Recent Chautauqua Auditorium remodel reflects earlier race against time
By Silvia Pettem
In preparation for the Sundance Film Festival, the Chautauqua Association recently remodeled its 1,300-seat auditorium for year-round use. The work, however, had to be done quickly to make the venue available for summer events and concerts.
The race against time reflects the auditorium's original construction when it was constructed in only six weeks.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chautauqua educational and cultural movement had spread all over the country.
In March 1898, Texas educators approached the city of Boulder for a suitable site. Voters were enthusiastic and approved a bond issue to buy 75 acres of land south of today's Baseline Road. The city then leased the land to the Chautauqua Association.
Tents were set up for the summer guests, but what was needed - immediately - was an auditorium. Opening day was set for July 4, 1898. Contractors' bids and excavation took longer than anticipated, even though entertainers and speakers were optimistically booked for the summer season. Framing didn't start until early June.
By mid-June, eighty-foot trusses were in place, ready to be hoisted onto heavy upright supports. Each truss weighed approximately three tons and had been hauled by train to the closest railroad depot near today's intersection of Broadway and Baseline. Final framing was completed on June 22.
With only twelve days to go, seventy-five men worked day and night to complete the walls, roof, towers, stage, and benches.
Painters then got busy on the exterior. A newspaper writer called the construction "the fastest work ever known in Boulder."
Meanwhile, the city had extended water and electricity to the Chautauqua grounds. Fifteen arc lights were lit for the first time on
June 30. The brilliant cluster of the lights were said to have glittered "like so many gems in the distance." On July 4, 1898, flags waved from the auditorium's roof. Inside, bands played patriotic songs.
Although the acoustics were superb, the building, after decades of use, became neglected and was in urgent need of repair. In 1977, it became the first building in Boulder to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. At the same time, it was chosen as the home of the Colorado Music Festival.
Chautauqua's auditorium not only spans three centuries, but it retains its historic character and now can be used throughout the year. The association's founders would have been pleased.
Silvia Pettem can be reached at silviapettem@gmail.com or through her website, silviapettem.com