Central City Opera House

Colorado's oldest surviving opera house, opened in March 1878. Designed by Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub in Renaissance Revival style. The stone and brick structure was built by the Gilpin County Opera House Association and has hosted continuous performances for nearly 150 years.

The Central City Opera House was built in 1878 by Welsh and Cornish miners who had struck it rich in the gold fields surrounding what was known as the "Richest Square Mile on Earth." Central City, founded in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, was one of the first major settlements in Colorado Territory, and its residents wanted a cultural institution to prove their town was more than a rough mining camp. The stone opera house has operated for nearly 150 years, making it one of the oldest continuously operating opera venues in the country. It has hosted performers ranging from nineteenth-century divas to modern opera companies, and served as a filming location for The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox starring Goldie Hawn.

The most famous ghost is Mike Dougherty, a miner who traded his pickaxe for the stage and became a performer at the opera house. His career was cut short by alcoholism, and he reportedly drank himself to death during the heyday of Central City's mining boom. Since his passing, people have reported the strong smell of alcohol wafting backstage when no one is present. Dougherty is described as a friendly spirit who roams backstage when the curtain is down and has been known to gently place his hand on visitors' shoulders, as if welcoming them to his theater. Some have also felt a nudge from behind in empty hallways, attributed to the sociable ghost.

A former doorman is the second known spirit, faithfully guarding the entrance in death as he did in life. His presence is felt primarily near the theater's entry, where doors occasionally seem to open or close on their own. The third ghost is a long-dead female patron whose identity has been lost to history. She is associated with unexplained footsteps heard in the balcony and flickering orbs of light that float across the stage during empty rehearsal hours. Random cold spots have been reported throughout the interior, particularly in the upper levels of the house.

Central City's haunted reputation extends well beyond the opera house. The neighboring Teller House Hotel, built in 1872, is haunted by Billy Hamilton, a former caretaker who regarded the building as his home. According to the Gilpin County Historical Society director, Hamilton never left after his death and is known to taunt those who refuse to acknowledge his presence. The Teller House is also famous for the mysterious Face on the Barroom Floor, a painting of a woman's face embedded in the floor. The town's history of fires, floods, disease epidemics, harsh winters, and mining accidents has resulted in no shortage of restless spirits, and the Gilpin County Historical Society hosts annual Creepy Crawl walking tours each fall to guide visitors through Central City's most haunted buildings.