Built in 1876, the year Colorado became a U.S. state, a horse stable in the mountain town of Central City is receiving $250,000 for a renovation and restoration effort.
Located at 113 Eureka Street, Williams’ Stables was initially used to house the horses and carriages of guests attending the Central City Opera House or those staying at the Teller House Hotel across the street.
The 6,000-square-foot brick building, with arched window and door frames and a detailed cornice, was eventually purchased by Richard Williams, an immigrant from Cornwell, England, who for decades used it for a family livery stable business.
An article in the Gilpin Observer in 1912 noted that owing to bars and taverns being closed on Sundays in nearby Denver, patrons were renting out horses to travel to nearby Tolland and Idaho Springs, where the bars remained open. “Business has been so good, it has been impossible for the Williams stable to keep enough horses,” reported the paper.
Williams also served as the Sheriff of surrounding Gilpin County. Beginning in 1910, the interior of the structure was used for square dances on the nights when the Central City Opera House was featuring a show.
Now officially a part of the Central City-Black Hawk National Historic Landmark District, Williams’ Stables is expected to be repurposed as a theater and event space.
The $250,000 has been awarded via the History Colorado’s State Historical Fund, which has, to date, provided backing to the tune of $5.5 million for nearly 40 facility preservation projects across the state. In a statement, Scott Finley, chief executive officer of the Central City Opera House Association, characterized the Williams’ Stables work as a piece of a larger effort demonstrating how “historic buildings can be reimagined for new uses.”
January 23, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of History Denver
