Fort Collins in the 1880s...
By
the year 1880, Fort Collins
had reached a population of 1356, with 236 families occupying 220
dwellings. Real estate values had
increased considerably; lots that had sold from $50 to $75 in 1879 sold for
$500 to $800 in 1880. CSU was in its
second year, with an enrollment of 57 students.
The Fort Collins "Big Block"...
The Opera House was
built in 1880-1881, part of a business block that originally housed the Welch
Dry Goods Store, Franklin Avery’s Larimer County Bank and the Windsor
Hotel. The “Fort Collins’ Big Block,” or
“Opera House Block,” as it was called, had an unbroken frontage on College
Avenue of 200 feet, which made it one of the largest structures in town during
the 1880s. It hosted traveling
performers and served as a social center, courtroom, the scene of political
rallies, and a venue for high school graduations. John F. Colpitts was its architect and
builder.
Early Operas...
The Opera House entrance at the north stairway was marked by
impressive stone pillars and arches. The
box office was located at the top of these stairs. Seating capacity for the Opera House was 1000,
with two-thirds of the seats on a level floor and the final one-third being
raised. The Opera House was valued at
$30,000 on January 20, 1881.
The Opera House was the center of entertainment in Fort Collins’ early days. Its first productions included “Mazeppa,” a dramatization on the poem by the British poet Lord Byron, as well as “Rip Van Winkle,” and Shakespeare’s “Richard the Third.” The Opera House’s most spectacular event was a masquerade ball held on February 17, 1882.
The Opera House was the center of entertainment in Fort Collins’ early days. Its first productions included “Mazeppa,” a dramatization on the poem by the British poet Lord Byron, as well as “Rip Van Winkle,” and Shakespeare’s “Richard the Third.” The Opera House’s most spectacular event was a masquerade ball held on February 17, 1882.
History Lives On....
The original balcony from the Opera House is located
upstairs in the lobby of The Executive Center, with its accompanying original
hand-carved woodwork. The downstairs
lobby of The Executive Center, where the virtual offices are located, was the
second floor seating area, facing the stage.
| Original Upstairs Balcony
|
