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Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings

	CENTRAL CITY Colorado
Location: Gilpin County.

Ownership and Administration. Various private owners, and the Central City Opera House Association.

Significance. Central City originated during the first great mining boom in Colorado, in 1859. When the Missouri frontier received reports of gold in Colorado Territory, thousands packed up and started for the Rockies to the cry of "Pike's Peak or Bust." During this rush John Gregory found gold placers in the gulch that came to bear his name. A boom occurred and miners laid out Central City in the gulch. They soon exhausted the placer beds, but the town maintained a stable population and in 1873 ranked second in size only to Denver in the Territory. Silver booms in the 1870's and 1880's caused further population increases. Central City became the cultural center of the region and on the stage of the Opera House appeared some of the finest talent in the country, including Emma Abbott, "Fanny" Janauschek, Edwin Booth, and Joseph Jefferson. But by 1919 production in the vicinity ended and the city declined.

Opera house at Central City, Colorado, erected in 1878. In recent years it has been restored by the University of Denver.

Present Appearance. Central City is the best preserved of the old mining towns of Colorado, and still retains much of its historic atmosphere. A fire in 1874 destroyed all but six of the original buildings, but the inhabitants reconstructed the city more solidly and it now contains a number of the reconstructed buildings, including the St. James Methodist Church; the home of Henry M. Teller, one of the first U.S. Senators from Colorado; the restored Opera House; the Mines Hotel; the Old Armory, later occupied by the Belvidere Theatre; and St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The Opera House and the Mines Hotel are owned by the Central City Opera House Association; the other buildings are privately owned. During the festival each year the plays that are presented in the Opera House draw audiences from all parts of the country. [11]

NHL Designation: 07/04/61