Day 61 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Stained Glass Window in 316

As promised, here is the stained-glass window found inside Room 316. Click here to learn its significance.

Day 60 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Skywalk

This is the skywalk that connects the Historic Section to the North Wing in the Hotel Boulderado. The skywalk was added in after our first round of additions in the early 1980s. Some of our most interesting artifacts can be found on the skywalk, including a Christmas menu from the dining room dating back to the year we opened.

Day 59 of 365 Day os Boulderado Photos ~ Room 509

Welcome to Room 509! This is the only Classic King room you will find in the Historic Section of the Hotel Boulderado. The room's size as well as its corner location make it a very desirable one and has been enjoyed by many VIPs, including Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.

Day 58 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ "B" Carpet

This shot was taken from the Mezzanine looking down into the lobby and perfectly captured the burgundy "B" logo rug that greets everyone through the doors of the Hotel Boulderado. While our logo has been through several versions over the course of our history, this flourished "B" has been present since 1909, as seen on early hotel literature.

Day 57 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Transom

Take a look at this door from the Historic Section of the Hotel Boulderado. Ever wondered what that weird thing above the actual door is? Once upon a time, all our guest room doors were installed with a transom, which was a window just over the door that you could open to ventilate the room in the days before air conditioning.

Day 56 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Trunks

Back when the Hotel Boulderado opened in 1909, travel was a much slower process. As a result, people would take longer vacations and trips. Huge trunks, like the ones you see here, were popular between the 18th and 20th centuries, when smaller, lighter suitcases were introduced. When a guest brought their trunk to the Boulderado, he or she would unpack the contents and the trunk itself was stored in our basement (now known as Catacomb's Bar).

Day 55 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Happy Easter!

All of us here at the Hotel Boulderado would like to wish you a happy Easter! Now go find those eggs and eat as many Peeps as you can!

Day 54 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Red Bud Tree

This redbud tree blooms outside the hotel every year and is best seen from the skywalk connecting the Historic Section and North Wing. It's rare to see these trees this far west because of their intense water needs, but this one is still going strong!

Day 53 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezz Ceiling from South Rail

This shot of the Hotel Boulderado's stained-glass ceiling is a great one because it shows how the natural light filters through beginning in the afternoon. That light comes from skylights that were built into the hotel's roof to let that natural Colorado sunshine into the lobby.

Day 52 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Pearl Street Banner

Even if you're not at the Hotel Boulderado, you can certainly still feel the Hotel Boulderado all over Boulder. Above you can see a banner on Pearl Street featuring Steve Lowtwait's artwork of the Hotel Boulderado.

Day 51 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Original Easy Bake Oven Beater

This is the last item I will be sharing with you from the antique toy and children's clothing collection currently on display in the North Wing. Pictured above are two antique cookbooks for children, and resting on top of them is an Easy Bake Oven Beater from an original 1963 set.

Day 50 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Staircase Landing

This is a shot of the staircase landing that overlooks the Hotel Boulderado lobby. All of our wedding ceremonies take place on this landing. The bride and her father (or whoever is giving her away) walk down the stairs from the 3rd floor to meet the groom and officiant on the landing. The bride's guests are seated along one side of the railing, and the groom's guests are lined along the other.

Day 49 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Pantyhose on Parade

Those who work here at the Hotel Boulderado have a strict dress code we need to follow, most notably the pantyhose requirement. Anyone wearing a dress or skirt must pair it with pantyhose. As a result, you will probably never see so many women in one place (at least in Boulder) walking around in pantyhose.

Day 48 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ The Junk Drawer

You asked, and you got it! When I shared the Front Desk safe with you earlier in the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos collection, I mentioned that it's the equivalent of a "junk drawer" -- a catchall place for random odds and ends. Someone asked to see inside the junk drawer, and here it is.

Day 47 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ The Driftwood Room

Welcome to our Driftwood Room! Like the other function spaces located on the Mezzanine level of the Hotel Boulderado's Historic Section, the Driftwood Room was originally a hotel room that was converted into a space that could be used for meetings, small receptions, etc. What is unique about the Driftwood Room is that when it was a hotel room, it was Room #201, and #201 was used as a workshop for Marie Garcia and her husband when they were creating the current stained-glass ceiling.

Day 46 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mailbox

This is a photo of the mailbox we have just around the corner from the front desk in the lobby. If you look closely, you can see on the front it features a mail carrier dating back to the Pony Express days.

Day 45 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Room 316

Welcome to Room 316! This Elegant One Bedroom Suite has an interesting connection to both wings of the hotel. 316 itself is located in the Historic Section of the Hotel Boulderado, which is the original structure that was built between 1906 and 1908. However, there is a very beautiful stained glass window found in the living room of 316. This window was created and installed when the North Wing addition came with the skywalk in the early 1980s to keep a sense of privacy in the room. Later in the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos, I will be sharing a photo of the stained glass window itself, so stay tuned!

Day 44 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Detail on Mirror

ROAR! This lion detail is missed by many, even though it's located in a high-traffic area. Next time you are crossing the skywalk from the Historic Section to the North Wing and come upon the mirror on the north wall, take a closer look at its top to see this guy roaring at you.

Day 43 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Bar

This is quite possibly my favorite antique found in a hotel room at the Hotel Boulderado -- and believe me, there are plenty of contenders! This wet bar lives in 306, one of our Presidential Suites. First of all, it's enormous, in height, width, as well as depth. It has cupboards, shelves, and hiding holes all over for whatever it is you might have to store. It also manages to remind me of the days when it was totally acceptable to have an enormous bar in your home or office, even though I wasn't around for the era itself. I love this antique bar so much that I assure you, this is not the last time you will see this piece during the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos.

Day 42 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Iron Toy Soldiers

Please excuse the quality of this photo -- it was taken through the glass of a display case, hence the odd light quality. But what the photo shows you are two World War One soldiers made of iron. The one on the left is holding a gun, but the one on the right is holding two carrier pigeons, which were used frequently for communication purposes during the first World War. To see these for yourself, check out the entire collection of vintage toys and children's clothing found in the display case on the first floor of the North Wing.

Day 41 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Honey Bee Portrait

This life-sized portrait looks over the staircase at the top of the stairs on the fifth floor. The woman in the portrait is Miss Honey Bee, and this portrait was commissioned by her father in the 1930s for her debutante moment into society at the age of 18. For many years, Miss Honey Bee taught music lessons to many of Boulder's children. When it came time for Miss Honey Bee to move into a retirement facility, she was unable to take the portrait with her because of its sheer size. She offered it to several local organizations, including the Boulder History Museum and Historic Boulder, but no one had a place large enough to hang the painting. Luckily, Miss Honey Bee often took lunch in the Hotel Boulderado's dining room, and there was a large empty wall space located on the fifth floor. Miss Honey Bee graciously donated the portrait to the hotel.

Day 40 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Raven's Nest

The Hotel Boulderado has played host to all kinds of guests over the past century -- rock stars, brides, executives, professors, athletes, you name it. We also have a recurring guest that isn't too well-known. Beginning last year, a raven built her nest into a nook she found between the fourth and fifth floors on the east side of the Historic Section. Employees have since taken to calling her "Lenore" from the Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Day 39 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Ice Box

In the early 1900s, an ice box, like the one you see above, was used to keep food cool. These were traditionally made from oak or mahogany, designed to look like a piece of furniture, and lined with tin or zinc. A block of ice was delivered by the "ice man" about twice a week. There was a drip pan under the ice to collect the water as the ice melted. Unfortunately, this overflowed quite frequently so there was usually a puddle on the floor!

Day 38 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Bobbsey Twins Book

Do you remember the Bobbsey Twins? Two sets of twins (Bert and Nan, Flossie and Freddie) who could solve any mystery that came their way, the Bobbsey Twin books were released beginning in 1904 and ending in 1979. We are fortunate enough to have a first edition copy of "The Bobbsey Twins at Home" dating from 1916 on display along with other antique toys and children's clothing in the North Wing of the Hotel Boulderado.

Day 37 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lobby Tile Floor

When it comes to the Hotel Boulderado's lobby, many people are so taken with the staircase and stained-glass ceiling that they fail to notice something else -- the tile floor. The lobby tile floor is still original from 1909, including the bits that extend into Q's Restaurant. The designs vary on where you are in the lobby, but overall it's meant to give you a Native American motif. This was done intentionally to honor the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes who used to summer in the Boulder area. Legend has it the Hotel Boulderado was built on the site of their wigwam, the place where they would come together and gather, meet, and celebrate with each other. In this way, I like to think of the Hotel Boulderado as one of Boulder's wigwams, since people often use the hotel as a point of contact for meetings, weddings, celebrations, and visiting friends and family members.

Day 36 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Sales Office Wallpaper

Another dose of intense patterns for you today! The above photo is a close-up of the wallpaper found in the front part of the Sales Office. Some people say they feel like "eyes" are watching them, others are reminded of Horton Hears a Who. What do you think?

Day 35 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ The Old and the New

This is one of those things that make me smile here at the Hotel Boulderado -- seeing a totally modern high-definition flatscreen TV placed on top of an antique piece of furniture. Once again, the old and the new working together seamlessly in the present.

Day 34 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Newspaper Article

Pictured above is an antique newspaper section from 1909. It's actually from the Camera's Semi-Centennial Celebration edition of the newspaper. The majority of the page is dedicated to a lengthy article entitled "Indians Closely Identified with Boulder's Early History." If you look at the lower left hand corner of the page, you can see a photo of the Hotel Boulderado. The caption reads "Boulder's Magnificent New Hotel, Where in the Pioneer's Day was the Indian Wigwam."

Day 33 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Carpet Pattern in 306

One thing you have to notice about the Victorian decor found at the Hotel Boulderado is the abundance of patterns. The Victorians loved having patterns on everything -- patterned wallpaper, patterned curtains, patterned upholstery. In the words of one long-time Boulderado employee: "Patterns on top of patterns on top of MORE patterns." I thought it would be fun to share some close-ups of some of the patterns here at the Boulderado, and I'm starting in an unlikely place -- the floor.

The above photo is a close-up of the carpet in one of our Presidential Suites, 306. It will be retired and replaced later this month, but as one last farewell, I wanted to use it as the start of another sub-series within the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos, the pattern series.

Day 32 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Exterior

First day of the months means an exterior shot from the corner of Spruce and 13th Streets. I was hoping that the tree outside would start showing some leaves, but it looks like it's still too early in the season for that. One noticeable difference from the same shot taken 31 days ago is the shadows receding -- a sure sign that spring is here and the days are getting longer.