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.
Showing posts with label Driftwood Room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Driftwood Room. Show all posts
Saturday, April 16, 2011
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.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Driftwood Room
Once upon a time at the Hotel Boulderado, the 2nd floor, or Mezzanine, was occupied with hotel rooms like the rest of the building. By the 1970s, a typical room might look like this:
(Photo Credit: Daily Camera)
But beginning in the late 70s and continuing into the early 80s, management started removing hotel rooms from the Mezzanine to open up space for events and parties. Eventually all the hotel rooms on the second floor were converted into an array of offices, a catering kitchen, function spaces -- like the Driftwood Room. Room #201 was renovated to become what is now called Driftwood Room, a popular site for small meetings and receptions.
(Photo Credit: Alison M. Fleetwood, Jr. Photography)
You may remember that the Driftwood Room was the site where Marie Garcia and her husband spent three months designing, cutting, and installing the stained glass for the current canopy ceiling over the lobby. Just goes to show you that when you book an event at the Boulderado, you're not just renting a room -- you're sharing in the history of a Boulder landmark.
(Photo Credit: Daily Camera)But beginning in the late 70s and continuing into the early 80s, management started removing hotel rooms from the Mezzanine to open up space for events and parties. Eventually all the hotel rooms on the second floor were converted into an array of offices, a catering kitchen, function spaces -- like the Driftwood Room. Room #201 was renovated to become what is now called Driftwood Room, a popular site for small meetings and receptions.
(Photo Credit: Alison M. Fleetwood, Jr. Photography)You may remember that the Driftwood Room was the site where Marie Garcia and her husband spent three months designing, cutting, and installing the stained glass for the current canopy ceiling over the lobby. Just goes to show you that when you book an event at the Boulderado, you're not just renting a room -- you're sharing in the history of a Boulder landmark.
Monday, June 1, 2009
A Brief History of the Stained-Glass Ceiling
One of the things people always remember about the Hotel Boulderado is the ceiling in the lobby -- a stained-glass canopy of glitter and light that has become a defining feature of the Boulderado. The ceiling itself has a fascinating history that few of our guests ever hear. It's time to share that history.
When the Hotel Boulderado first opened in 1909, a colorful and ornate stained-glass ceiling hovered over the lobby and Mezzanine. The glass was from Italy and was high-quality enough to be used in European cathedrals. Few pictures captured the true beauty of the original ceiling, as most of them are in black and white. A rare color photo, seen below, from the Howard family collection (c.1960) shows off the patterns and hues of the ceiling.
In 1959, a late-season snowstorm came to Boulder. At the time, only a skylight separated the canopy ceiling from the elements. When the skylight gave way under the heavy, wet snow, the ceiling was the next stop, and two panels broke under the weight. It wasn't until September of 1960 that the rest of the cathedral glass was removed and taken down to the basement. The ceiling remained bare for some months until management installed red, white, and blue Plexiglas panels. Ed Howard, who owned and operated the Boulderado in the 1960s, struggled to find someone who would want the original panels from the ceiling. Americans were not as concerned with historical preservation as they would be in future decades, and no local organization responded to Howard's pleas. The feeling at the time was that the ceiling was old-fashioned and outdated, and the Plexiglas was installed to bring some modernity to the hotel. Howard eventually had to move the ceiling panels to the local dump.
In the late 1970s, William Brantmeyer took over management of the Boulderado, and vowed to replace "that awful Plexiglas." He dreamed of restoring the ceiling to its original stained-glass and enlisted the help of local artisan Maria Garcia. Garcia and her husband worked out of a hotel room (#202, now converted into the Driftwood Room) for several months painstakingly designing, cutting, and installing the glass. The photos below document Garcia's work and the transition from the Plexiglas to the ceiling we recognize today. (Photos courtesy of Garcia)
When the Hotel Boulderado first opened in 1909, a colorful and ornate stained-glass ceiling hovered over the lobby and Mezzanine. The glass was from Italy and was high-quality enough to be used in European cathedrals. Few pictures captured the true beauty of the original ceiling, as most of them are in black and white. A rare color photo, seen below, from the Howard family collection (c.1960) shows off the patterns and hues of the ceiling.
In 1959, a late-season snowstorm came to Boulder. At the time, only a skylight separated the canopy ceiling from the elements. When the skylight gave way under the heavy, wet snow, the ceiling was the next stop, and two panels broke under the weight. It wasn't until September of 1960 that the rest of the cathedral glass was removed and taken down to the basement. The ceiling remained bare for some months until management installed red, white, and blue Plexiglas panels. Ed Howard, who owned and operated the Boulderado in the 1960s, struggled to find someone who would want the original panels from the ceiling. Americans were not as concerned with historical preservation as they would be in future decades, and no local organization responded to Howard's pleas. The feeling at the time was that the ceiling was old-fashioned and outdated, and the Plexiglas was installed to bring some modernity to the hotel. Howard eventually had to move the ceiling panels to the local dump.
In the late 1970s, William Brantmeyer took over management of the Boulderado, and vowed to replace "that awful Plexiglas." He dreamed of restoring the ceiling to its original stained-glass and enlisted the help of local artisan Maria Garcia. Garcia and her husband worked out of a hotel room (#202, now converted into the Driftwood Room) for several months painstakingly designing, cutting, and installing the glass. The photos below document Garcia's work and the transition from the Plexiglas to the ceiling we recognize today. (Photos courtesy of Garcia)
A Life Exposed Photography
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