As a sign that Boulder was beginning to outgrow its rough and tumble beginnings as a supply depot for miners in the Rockies, in 1906 this building was opened by a billboard sign owner named James Curran. He creatively named it the Curran Opera House. Silent movies, operas, and musicals were his bread and butter. The story goes that after about 20 years of operation, the Curran Opera House showed its first talkie film. I couldn’t find any information about what the movie was.

Curran’s opera house survived the Great Depression, and a few years after showing its first movie with a soundtrack, the building was renovated, and the art deco facade and murals we now know today were added.

The building got another facelift in the early ‘80s, this time transforming the interior into a concert hall that could support touring national bands, but due to what is likely bad management, that iteration failed. Luckily, the building survived, and was reopened in the late ‘80s as a multi-use space that could also be used for bands, movies, private events and more. Yet again, the business failed.

In 1994, just a few years before I moved to Boulder the first time (in 2000), a new owner resuscitated the business again. This time, it stayed afloat, although it changed ownership in 2010. Back in those days, they’d show The Big Lebowski a few times a year, and the place would fill up with people in bath robes, and the bar would serve a disturbing amount of White Russians before and during the movie. It was a great experience!

These days, it’s owned by Z2 Entertainment, LLC., which is decidedly less charming as a single owner, but is a sign of our times. Tons of national musical acts that aren’t my thing come through, and people rent the venue for private events. Long live the Curran Opera House.