BOULDER - John Meyer said he feels the change as soon as he makes the left turn into Chautauqua. For the University of Colorado administrator and 15-year Chautauqua cottage resident, his commute home from work takes him a mile west and 100 years into the past.

"When you pull into the park, it's almost as if you've gone into another world," he said. "It's like going through a portal - boom, life drops down a couple of levels in terms of the speed."

Meyer said much of that peaceful feeling comes from the fact that Chautauqua still bears a remarkable resemblance to the park that a group of schoolteachers first started building at the turn of the last century.

But the people who oversee Chautauqua say the organization needs to find new ways to bring in money so it will still be around in another 100 years.

Boulder's landmark at the foot of the Flatirons got its start in 1898, when a group of Texas educators looking for a retreat founded the Texas Colorado Chautauqua and began hosting summer events beneath white tents. Those tents were eventually replaced by the dozens of cottages - along with an auditorium, dining hall and academic hall - that still stand today.

Boulder was part of a chautauqua movement that started in New York in 1874 before sweeping across the country. During balmy summer months, chautauquas hosted classes and cultural events such as plays and operas, typically in a scenic outdoor setting. The movement largely disappeared during the Depression.

During its heyday, speakers ranging from William Jennings Bryan to social activist Jane Addams visited Boulder's Chautauqua to debate issues of the day.

Susan Connelly, executive director of the Colorado Chautauqua Association, agrees the past is important - she was a major force behind getting Chautauqua placed on the list of National Historic Landmarks last year. But, she said, Chautauqua must make changes if it wants to survive.

Some of the ideas the Colorado Chautauqua Association board members have aired haven't gone over well - particularly a proposal last year to build a lodge on the grounds or nearby Boulder open space property. That drew protests from critics furious at the unprecedented idea of a commercial development on a city-owned open space parcel.

Connelly said the lodge idea was just the product of brainstorming, a "big hairy audacious goal" unlikely to ever see daylight.

But, she said, Chautauqua does need new ideas. If the organization can't find a way to earn more money, she said, maintaining its buildings could prove impossible.

"The preservation of the grounds and buildings on this 26 acres is enormous," she said. "We're not talking about just an older home - we're talking about buildings that were built in 1898. The cost of upkeep is enormous."

In 2005, the last year for which numbers are available, the Colorado Chautauqua Association brought in $2,275,350 and spent $2,093,002. The organization spent more than $600,000 - nearly a third of its budget - just maintaining buildings, Connelly said.

A study Chautauqua's board commissioned lists hundreds of improvements the site needs - things such as plumbing and electrical repairs. The organization's leaders don't know how much those needs will cost, Connelly said, but they know it's more than what they're bringing in now.

Now that Chautauqua is a National Historic Landmark, those needs are even more pressing, Connelly said.

People who visit Chautauqua should be able to watch a short movie explaining its past, she said. There should be better interpretive signs so visitors can grasp the history of the movement.

But overhauling deteriorating buildings and improving the visitor experience won't happen on the current budget, she said. At some point, aging facilities will start hurting Chautauqua's ability to bring in money, starting a vicious cycle.

"We could have a crisis if we don't act now," she said.

Most of the yearly revenue - nearly 70 percent - comes from people staying in Chautauqua's 59 cottages. The majority of those people come in the summer - the occupancy rate in June, July and August averages 84 percent.

"Chautauquas across the country, those few that still exist, they're quintessential summer creatures," Connelly said. "We're the only one that's year-round."

Come September, the number of visitors drops precipitously, and it keeps declining during the winter - down to 24 percent occupancy in February.

"The greatest opportunity for us is September-through-May lodging," Connelly said.

Chautauqua over the years

• 1898: A group of schoolteachers from Texas form the Texas Colorado Chautauqua and set up white tents at the foot of the Flatirons.

• 1908: Hundreds come to the Chautauqua Auditorium to see a performance by Mascot, "the educated horse," who was said to understand "1,800 commands in four languages."

• 1909: The Rev. Billy Sunday, a fire-and-brimstone preacher, makes the first of several Chautauqua appearances.

• 1930s and 1940s: The Depression has a devastating effect on chautauquas across the country. Hundreds of them close. Boulder's survives, but slumping attendance and revenues mean live entertainment gives way to motion pictures.

• 1974: The Chautauqua Auditorium is placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first individual building in Boulder to win that honor.

• 1978: The Colorado Music Festival begins its series of classical music concerts - the first time a full symphony orchestra had played inside the Chautauqua Auditorium since 1912.

• 1998: The Colorado Chautauqua Association celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Back to Top