Beaumont

Built 1886

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2025

1. Beaumont Marker

Touch for directions.

Slope.

West.

America,

Mountains,

Hemisphere,

World,

Anglosphere.

Click or scan to see
this page online

From the National Register Nomination prepared by Cynthia Emrick, 8/1973:
The building is a fine example of the resort architecture which flourished during the late 1880's in the accessible mountain towns and cities of Colorado. In its heyday it was one

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2025

2. Beaumont Hotel (south elevation)

of the finest such resorts a traveler could visit.

Plans and specifications for the Beaumont Hotel were formulated by Mr. O. Bulow, architect, for Mr. Charles Nix, of Chicago in 1886. Work was begun in July 1886 and the expected completion in six months. The “Solid Muldoon”, Ouray's newspaper in 1886 and 1887, furnished detail of the structure of the hotel and the ball held on July 22, 1887. The Empire-styled Beaumont Hotel featured a mansard roof and a gothic tower, rising two stories above the Hotel. There were two fronts, the Gentlemen’s Entrance facing Main Street and the Ladies' Entrance facing Fifth Avenue. Bricks for the structure were manufactured at the present site of the swimming pool. The removal of the clay for the making of the brick caused depressions in the ground into which seeped warm water, making little lakes where goldfish were stocked. The finish throughout was of hard wood and the ceiling and wainscoting with gold relief. At the time it was built, the main floor housed two banks, Thatcher Brothers, Miners and Merchant Bank, and the First National Bank.

The second floor was approached by a grand solid oaken stairway leading to a walkway around the rotunda around which were grouped the parlors, the dining room, kitchen, and 29 apartment accommodations with bathrooms. The main dining room on the second floor included 3 Romanesque windows with plated cathedral glass and a skylight of cathedral glass. The room extended through both floors and the orchestra gallery at the north end. The third floor contained 24 apartments and rooms with bathrooms, similar to those on the second floor. The hotel was lighted by electricity, and it is believed to be one of the West's first hotels wired with alternating current electricity. Steam-heating and hot water were featured at this hotel.

The Beaumont Hotel Ball was held July 22, 1887. The new hotel was ablaze with much light. Corridors, rotunda and parlors were filled with handsomely dressed women. The hotel was beautifully decorated, and the Telluride orchestra provided the music. The main dining room was filled with dancers until daylight. In the dining room there were tables constantly replenished bounteously with food and drink for the steady stream of hungry guests all night. Visitors from Telluride and Montrose helped to make the opening of the Beaumont Hotel a crowning success.

In its heyday, Beaumont guests have included some famous names — Sarah Bernhardt, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and King Leopold of Belgium. In the early 20th century, the Beaumont virtually went to dust and some of the furniture disappeared, much of it destroyed in a fire in the warehouse where the furniture was stored. After World War II, tourists began descending on Ouray and the Beaumont was again in demand. The rooms were refurbished and the original clock was rehung in the stairway. A restaurant was opened in one of the old banks, a bar in the other bank, and a melodrama theatre, in what was possibly the old Lady's Ordinary.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2025

3. Beaumont Hotel (southwest elevation)

The National Register marker is visible on left side of the corner, facing Main Street.

Excerpt:  The Ouray Real Estate and Building Association started construction on the Beaumont Hotel on 5 July 1886, completing it on December 15, 1886 at a cost of $75,000. All of the original furniture was made by Marshall Field's.

The hotel closed in 1964 due to declining tourism in the area. For over 30 years the hotel sat empty, boarded up and in disrepair. At one point part of the roof collapsed and more than once the building was considered for condemnation. The hotel was sold in 1998 and was restored, its multiple rooms combined into a more spacious arrangement — the large hotel building now has just 12 guest rooms. It reopened in 2003.

The architectural style of the hotel is a mix of Victorian, Queen Anne and French Second Empire with a slate mansard roof. The prominent feature inside the three-story brick building is a grand staircase leading into the lobby. A rosewood dining room occupies almost half of the second floor.

On a cornerstone of the building at the corner of Main Street and 5th Avenue is a benchmark from the United States Geological Survey with an elevation of 7,800 feet above sea level.

Excerpt:  Opened in 1887, the three-story brick and wood resort hotel was designed by architect O. Bulow. The interior featured a rotunda encircled by balconies, cathedral glass skylights, rosewood paneling, and an oak staircase.