Central City Opera House, in the Rockies, yields a different kind of gold rush

Whenever opera fans attend a performance of the Central City Opera, traveling to their destination is every bit as grand and exhilarating as the operas themselves. With the Rocky Mountains as a scenic backdrop, the drive through dense pine forests on roads winding in and out of canyons only heightens their anticipation.

Nowhere is opera presented in a more engaging venue than in the tiny old mining community of Central City in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Visitors get not only the chance to enjoy performances in an Old West opera house but the chance to strike it rich, adding to the excitement.

Opera and gambling. This unlikely combination plays out in the Central City/Black Hawk National Historic Landmark District 40 miles west of Denver. Gambling is a year-round endeavor in Black Hawk, and its Las Vegas-style casinos attract another type of visitor. Nonetheless, gaming revenues perform an important function — funding historic preservation.

Built in 1859, burned to the ground in 1874, and almost deserted by 1920, the city of Central was first settled by Welsh and Cornish miners. The discovery of "the Gregory Lode" in a gulch nearby turned it into the leading mining center in Colorado. Despite being a rough-and-tumble mining town, Central was never lurid or violent. Residents rich and poor demanded culture, and in 1878 they funded the construction of an opera house.

Known for its elaborate fresco ceiling and red velvet seats carved with the names of Colorado’s pioneer families, the opera house welcomed notables of the American stage and opera. Sadly, its theatrical life was short-lived. Before long, the mines were barren and the curtain fell.

Just as civic pride led the community to finance and build this elegant opera house, many concerned residents have worked to preserve Central City’s historic structures into the 21st century.

The Central City Opera House Association has taken a large role in retaining the town’s 19th-century character. As the largest historic property owner in the state of Colorado, it owns and maintains more than 30 properties in the Historic District. The Tudor style opera house is the association’s crown jewel.

Founded in 1932, the Central City Opera hosts the nation’s second oldest summer opera festival. Each summer, more than 20,000 visitors enjoy some of opera’s finest performances in the intimate 550-seat opera house. They come seeking something beyond the ordinary, and the operas and artists are chosen to provide them with that experience.

"I find it exciting and inspiring working in this little town that is out of time," said Henry Mollicone, one of America’s most important composers. He first came to Central City in 1978 when he was commissioned to do the popular one-act cabaret opera The Face on the Barroom Floor. "You have the physical atmosphere of the mountains and the beautiful stone opera house," he said. "I never want the summers to end."

Gold built Central. Gambling now preserves it. Under a state mandate, 28 percent of Colorado gaming tax revenues fund historic preservation. Although Central still has several casinos housed in old Victorians, most of the action today takes place down the road in Black Hawk, where there is gambling around the clock.

The 1872 Teller House, once considered the most elegant hotel between Chicago and San Francisco, had the largest gaming operation in the area. President Ulysses S. Grant’s visit on April 28, 1873, prompted silver promoters to temporarily pave the entrance walks with silver bricks. Today, it is the setting for salon recitals and private buffet dinners.

When attending a performance in Central City, pick up a walking tour brochure and explore its scenic and historic offerings. Tours include the city’s Victorian homes, the history museum and the historic cemeteries.

And when attending performances in the opera house, or festival events at the restored Teller House and Williams Stables, take a moment to appreciate the rewards of historic preservation.