The Central City Opera House and a summer festival with deep roots

When gold money was flowing through Gilpin County, the people of Central City wanted a proper theater. They built one in stone, and the Central City Opera House opened in 1878. Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub designed the building, with thick stone walls and a curved balcony, and it quickly became a center of the region’s cultural life.

As the mines slowed, so did the opera house. It served for a time as a movie theater and then sat quiet. In the 1930s a group of Denver preservationists and music lovers raised money to restore it, and the building reopened in 1932 with a season of performances. That revival started a summer opera and theater festival that has continued for generations and is one of the older opera traditions in the country.

For a person living in or visiting Gilpin County, the takeaway is simple: this is a working historic theater, not just a photo stop. It runs a seasonal schedule, mostly in summer, alongside the neighboring Teller House. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For the building’s history and current programs, see the History Colorado and Central City Opera official pages.