Central City Opera House
A historic opera and theater venue in Central City, Colorado, known for its 1878 architecture and continuing summer performance tradition.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Central City Opera House is a historic performing-arts venue in the Central City/Black Hawk Historic District of Central City, Colorado. Built in 1878, it was created during the mining-era development of the Rocky Mountain West and became one of Colorado's earliest major opera houses. The building was designed by Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub in a Renaissance Revival style, using stone and brick, arched windows, and a crescent-shaped balcony. Its interior includes decorative work associated with San Francisco artist John C. Massman, including a ceiling mural, geometric ornament, and trompe-l'oeil architectural details. The venue was established by the Gilpin County Opera House Association, whose fundraising effort involved local residents, including Welsh and Cornish miners and other townspeople with strong musical traditions. Its opening positioned Central City as an important cultural center in Colorado. Because opera alone did not generate sufficient revenue, the house expanded its program to theatrical productions and hosted prominent performers including Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, Madame Januschek, Fannie Barlow, Buffalo Bill, and events associated with P. T. Barnum's circus. The venue later competed with Denver's Tabor Grand Opera House, which opened in 1881. Technological and physical changes followed. Electricity was installed in 1896, and the structure underwent a renovation in 1903 without major changes to its original form. By 1910, contractor and owner Peter MacFarlane had converted the building into a motion-picture theater. The theater closed in 1927, after which preservation-minded Denver residents and music supporters organized to save it. In 1929, Ida Kruse McFarlane, Edna Chappell, and Anne Evans helped lead a volunteer restoration campaign through the Central City Opera House Association. MacFarlane's heirs donated the building to the University of Denver in May 1931, and the restored venue reopened in 1932 with actress Lillian Gish appearing in Camille. The 1932 reopening established the modern summer festival tradition and coincided with the formation of the Central City Opera company, described as the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States. The venue became associated with nationally recognized opera and theater festivals and with performers such as Samuel Ramey and Beverly Sills. Its repertoire has included works in English and, since the end of the English-only practice around 2000, in their original languages. Notable productions include The Ballad of Baby Doe, first performed there in 1956, and the company's 2001 United States production of Benjamin Britten's Gloriana. The house has also presented classic and silent-film screenings and continues to host seasonal operatic productions. Further restoration work in the 1980s and 1990s addressed the entire structure, including its foundation and lighting systems. In 1999, the original wooden chairs were replaced with upholstered theater seating. The Central City Opera House Association also owns Victorian houses used to accommodate summer performers. Beyond live performance, the building has appeared in popular culture: it served as a filming location for The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox and was referenced in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. The property was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and remains both a functioning cultural venue and a historic landmark.
History
The Central City Opera House was built in 1878 during the growth of Central City as a mining and commercial settlement in Colorado. In 1877, residents created the Gilpin County Opera House Association to raise funds for what became one of the state's earliest purpose-built opera houses. Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub designed the building in a Renaissance Revival manner, combining stone and brick construction with arched windows and a crescent-shaped balcony. Local Welsh and Cornish miners and other residents helped build the structure. Its interior decoration included a ceiling mural by San Francisco artist John C. Massman, together with geometric patterns and painted architectural effects. The building's design reflected both performance needs and local conditions. A creek flowing through a flume under the structure helped cool the interior during summer. Electricity was added in 1896. A 1903 renovation improved the venue without materially changing its structure. During the late nineteenth century, the house presented opera but also broadened its program to theater and other entertainment because opera alone was not financially sufficient. Performers associated with the venue included Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, Madame Januschek, Fannie Barlow, Buffalo Bill, and events connected with P. T. Barnum's circus. Central City's cultural prominence faced increasing competition after the Tabor Grand Opera House opened in Denver in 1881. By 1910, Peter MacFarlane, a contractor involved with both the original building and the 1903 work, had become its principal owner and operated it as a motion-picture theater. That phase ended when the building closed in 1927. The preservation movement that followed was decisive. In 1929, Denver preservationists and music enthusiasts formed a new Central City Opera House Association. Ida Kruse McFarlane, Edna Chappell, and Anne Evans were among the volunteer leaders of the restoration effort. MacFarlane's heirs donated the property to the University of Denver in May 1931. After extensive work, the restored building reopened during the summer of 1932, with Lillian Gish appearing in Camille. The reopening created the basis for a continuing summer festival of opera and theater and coincided with the formation of Central City Opera, now identified as the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States. The post-1932 venue developed a national profile. It hosted major singers and performers, including Samuel Ramey and Beverly Sills, and became a training and performance destination for opera artists. Central City Opera has presented works in different languages and moved away from its earlier practice of performing every opera in English; by the early twenty-first century, productions were also performed in their original languages. The Ballad of Baby Doe, first presented in 1956, became particularly associated with the company and place because of its Colorado historical subject. In 2001, Central City Opera was the first United States opera company to produce Britten's Gloriana. The repertoire has also included Rossini's The Barber of Seville, performed in 2015. The physical site underwent additional restoration in the 1980s and 1990s, including work on the foundation and replacement of an older lighting installation with a computerized system. In 1999, wooden seats were replaced with upholstered theater seating. The association owns Victorian houses in Central City that are used to house singers during the summer season, linking the venue to a broader historic-district infrastructure. The opera house remains a functioning cultural site, presenting summer opera and theater as well as silent and classic films. Its historical importance has been reinforced by its 1973 listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has also entered popular culture through its use as a filming location for The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox and through a reference in chapter nine of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Its identity today rests on the combination of a preserved nineteenth-century theater, a long-running opera tradition, and a seasonal cultural program rooted in Central City's history.
- 2015
The Barber of Seville performed
[1]Central City Opera presented Rossini's The Barber of Seville.
- 2001
Gloriana produced
[1]Central City Opera became the first United States opera company to produce Britten's Gloriana.
- 1973
National Register listing
[1]The opera house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1956
The Ballad of Baby Doe first performed
[1]The venue introduced the opera that became one of Central City Opera's signature works.
- 1932
Restored venue reopened
[1]Lillian Gish opened the restored theater with Camille, beginning the modern summer festival era.
- 1931
Donated to the University of Denver
[1]Peter MacFarlane's heirs donated the opera house to the University of Denver.
- 1927
Building closed
[1]The venue closed after operating as a motion-picture theater.
- 1903
Renovation completed
[1]The opera house was renovated without major structural alteration.
- 1896
Electricity installed
[1]Electrical service was added to the building.
- 1878
Opera house constructed and opened
[1]The Roeschlaub-designed Renaissance Revival venue opened in Central City.
Products and positioning
A preserved Colorado cultural landmark combining historic architecture, professional opera, theater, seasonal festivals, and heritage tourism.
Opera festival · 1932
Summer opera festival
The venue's principal recurring offering is its summer opera program, developed after the 1932 restoration and associated with Central City Opera. Productions have featured professional singers and a repertoire ranging from historically themed American works to standard European opera. The company formerly performed all operas in English and later expanded its practice to include original-language productions.
Opera production · 1956
The Ballad of Baby Doe
An opera centered on Colorado mining magnate Horace Tabor and his second wife, Baby Doe Tabor. First presented by Central City Opera in 1956, it became closely identified with the company because its story connects the professional repertoire to Colorado history and the region's mining-era past.
Theater · 1878
Theater productions
The opera house has presented spoken theater alongside opera since its nineteenth-century operating period. Theater programming helped broaden the venue's audience and revenue base, and the restored building's summer festival tradition continued to include theatrical work.
Film exhibition
Silent and classic film screenings
The venue continues its historical connection with cinema through screenings of silent and classic films. This programming recalls the building's period as a motion-picture theater under Peter MacFarlane before its closure in 1927.
Brand decisions
2000
Expansion beyond English-language operaStrategyBackground
Until around 2000, the company's operas had been performed in English.
Action taken
Central City Opera began presenting operas in their original languages as well as maintaining broader repertoire practices.
Aftermath
The company aligned its productions more closely with international opera-performance conventions.
1932
Reopening as a summer opera and theater venueStrategyBackground
After closure, preservationists and music supporters sought to restore the building and return it to cultural use.
Action taken
The Central City Opera House Association restored the property and reopened it with Camille, establishing a recurring summer festival model.
Aftermath
Central City Opera was formed and the venue developed into a nationally recognized summer opera destination.
1910
Conversion to motion-picture theaterStrategyBackground
Opera alone was not sufficient to sustain the venue's commercial operation, and Peter MacFarlane had become its principal owner.
Action taken
The building was operated as a motion-picture theater rather than solely as an opera and theatrical venue.
Aftermath
The cinema period continued until the building closed in 1927; later film screenings remain part of its programming history.
Recent events
- 2001
Gloriana receives its first United States opera-company production[1]
Product launch
Central City Opera became the first opera company in the United States to produce Benjamin Britten's Gloriana.
- 1999
Central City Opera replaces wooden seating[1]
Other
The venue replaced wooden chairs dating from the 1920s with plush theater seating.
- 1990
Major structural restoration program completed over the 1980s and 1990s[1]
Other
A broad restoration program addressed the building, including its foundation and modernization of the lighting system.
- 1973
Central City Opera House added to the National Register[1]
Regulation
The opera house received recognition on the United States National Register of Historic Places.
- 1956
The Ballad of Baby Doe premieres[1]
Product launch
Central City Opera first presented The Ballad of Baby Doe, an opera based on Colorado mining-era figures that became one of the venue's best-known productions.
- 1932
Restored opera house reopens with Camille[1]
Product launch
Following extensive restoration, the venue reopened with Lillian Gish appearing in Camille; the reopening also launched the modern summer opera and theater tradition.
- 1929
Preservation association organizes restoration[1]
Other
A newly organized Central City Opera House Association began a volunteer-led effort to restore and reopen the historic venue.
- 1927
Venue closes after its motion-picture period[1]
Other
The opera house ceased operations as a motion-picture theater, creating the conditions for a later preservation campaign.
- 1910
Opera house converted for motion pictures[1]
Other
Peter MacFarlane, who had been involved in construction and renovation work, operated the property as a motion-picture theater.
- 1896
Electricity installed at the opera house[1]
Other
The building received electrical service, marking an important technological upgrade for the venue.
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