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 159 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Spruce Room Exterior

Today, this is the patio that leads to the Spruce Room at the Hotel Boulderado. But did you know that the Spruce Room used to be the location for the Boulder Chamber of Commerce from the 1930s through the 1970s? Just one more historical fact that suggests the Hotel Boulderado is (and has been) the "community" hotel of Boulder.

The Spruce Room (and Community in Boulder)

With CU's graduation this morning and seeing all the caps and gowns walking around town with their families, I started thinking about community in Boulder. It's always been a big deal in this town, but many people don't realize the significance of the Hotel Boulderado and the community we serve.

When local citizens decided in the early years of the 20th century that downtown Boulder needed a luxury hotel, they put their money where their mouths were and raised over $131,000 to build the Boulderado. For nearly forty years, Boulder's Chamber of Commerce was located in the Spruce Street storefront and within the Hotel Boulderado. Later, this space would be converted into what today is called the Spruce Room.

The Spruce Room is unique when it comes to function spaces at the Hotel Boulderado. First of all, it departs from the Victorian decor that the rest of the hotel is dressed in and adopts an art deco feel. The super-high ceilings and outdoor adjacent patio make it seem larger than the five hundred square feet that it is. Many graduation parties, small receptions and meetings, and other special events have been hosted in the Spruce Room, including the Oral History Luncheon from 2008.

Spruce Room Photos by Allison M. Fleetwood Jr.