tabor-opera-house

Tabor Opera House

Tabor Opera House

Tabor Opera House, Harrison Avenue, Leadville   |   (719) 486-8409   |   Website >

      TOURS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON – SEE YOU IN SPRING OF 2024

      Leadville’s historic Tabor Opera House was once billed as the finest theatre between St. Louis and San Francisco. Silver baron Horace Tabor, who made his fortune in Leadville, built this opulent building in 1879 in a mere 100 days. It is now undergoing its first major rehabilitation since 1879. Join us for tours and performances!

      Attend an Event

      Join us for fun events on the Tabor’s storied stage!

      • Main Street Program Live Auction – Saturday, Sept. 30 – 6 p.m.
        Join us for the annual Main Street Programs live community auction fundraiser. This year’s theme is How the West was Wonderful.
      • Stories Worth Telling Film Festival – Saturday, Oct. 14 – 5 p.m.
        Experience the art of storytelling with live entertainment and a series of curated short films that are inspirational, adventurous, and true.

      Tabor Opera House Leadville Colorado

      : Craig Hensel

      Take a Tour

      Be sure to tour the Tabor Opera House! See the stage where John Philip Sousa, Oscar Wilde, and Anna Held performed. Tour the Tabor museum, a collection of memorabilia. Local youth and experienced local history buffs will keep you spellbound. This season’s tours run through Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2023.

      Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit

      Did you know Leadville’s Tabor Opera House is one of 5 opera houses in the new Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit?

      Discover these historic gems and plan a trip full of music, mountains, history and more!

      Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit logo

      History and Revitalization

      The Tabor Opera House was built in 1879 by silver mining magnate Horace Austin Warner (HAW) Tabor. In its heyday, the Tabor hosted conductor John Philip Sousa, British wit Oscar Wilde, actress Sarah Bernhardt, performer Anna Held, and more celebrities. Even a circus with tigers has paraded across the stage.

      Around the turn of the century, 150 opera houses graced the state. Today, only eight stand as a proud monument to Colorado history. The City of Leadville purchased the Tabor Opera House in 2016. Now, the city and the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation are working to revitalize this magnificent brick theater. The future Tabor will be a cultural hub and economic driver for Leadville.

      How the Tabor Opera House was Built

      The Tabor Opera House was built in 1879 by Horace Austin Warner (HAW) Tabor, one of Colorado’s most well known mining magnates. It was one of the most costly and most substantially built structures in Colorado history. The construction materials were not available in Leadville, so HAW Tabor ordered that they be brought up by wagons… a tedious task. Nevertheless, the Tabor was completed in only 100 days from the date of ground-breaking, which was a record time.

      The massive three-story opera house was constructed of stone, brick, and iron, and trimmed with Portland cement. Its solid brick walls stand 16 inches thick. The color scheme used was red, gold, white, and sky blue, lit by 72 jets of brightly burning gas lights. This substantial construction has weathered the test of time.

      Evelyn Livingston Furman

      Evelyn Livingston Furman, who sold Maytag wringer washers, bought the Tabor Opera House from the Elks in 1954 and personally ran it until she was 84 years old. Along the way, Evelyn wrote three books that tell the story of the Opera House, Augusta Tabor, and Silver Dollar Tabor. Eventually, she turned the controls to her daughter Sharon Furman Bland and her husband Bill.

      Tabor to Become a Cultural Hub

      In November 2016, the City of Leadville purchased the Tabor Opera House. Now, the city and the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation are revitalizing this grand old building to become a center for diverse arts and culture in the heart of Leadville.

      The first major rehabilitation of the Tabor since 1879 started in the spring of 2020. The only other building repair on this scale was a remodel led by the Elks in 1902. Phase I repaired the most fragile west and south walls in 2021. Construction began on the east wall in 2022.

      The $1.5 million cost was funded by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) ($830,000), National Park Service ($500,000), and the City of Leadville ($20,000). In addition, Tabor fans in Colorado and nationwide won $150,000 for the project in the Leadville Main Street Program’s Partners in Preservation campaign in 2018. Supporters voted online over six weeks and won the Tabor first place in a national contest.

      The Tabor has been named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and an Endangered Place by Colorado Preservation, Inc. Learn how to contribute to this important project!

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