Romantic Boulderado Stories

It being Valentine's Day and all, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some of the most romantic Boulderado stories we've collected so far. As part of our Centennial Celebration, we have been collecting favorite memories of former employees, guests, and locals who have a special place in their heart for the Hotel Boulderado. Please enjoy these romantic Boulderado stories!

• "First Wedding Ceremony" is a diary excerpt that shares the story of our first wedding ceremony on record, dating back to May 1911.
• "A Big Challenge" recounts a challenging courtship with a happy ending.
• "Fruit Salad" starts with a bizarre dream and ends with a wedding.
• "My Wedding Gift" is a sweet recollection of a bride on her wedding day at the Boulderado.
• "The $17,000 Question" features a relationship -- and missing money!
• "Romance on the Mezz" tells the story of love found on our Mezzanine.
• "She said that I needed to sit down" is a story with a startling announcement.
• "Lobby Love" shares a story of love that began right in our lobby.

Do you have your own romantic Boulderado story? We'd love to hear about it! Check out how to submit your Boulderado story on our website.

Women's History Tea Lineup

We just got word from the Legendary Ladies on who will be appearing as "Unconventional Women of the West" at our upcoming Women's History Tea in March. Here's a sneak peek for you!

Emily Griffith, Denver Educator
1868-1947

Belle Starr, American Outlaw
1848-1889


Alice Stebbins Wells, 1st American-born Female Police Officer
1873-1957


Dora DuFran, South Dakota Madam
1868-1934


Annie Oakley, American Sharpshooter
1860-1926

There's still time to purchase tickets, either online or by calling our Special Events Office at (303) 440-2880.

The Case of the Missing Tuxedo Jacket

During the wee hours of New Year's Day, just after bringing in the new year of 2011, a black tuxedo jacket was mistakenly taken for another.

Are you missing a Vito Rufolo jacket?

Could you possibly have a Saks Fifth Ave jacket in your closet that does not belong to you?

These similar-looking tuxedo jackets were on the backs of chairs in the Ballroom where Funkiphino was playing.

If you find you have a Saks 5th Ave jacket instead of a Vito Rufolo, please contact our vigilant Lost and Found Department at lostandfound@boulderado.com.

Christmas Tree Delivery

I'm a bad, bad blogger for not blogging for so long, so I have an extra-special treat to make it up to you all. Most people familiar with the Hotel Boulderado knows that during the holidays, we feature an enormous tree in our lobby. The tradition dates back to the 1930s, as shown with this historic photo:The tree is always delivered on the Monday after Thanksgiving, and this year, Claire from the Concierge Desk documented the delivery and hoisting of the tree, including one very scary moment for our stained-glass canopy ceiling.

This year's tree came from just north of Taos, New Mexico, and is a staggering 29' white fir. Our Maintenance Department takes on the task of bringing the tree into the hotel and placing it in the lobby. Here, you can see some of our Maintenance Men checking out this year's challenge.

Believe it or not, the tree is brought in through our front door every year. We open up the doors as wide as they will go and then the Maintenance Department does their best to push, pull, drag, and coax the tree into the lobby.

Once the tree is in, we let it lay out on the tile floor so our "tree aestheticians" can decorate the tippy-tippy top. Rhonda and her helpers from Living Interiors are always on hand to help with this part of the process.

Claire's "Levitating Tree" shot

Once the top part of the tree is done, the Maintenance Department uses a system of chains and double-pulleys to hoist the tree to a standing position.

Hoisting ...

...hoisting...

...hoisting...

And this is the point of the hoisting that we realized that this year's tree was a wee bit too big for our ceiling. If you watch the videos, you can see the top of the tree poking one of the panels out of place. Luckily, the panes aren't welded into the frame -- they simply sit in the frame.

The moment that had many of us worried!

We had to saw off the very top of the tree to make it fit in our lobby, but it's there now and fully decorated. Stop by to see it before December 29th, when it will be taken down -- and I strongly urge you to take a stellar photo of it. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for the reason why!

The Language of the Fan

If you've ever wandered around the hotel, you know we like keeping certain antique and vintage items on display. Our newest display can be found on the third floor of the historic section and it shows off some fans we've collected over the years. Did you know that back in the day when ladies carried fans, they would use them to send romantic (or anti-romantic) signals to would-be suitors.

Here are some signs a lady with a fan is interested in you:

• If she's fanning herself quickly, she's saying "I love you so much."
• If she moves the hair away from her forehead, she's saying "Don't forget me."
• If she hits her palm with her fan, she's saying "Love me."
• If she drops the fan, she's saying "I belong to you."

Here are some signs a lady with a fan couldn't care less about you:

• If she's fanning herself slowly, she's saying "Don't waste your time, I don't care about you."
  
• If she's resting the fan on her lips, she's saying "I don't trust you."
• If she hiding the sunlight with her fan, she thinks you're ugly.

A lady with a fan could also be trying to send you a message. If she's carrying a closed fan with her left hand, it means she's engaged, whereas if she's carrying a closed fan with her right hand, it means she wants to be engaged. If she fans herself with her left hand, she's telling you "Don't flirt with that woman." If she runs her fingers through the ribs of the fan, she wants to talk to you. If she half-opens the fan over her face, she is saying "We are being watched."

If your Halloween costume includes a fan this year, try out some of these messages. You can find more here.

The Stone Portico Entrance

When the Hotel Boulderado first opened in 1909, the south entrance was considered the main entrance and was marked by a large stone portico. It looked like this:

The portico began crumbling in 1963 and eventually it was removed. There's been talk around the hotel that we may bring it back, which explains why we hung on to a key element of the original. When I went down and photographed the "guts" of the elevator, I found the original portico sign.
The hotel's original entrance on Spruce Street was so important to the city of Boulder that when it came time to pave the roads for the first time, Spruce was done first because it led right to the Hotel Boulderado.

Beneath the Elevator

A lot of people are familiar with our Otis elevator in the historic section. I recently learned a few details about it that I thought I'd share, along with some rare photos of the inner workings of the Otis.

Even though the plaque next to the elevator declares it a 1908 model, it's really from 1906. Back then, if an elevator needed to be installed in a new building, they would install the elevator first and then build around it. Therefore, the Otis was installed in 1906 and then the Hotel Boulderado was built around it.

Our beloved elevator actually broke down several weeks ago when the brake chain needed replacing. Believe it or not, we had to track down a manufacturer in Switzerland who had to custom-make us a replacement part! While they were working on it, I snuck down to the basement to take some photos of the elevator's "guts":

Here's a shot of some of the maintenance equipment we use to keep it running smoothly.

I totally geeked out over this: signature Otis elevator lubricant to keep those parts in shape!