesque style, the 1892 building features a 17-foot red sandstone tower.
Architecture in Gunnison, Southwest Colorado
Also known for its historic homes and well-restored architecture, Gunnison's 1881 Italianate-style Hartman Block, on Main Street, features decorative brick cornice and arch windows, and was one of the town's first commercial district buildings. Built in 1912, St. Peter's Rectory on Wisconsin Street is a Craftsman-style dwelling with a pitched roof, a triple-gable dormer, and beautiful Queen Anne detailing. Located on Adams Street on the Western State College campus, the Leslie J. Savage Library is a beautiful example of prominent Denver architect Temple Hoyne Buell's use of Spanish Colonial Revival style. Built in 1939, the building features terra cotta ornamentation, a cross-gabled roof and wide, arched windows. And, one of the last existing examples of what was once a common engineering construction, the 1927 Gunnison River Bridge on the U.S. Highway 50 Service Road, was designed as a 125-foot steel ridge truss to facilitate traffic over the Gunnison River.
Architecture in Ouray, Southwest Colorado
On Seventh Avenue in Ouray visit the 1891 Victorian Italianate-style Historic Western Hotel, which demonstrates the region's eclectic mix of Victorian- and Western-style architecture. Initially designed to be a mining magnate's estate, the hotel features stained-glass windows, high tin ceilings, and an historic Western lobby and bar.
Architecture in Telluride, Southwest Colorado
Originally built in 1891 and then rebuilt in 1895 after a fire, Telluride's three-story, arched-window, red-brick, Victorian-style New Sheridan Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. The landmark has been beautifully renovated with period furnishings, preserving its turn-of-the-century flair, and the Sheridan Bar still features the original imported Austrian cherry wood bar, an enduring symbol of Gold Rush opulence.
Architecture in Silverton, Southwest Colorado
Walk up and down Greene Street and Blair Street in downtown Silverton and you will enjoy more than 50 historic buildings - Natalia's 1912 Restaurant for instance - all treasure troves of gold mining-funded opulence. Once the fanciest livery stable in the Colorado mountains, the Exchange Livery, on Greene Street, once sheltered horse-drawn carriages. Also on Greene Street, the Victorian Grand Imperial Hotel was built in 1883, and features arched windows and an ornately-decorated façade. Further down the block, you'll find the 1902 Wyman Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and featured by the Travel Channel, with its arched windows, cathedral ceilings, period furnishings, and red sandstone façade.
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