Call NumberX-174CreatorPote, LouiseDate1940-1950SummaryExterior view of Elks Opera House, 308 Harrison Avenue, Leadville, Colorado. In 1879, Horace Tabor contracted J. Thomas Roberts to build This massive three-story stone, brick and iron structure, trimmed in Portland cement. Tabor lost the building in the 1893 silver crash. The Elks Club acquired and remodeled it in 1901 to serve as a theater and meeting hall. Today the landmark building serves as a museum. Features include a bracketed cornice with a central pedimented pavilion and segmentally arched third-story windows double-hung with arched caps. Windows on the second floor are semi-circular with cement lintels, and "Elks Opera House" in block letters above them. The ground floor has a recessed entry with "B.P.O.E., 236" sign covering the fanlight, a balcony with balustrade above, and "Home" block letters under the balcony. Storefronts flanking the entry advertise "Cold beer to take out", "Coors", "Old Gold", and "Walter's Beer". Pedestrians, automobiles, parking meters, a chartered bus with bus drivers in front and the 1897 Hyman Block, next door, are included in the view.Physical Description1 copy photonegative ; 6 x 6 cm (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.); 1 photoprint ; 12 x 15 cm (4 1/2 x 6 in.)Born-Digital or AnalogAnalogSubjectTabor Opera HouseLeadville (Colo.)Geographic AreaLeadville (Colo.)CollectionPhotographs - Western HistoryRelated MaterialImage File: ZZR710000174Type of MaterialFilm negativesBlack & white photographsPhotographic printsNotesLeadville was designated a National Historic District in 1968. Photographer's stamp on back of photoprint. Title supplied by cataloger. R7100001748
Pote, Louise, Elks Opera House (1940-1950). Denver Public Library Digital Collections, accessed 05/03/2026, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1016189
