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 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 229 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Pumpkins and Gourds in Lobby

The collection of gourds and pumpkins in our lobby right now remind me of that coconut song from Monty Python. "I've got a lovely bunch of harvest gourds (diddeleedee), there they are just sitting by the desk . . . Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head!"

Day 225 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Regal Skeleton at Front Desk

HALLOWEEN IS COMING! HALLOWEEN IS COMING!
Halloween is totally my favorite holiday of the year. The lobby at the Boulderado always gets decked out with skeletons, witches, pumpkins, spiderwebs, and more as we get closer and closer to October 31st. This photo here is just a teaser of more to come, but I couldn't resist sharing this regally poised skeleton overseeing the Front Desk.

Day 223 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ On the Other Side of the Desk

One big lesson I've learned while working on the 365 Days of Boulderado Photos series is that sometimes, a simple change of perspective can have dramatic results. Such is the case with our lobby, seen here from the "other" side of the Front Desk.

Day 202 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lobby Phones

We still keep a pair of telephones in our lobby that are free to use for calls to guest rooms and taxi services. They don't get nearly as much use since cell phones arrived in Boulder, but we like to keep them around for those "just in case" situations.

Day 190 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lobby Flowers

I just love this shot of some of the flowers in our lobby because it also captures the "B" on the carpet as well as the lights shining down from the Mezzanine.

Day 180 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Managers Part Two

Here is the other side of the Front Desk with the rest of the managers portrait collection, continued from yesterday. This part of the collection features Bill & Winnie Hutson, Ralph Hume, Ed Howard, and Louis Winterberger.

Day 179 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Managers Part One

If you have ever been in the lobby at the Hotel Boulderado, you have probably noticed the collection of portraits hanging just by our Front Desk. Each portrait represents a former manager of the Hotel Boulderado. This shot shows you William Beattie, Hugh Mark, W.P. Pope, and James Baker, representing our managers from 1912 to 1939.

Day 140 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Close Up Shot of Leaded Windows

With this shot, you get both a closeup shot of the leaded glass windows at our entrance on 13th Street and a peek into the lobby.

Day 120 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Grandfather Clock in 304

This is the only grandfather clock that resides in one of the Hotel Boulderado's guest rooms. Aside from the one in the lobby, this is the only other grandfather clock in the hotel, and it occupies 304.

Day 116 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lobby

Here is a shot of the lobby at the Hotel Boulderado as seen from the landing of the staircase that overlooks it.

Day 114 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Ceiling Close Up

Here is a strangely angled close up shot of the stained glass canopy ceiling that sits over the lobby and Mezzanine of the Hotel Boulderado. Rumor has it that the glass used in those smaller centered squares were from the original stained glass ceiling that broke in 1959.

Day 91 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lobby Grandfather Clock Face

Here's a close up shot of the face of the grandfather clock in the lobby. Click here to learn why the moon never moves.

Day 83 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Ceiling from the Lobby

Here's the stained-glass ceiling as seen from below, in the lobby. Whether you're close to it or further away, the beauty carries over any distance.

Day 68 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Radio

This radio keeps the Honey Bee portrait company near the stairs on the fifth floor of the Historic Section at the Hotel Boulderado. When we first opened, we had a small string orchestra to entertain guests in our lobby. Over the years, the orchestra was replaced by a Victrola, which was replaced by a radio (like the one you see above), which was replaced by a television. After that, televisions were installed in all the guest rooms, which were recently replaced by high-definition televisions. I can't help but wonder what those high-def TVs will be replaced by.

Day 67 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Floral Explosion in the Lobby

Spring MUST be here! Just take a look at all the blooms residing in our lobby right now.

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 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 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.