Day 344 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Caution Tape on Mezzanine

If you have stopped by the Boulderado in the last week or so, you may have noticed some "CAUTION" tape on the Mezzanine. Don't worry, this isn't a crime scene for a Murder Mystery! The railing on our Mezzanine is being refinished over the next several weeks. The top of the railing in this photo has already been completed. Isn't it beautiful?

Day 294 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Tree from Staircase

Everyone who climbs up or down our cantilevered cherrywood staircase is confronted with an amazing view of the tree in the lobby against the spectacular ceiling and Mezzanine.

Day 291 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Reindeer Looking at Mezzanine

Some of Santa's reindeer are keeping a close eye on our Mezzanine in between holiday parties this season.

Day 255 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Caberet Table on Mezzanine

This is my first time experimenting with black and white images, which is certainly nothing new to the Hotel Boulderado. Color photography didn't reach the Boulderado until the early 1960s, but sometimes it's fun to see things as they used to be.

Day 234 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Behind the Mezz Bar

Thousands have been served from the bar on our Mezzanine, which has been in place since the late 1970s. But far fewer have ever been behind that bar. Here is the Boulderado Mezzanine as seen from the bartender's point of view.

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 175 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine from the Southwest Corner

Here is a shot of our Mezzanine as seen from the southwest corner. This vantage point shows off the ceiling and the staircase in addition to all the classic woodwork and decor.

Day 169 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Dancefloor

Here is a shot of the dance floor on our Mezzanine from behind the bar. This area was the first, in the late 1970s, to have the guest rooms removed and a function space added. The trend would continue through the next decade, as all the guest rooms were taken from the Mezzanine in favor of function spaces and offices.

Day 168 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Hanging Wine Glasses

I snapped this photo the other day while admiring how the light filtering down the skywalk and through the Mezzanine looked with some cocktail glasses hanging to catch it.

Day 145 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Molding

The next time you are on the Mezzanine of the Hotel Boulderado, be sure to look up at the interesting and intricate moldings in the woodwork.

Day 143 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Ceiling from the Southeast

Here's a shot of our stained glass canopy ceiling from a different angle, so that you also see the west area of the Mezzanine and our Front Desk.

Day 141 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Staircase Cubby

You've actually seen this cubby before (part of it, at least) if you've been following my 365 Days of Boulderado photos diligently. It's just a closet that is built into the staircase, but for me, it's the entrance to Narnia.

Day 119 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Lounge Sign

This sign directs guests up the staircase to our most famous function space, the Mezzanine. The Lounge part refers to the Mezz's history back in the 1980s, when it was Boulder's coolest place to listen to local jazz and enjoy a cocktail.

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 80 of 365 Days Boulderado Photos ~ Staircase Layers Looking Down

I captured this shot of the Hotel Boulderado's cantilevered staircase at the top of the stairs on the fifth floor, looking down. You are looking directly three floors down -- that light source and armchair peeking out were on the Mezzanine level.

Day 77 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ The Mezzanine

Perhaps the Hotel Boulderado's most famous, beautiful, and versatile of all our function spaces, the Mezzanine is also, relatively speaking, a recent development. The Mezzanine was created from space that had been used as guest rooms on second floor of the Historic Section. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing into the early 1980s, guest rooms were knocked out or converted to create a new spot where people could come together, gather, and celebrate. Everything from corporate luncheons to wedding receptions to Murder Mysteries take place on our Mezzanine.

Day 74 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Lion Guarding Staricase Cubby

If you blink, you'll probably miss this lion's head guarding the keyhole to the closet under the staircase on the Mezzanine level of the Historic Section. (I once told a small child that this is the door to Narnia, and the lion was Aslan. He believed me. I believe myself, some days.)

Day 53 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezz Ceiling from South Rail

This shot of the Hotel Boulderado's stained-glass ceiling is a great one because it shows how the natural light filters through beginning in the afternoon. That light comes from skylights that were built into the hotel's roof to let that natural Colorado sunshine into the lobby.

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.

Day 4 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine Bar

The recent return of Music on the Mezz has put a lot of focus back on one of our most famous function spaces, the Mezzanine. The Mezz happens to be home to one of my favorite built-in fixtures at the Hotel Boulderado -- the gorgeous wooden bar.

Beginning in 1976, the managers at the Hotel Boulderado started removing hotel rooms on the Mezzanine level, and they started with the south area. They were looking to decrease the room inventory while opening up a new way of bringing in revenue: a lounge where people could enjoy drinks and listen to live music. While Music on the Mezz has been absent for many years, it was brought back late last year to recreate that same lounge atmosphere. And at the heart of that atmosphere is the bar. Next time you're on the Mezzanine for a private event, a Music on the Mezz night, or just exploring the hotel, be sure to take your time noticing craftsmanship and detail of the bar.