Tabor Opera House
308 Harrison Avenue,
Leadville,
CO
80461
308 Harrison Avenue,
Leadville,
CO
80461
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The hisotry page of the Tabor Opera House’s official web site says that the theater became the Weston Opera House in 1893 and operated under that name until 1901. It was then purchased by the local Elks lodge and was renamed Elks Opera House. A major rebuilding was undertaken in 1902.
Originally located upstairs, the auditorium was moved to the ground floor, allowing a larger stage to be built. Upper floors were reconfigured for use by the lodge. Later Cahn guides list the Elks Opera House as a ground floor theater with 939 seats, 410 on the main floor, 195 in the balcony, 300 in the gallery and 34 in boxes. The architect for the rebuilding was A. G. Higgins. The rebuilt Opera House opened on December 11, 1902.
In 1954, the building was sold by the Elks to Evelyn Furman, who ran the theater until 1984, when operation was turned over to her daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Bill Bland. The Blands sold the house to the City of Leadville in 2016. In 2017 the City granted a 50-year lease and a renewable 10-year operating agreement to the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation, who have begun presenting live events and are undertaking a multi-year renovation project.
Preservation Magazine, Winter 2021:
“A mining magnate took just 100 days to construct the opulent Tabor Opera House, which features brick walls 16 inches thick. The opera house attracted luminaries such as John Philip Sousa and Oscar Wilde, as well as more rambunctious entertainers like Buffalo Bill and Harry Houdini. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express are two of several organizations supporting a current project to rehabilitate the opera house. Work began in June of 2020.”
Additional history credit History Colorado.
“November 20, 2019
On this day in 1879, the Tabor Opera House in Leadville opened. ðŸŽ
After only 100 days of construction, the new opera house opened in Leadville thanks to Horace Tabor. At the time of opening it was said to be the grandest theater between Saint Louis and San Francisco.
The theater was elegant and included two retail stores, multiple floors, and an enclosed skywalk to the Clarendon Hotel (we all know how cold Leadville can be as the highest town in Colorado!).
The interior featured frescoes, custom carpets, and hand-painted stage curtains. The opera house even had the first gas lights in Leadville and they helped illuminate the fancy theater.
Today, the original Italianate exterior of the building is largely intact, making the building a contributing member of the Leadville Historic District as well as becoming one of the nation’s very first National Historic Landmarks in 1961. The Opera House has also been a State Historical Fund grant recipient, and we’re thrilled to support their ongoing efforts. The building is currently being used for theater productions, while simultaneously undergoing various rehabilitation."
The Tabor Opera house appeared on an episode of American Pickers(season 11, episode),(Mountain Mayhem).
The Tabor Opera House in Leadville was one of the famous theater of the Old West. Horace Tabor and his wife Baby Doe Tabor were the subjects of an opera in the 1970-era, “Baby Doe”. (I’m going on memory here). There is one roadshow theater listed for Leadville in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide: the Weston Opera House, 900 seats, run by A. S. Weston. Was that a new name for the Tabor Opera House? Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in the Guide. The Weston Opera House was one flight up from the street, had gas illumination; the proscenium opening was 20 feet wide X 16 feet high, and the stage was 35 feet deep.