Day 337 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Detail on Piano Organ

This is a close-up shot of the detail found on the antique piano organ found on the third floor of our Historic Section. They just don't make them like they used to!

Day 336 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Topsy Turvy Lobby

I managed to capture this topsy turvy shot of the lobby while I was walking along the Mezzanine one day . . . but what is that little spot on the "B" rug? I have captured other photos containing the same spot in the lobby, but in different places. Is it a speck of dust on my lens? What do you think it is?

Day 335 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Opening Day Registration

Please excuse my glare in this photo -- two layers of glass are not easy to deal with in photographing, but what lies behind is too special NOT to share in the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos. You are looking at a reproduction of the Hotel Boulderado's registration log from our opening day on January 1st, 1909. The left most column asks for the guest's full name, the next for their city, then the next two columns are for the hotel staff to list the check-in time and room number for each guest.

Day 334 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Private Bathroom Window in 300

This is one of those unique features you don't see anywhere else in the Hotel Boulderado -- a window in the wall between the bedroom and bathroom. We are not entirely sure what the purpose of this window is. However, one theory from a "lifer" (a Boulderado employee of 15+ years) is that the window provided natural light for the private bathroom. She believes room 300 was the only hotel room from the original floorplan that offered a private bathroom -- a true luxury in 1909. She also believes it would be logical to install an extra window to provide this private bath with natural Colorado sunshine if it was indeed the most luxurious room available.

Honestly, this is how we figure out a lot of things at the Hotel Boulderado about our own history. Many times, when a question is asked, there is no answer written down in the history book or our own records. We have to use logic, supposition, and our own knowledge of the period, Boulder, and the hotel to figure things out the best we can.

Day 333 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Express Checkout

We know many of our guests are busy, especially on their departure day. Guests at the Hotel Boulderado have the option of Express Check-Out with this Key Drop available in our North Wing.

Day 332 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Veggie Baskets

Chef Pete has these fresh veggies all ready for steaming!

Day 331 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Piano Leg

This piano was first brought to the Hotel Boulderado by Winnie Hutson, a former owner, during the 40s/50s era. For a long time, it resided in our lobby and was used for community caroling during the holidays and other such events. Somehow, our employees managed to get it out of the Historic Section and into the North Wing, where it has been ever since. The piano's legs have been scuffed and weathered over the years, but the end result, to me, looks like a great griffin's leg perched over a claw.

Day 330 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Boulderado Mouse Pad

When it came time to furnishing the Business Center at the Hotel Boulderado, at least one decision was a no-brainer: Boulderado mouse pads for all four stations!

Day 329 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Drawer That Locks

I photographed this bureau because it has a feature you see all over the Boulderado but very rarely in modern and contemporary furniture. One of the drawers has a keyhole and could have been locked once upon a time; too bad the key to this bureau was misplaced at some point and lost forever.

Day 328 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Stained Glass Ceiling Supports

This shot of our stained-glass canopy gives you some idea of the mechanics behind it -- or, rather, above it. Support beams and wires anchor the ceiling to the building to keep it safe.

Day 327 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Patterns in 300

The pattern on this upholstered chair in Room 300 with the pattern on the wallpaper behind it looks almost as though they were planned to go together!

Day 326 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Event Decor Storage

This speed rack in the catering kitchen was recruited into storing some of the decor that gets used at our events, like tea light holders and brass lanterns.

Day 325 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Wallpaper in 311

This wallpaper pattern has already become slightly famous on the Internet and has been called "the girliest" ever. Do you agree?

Day 324 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Sun Setting from 315

The sun setting behind the mountains is always worth pausing to look. The rooms on the west side of the Hotel Boulderado enjoy spectacular views of the Flatirons. This specific shot was taken from room 315.

Day 323 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Photo of Telephone Room

This was another shot that I had to sneak into the General Manager's office to capture. You are looking at a photograph taken of the telephone switchboard that used to be behind the Hotel Boulderado's Front Desk.

Day 322 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Columbine Room for Social Events

Here is our Columbine Room getting prepped for a social event. You might remember seeing the Columbine Room before in the 365 Days project.

Day 321 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Door That Goes Nowhere

I see this in a lot of places at the Hotel Boulderado, but none are in such a public space. This door is located on our Mezzanine, right next to the dancefloor, and it leads absolutely no where. Once upon a time, there was a stone portico entrance at our Spruce Street entrance, and this door would have led to a small patio over the portico. When the portico came down in the 1960s, so did the patio, but the door remained.

Day 320 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Room 314

Welcome to Room 314, a Traditional Queen room located on the west side of the Historic Section of the Hotel Boulderado. It might be easy to think this photo was taken at our opening, except for that flat screen television!

Day 319 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Detail of Dresser Trunk

Check out the gorgeous detail found on a dresser trunk we have on display here at the Hotel Boulderado. Like so many other antiques around here, whenever I gaze upon this, I think "They just don't make them like they used to."

Day 318 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ North Wing from 311

Just think, when we first opened in 1909, this view from 311 would have been of a few houses in the nearby Mapleton neighborhood. Now it is of our own North Wing!

Day 317 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Stained Glass Window in General Manager's Office

This stained-glass window can be found in our General Manager's office, but it originated from our dining room. The semi-circle windows found in our dining room, aka Q's Restaurant, used to all be like this one you see here. They were removed over time, and the one seen here is the only still original remaining.

Day 316 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Soap Sink

We like to have fun reminding guests we are a historic hotel. One small way we do that is offering soap dishes shaped like antique sinks in our guest rooms and suites, as seen here.

Day 315 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Woodwork

All the woodwork around the Hotel Boulderado, as well as all the different kinds of woodwork, consistently amazes me, even after four years on the job. This shot shows you part of our cherrywood tree staircase's railing behind a loveseat with a rose carved into the wooden frame.

Day 314 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Perfume Bottle and Purse

This (empty) perfume bottle and handbag both date back to the Victorian era and actually originate from a long-term employee's own family!

Day 313 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Reading Nook

We like offering small touches around the Hotel Boulderado to let guests know we are always trying to make a guest's stay a better experience. One such touch is our reading nook, with a bookcase stocked with old library books and two chairs, which reminds our guests that they are on vacation and should delve into a good book. Guests who find their read truly engrossing are welcome to take their book home with them.

Day 312 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Stone Portico Entrance

This closeup of a photograph taken in 1912 of the Hotel Boulderado is one of my favorites because it shows you the stone portico entrance that once greeted guests at our Spruce Street entrance. The portico began crumbling in the 1960s and had to be taken down, making this photo of the entrance that much more valuable to our history.

Day 311 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Wallpaper in 312

This wallpaper is found in room 312, among others, and always makes me think of a Victorian jungle.

Day 310 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Soft Seating on Skywalk

One thing we run out of regularly around here is space, so we are used to finding creative storage solutions. One we use is to stash soft seating along the skywalk.

Day 309 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Photo of Boulder Chamber of Commerce

This photo hangs outside the Spruce Room and reminds us that the Spruce Room once was the home of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Day 308 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ General Manager's Desk

I had to sneak into the General Manager's office to get this shot of his desk, but I was willing to risk it to add it to the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos!

Day 307 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Exterior in January

As dawn breaks over the hotel in 2012 for the first time, Happy New Year from the Hotel Boulderado, and Happy 103rd Anniversary to Us!