Save the Tabor Opera House

The Tabor Opera House has been an iconic institution in the storied ex-mining town of Leadville, Colorado, since it was built during the silver boom in 1879. It has been saved before, but it needs saving again--since the owners are retiring. This is a piece of American history, where generations have enjoyed everything from opera and Shakespeare to performances by Houdini, Oscar Wilde and John Philip Souza's band to boxing matches featuring Jack Dempsey. It needs somebody to carry the baton of American history and culture deep into the 21st century. If you're interested, contact Bill Bland at 303-550-1048, or bill.bland@gmail.com, and visit the Web site at taboroperahouse.net. Says Bill: " We want to find somebody who loves history and would nurture it as a working theater."

 H.A.W. Tabor struck it rich in Leadville and was determined to bring culture to Colorado, so he built the opera house, which, was, at the time, the best facility of its type west of the Mississippi. The FAO Elks operated it for many years, but, in 1955, they put it up for sale for $20,000. A local woman, Evelyn Furman, who was married to a miner, borrowed $10,000 from her mother in Minnesota, a retired school teacher, and got a bank loan for the other $10,000. Evelyn's daughter, Sharon Bland, and her husband, Bill Bland, have run the place in recent years. Bill gave me a tour...

The stage

The painted backdrop shows Leadville with a fanciful state capitol building in the background

The lobby

Evelyn Furman

This poster, in sections, was found under a linoleum floor--well preserved

Bill with Knabe 9' grand piano, which Tabor bought from the Metropolitan Opera in NYC

Trap door cut in the stage for Houdini's escape

Bill operating the original marble-backed lighting control board

Original metal and plush seats