The Broadmoor

by Steve Templeton

Title

The Broadmoor

Artist

Steve Templeton

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

The Broadmoor was constructed during the international conflict of 1914 to 1918, where the Central Powers battled the Entente for global dominance. In 1880, tuberculosis patient Willie Wilcox came west seeking his fortune and hoping to find a cure for his illness. He bought the land at the base of Cheyenne Mountain and established a small dairy farm, but his inexperience with animals became his undoing. Wilcox formed a partnership with a Prussian Count named James Pourtales, who had also come west to seek romance and fortune. Pourtales had grand designs and decided the only way to make a truly decent profit was to create an upper-class suburb of Colorado Springs with numerous amenities. As such, The Broadmoor Land and Investment Company was born in 1890. To entice buyers, Pourtales built the original Broadmoor Casino and Cheyenne Lake. After going bankrupt when the casino burned down, Pourtales sold the land to a group of investors who built a second casino and a small hotel. Plagued with similar problems, the second casino and the hotel went into receivership. Purchased by a prominent Colorado Springs investor, the hotel and casino became The Broadmoor School for Girls, a private boarding school.

On May 9, 1916, Spencer Penrose, a Philadelphia entrepreneur who had made his fortune in mining, purchased the casino, hotel, and an adjoining 450 acres. His dream was to turn the Pikes Peak region into the most interesting, multi-faceted resort area that could be imagined. The New York firm of Warren and Wetmore designed the structure and construction began on May 20, 1917. Skilled artisans were brought from Europe to create The Broadmoor's elaborate moldings, embellishments, and paintings. To further enhance its renown, Penrose also hired famed Scottish golf architect Donald Ross to create the hotel’s 18-hole golf course. When the project finally concluded in 1918, Penrose and his fellow investors had spent more than two million dollars (which is the equivalent to $34 million today). It was nevertheless received as one of the best resorts in the entire United States. Penrose threw a magnificent extravaganza to commemorate The Broadmoor’s grand opening, starting a legacy of world-class hospitality that was to last for more than a century. Within a matter of years, all sorts of prestigious Americans would stay at The Broadmoor at one point or another, including John D. Rockefeller, Charles Lindbergh, and Clark Gable. It even hosted numerous U.S. Presidents, such as Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

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June 8th, 2022

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