As the Changing Times Orchestra initiates a ’40s swing medley, silver-haired grandparents in the Broadmoor Hotel’s Tavern Steakhouse temporarily abandon rib-eyes, T-bones and swordfish filets and cuddle on the dance floor.
The beat intensifies, and teens — even pre-teens — join the fun. Are those 9-year-olds really dipping? “Some families have been coming here every Sunday night for decades just to dance,” a waitress marvels.
Meantime, raucous ragtime piano melodies and Devonshire cheddar cheese soup spice the menu at the cozy Golden Bee, an English pub where John Wayne once held court and Tennessee Ernie Ford sang impromptu choruses of “Sixteen Tons” to wind down after formal performances in the hotel ballroom.
Since opening its doors on June 1, 1918, the elegant and much-honored Broadmoor has entertained — or has been entertained by — U.S. presidents, international royalty, renowned actors and musicians, and athletes and other dignitaries from all aspects of life.
Today, the property spans 3,000 acres at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and includes 700 guest rooms and suites situated around a large lake; public areas adorned with priceless artwork and antiques; nine restaurants; three 18-hole golf courses; a full-service spa; a tennis center with 13 all-weather courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools; an International Center capable of housing Broadway-style plays; a movie theater; shopping complex; and 110,000 square feet of convention meeting space.
Yet it remains as always a Colorado Springs institution, as much at the heart of this community as Pikes Peak hovering above.
Just as Spencer Penrose imagined 80 years ago.
Penrose, a Pennsylvanian who had traveled west to seek his fortune and already gained notoriety for creating the Pikes Peak Roadway, envisioned a resort that would cater to guests’ every whim and bring worldwide acclaim.
Even as celebrities flocked to his sand-pink Italian Renaissance palace beside the mountains, Penrose made certain, for reasons motivated as much by economic reality as altruism, that the local citizenry was welcome — indeed, that the Broadmoor would emerge as the center of Colorado Springs social and recreational life.
In the late 19th Century, Prussian Count James Pourtales, who immigrated here, had recognized the potential value of this land just south of town — then the site of Broadmoor Dairy, a name whose origins are unknown.
With considerable difficulty, Pourtales created a man-made lake and platted avenues for what he called “Broadmoor City.” He established a private country club, much to the delight of residents unable to purchase alcohol in dry Colorado Springs, and built a European-style casino.
Pourtales, beset with on-again, off-again financial problems and “gold fever,” eventually gave up on the area. But wealthy businessman Penrose and his wife, Julie, wouldn’t be denied.
What a pair they made: the dashing 6-foot-3 Spencer, consumed by ambition, hard-drinking, an avowed agnostic who reveled in the high-stakes society surrounding the Colorado gold rush; and beautiful, reserved and refined Julie, a devout Catholic, enamored of classical music and the arts and given to charitable undertakings.
Indeed, it’s easy to argue that their distinct individual personalities, as much as their common resolve, are responsible for the Broadmoor’s unique status among U.S. resorts.
Meandering through “Bottle Alley,” just off the main lobby, it’s hard to ignore Spencer’s influence. Displayed here are thousands of vintage wine and liquor bottles — all but a few empty and 90 percent said to have been drained by Penrose.
His mark is evident, too, in the most famous painting of the Broadmoor, a Maxfield Parrish interpretation completed in 1921, used for years on brochures, advertisements and restaurant menus, and still hanging in that original building, now called Broadmoor Main.
All the key elements are present in the painting: the hotel, lake, mountains and rich color. But encouraged by Penrose to take “artistic license,” Parrish “moved” the lake from its actual location behind the original building to a more dramatic setting in the foreground.
Overall, though, the Broadmoor’s decor — from its inception through several additions and enhancements — is richly authentic, reflecting both Spencer Penrose’s wealth and Julie’s taste.
Oriental art dates to the Ming and T’sing dynasties while 17th Century artwork grace hallways and public rooms. Specially commissioned, hand-worked Italian frescoes give character to ceilings, staircases and arches. Original Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs hang on the walls of the Tavern.
From the outset, too, Penrose also was committed to making the Broadmoor the nation’s premier recreational resort.
Its original golf course, playable the day the hotel opened, was the first championship layout constructed above 6,000 feet in altitude. An indoor pool contained 100,000 gallons of pure mountain water. Polo fields, riding stables and lawn bowling greens were established.
Penrose built a stadium to house rodeos and other events. He scheduled weekly boxing matches on an upper floor of the golf clubhouse, and in 1926 lured Jack Dempsey to the Broadmoor to train for his bout with Gene Tunney (though Dempsey was subjected to so many publicity events he eventually moved out to get in shape).
In 1938, a year before his death, Spencer and Julie opened the Broadmoor Ice Palace, used by local skaters and by collegiate, amateur and professional hockey teams.
For more than a half century, the Ice Palace was at the forefront of U.S. figure skating as a training center for Olympians that included Peggy Fleming, David Jenkins, Jill Trenary and Caryn Kadavy and 1993 American champion Scott Davis.
The Ice Palace was torn down in 1995. But the athletically inclined find no shortage of alternatives: 18-hole golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones and Arnold Palmer’s organization supplement the first layout; Hall of Famer Dennis Ralston supervises the tennis center; the spa includes a state-of-the-art fitness/aerobics center; even hot-air balloon rides are arranged in summer.
Still prominent, and borne of both Spencer’s and Julie’s passion for animals, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo — a short drive from the hotel — was organized in 1926 with Tessie the Elephant as its main exhibit. The zoo now represents one of the finest privately owned facilities of its kind.
Also on the gentle slopes of Cheyenne Mountain is the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, initially intended by Spencer Penrose as a self-tribute upon his death. As the project grew, he was convinced to name it instead for Rogers, a frequent guest and polo player at the Broadmoor, who perished in a plane crash just as construction began. But Spencer and Julie, who died in 1956, are buried within — not Rogers.
Much of Julie Penrose’s efforts were devoted to establishing the Broadmoor Art Academy, a prominent school and center for a new group of American artists.
Music and dance, another integral part of Broadmoor history — and the hotel today — were also Julie’s domain. She coaxed Vladimir Horowitz, Serge Rachmaninoff, Ignace Paderewski, Ivor Stravinsky, Grace Moore, Jeanette MacDonald and Paul Robeson to perform at the hotel.
Music continues to sound nightly, too, in the Tavern and Golden Bee and in the elegant Penrose Room Restaurant atop the Broadmoor’s South Tower.
Guests choose today from a wide range of lodging and dining options.
Spreading from Broadmoor Main are the adjacent Broadmoor South, also opened in 1961, and the 22-year-old Broadmoor West across the lake and connected by a footbridge.
Diners in the Edwardian Penrose Room atop Broadmoor South may start with a chilled brittany lobster cocktail or forest harvest mushroom tart, proceed to a roasted rack of Colorado lamb provencale or grilled Dover sole and relax with a classic creme brulee.
At the Charles Court, another signature eatery in Broadmoor West, entrees may include a Colorado high plains duet of elk and buffalo, Bourbon Street blackened strip steak and a seared filet of Atlantic salmon with couscous crust.
The more informal lobby-level Tavern entices too. So do the buffets and sunset specials at thTe Club Room within the golf and tennis center.
The spacious grounds abound with flowers, and service standards are so high that two staff members per guest are employed. An amiable concierge staff arranges myriad activities that include walks with llamas in North Cheyenne Canyon, horseback rides and organized Broadmoor history tours.
A “Bee Bunch” children’s program is designed for ages 3-12.
In 1988, Edward Gaylord and the Oklahoma Publishing Co. purchased controlling interest in the Broadmoor.
But Spencer Penrose’s dream resort, having recently completed a $100 million refurbishment, continues to flourish as recipient of Mobil’s five-star rating annually since 1960 and AAA’s five-diamond ranking since 1976.
DETAILS ON THE BROADMOOR AND BEYOND
When to go: Winter temperatures are mild with an average high of 50 degrees. Temperatures can reach the 70s in January and February. The average summer high temperature is 80 degrees.
Costs: Room rates vary widely, depending on the season and type of accommodations chosen. Doubles cost $165-$255 per night through April 30, $280-$375 May 1-Oct. 31. Suites cost $280-$1,500 during the winter.
But inquire about special packages that can offer savings. A daily incidental services fee of $10 per single-occupancy room and $12.50 per double-occupancy room is added to bills. Greens fees for golfers are about $120, with significant discounts in winter and at twilight. Tennis fees are about $20 per court for an hour. Guests have unlimited access to the spa, but treatments cost extra.
Attire: Dress is casual to informal during daytime and in many areas at night. Gentlemen are requested to wear a coat and tie in the Penrose Room and the Charles Court dining room.
Information/reservations: Call 800-634-7711.
History: A good source is “Broadmoor Memories” by Elena Bertozzi-Villa, published by the hotel in 1993. Filled with vintage photographs, the book is available in hotel gift shops; inquire within about the price.
Beyond the Broadmoor: The area offers a wealth of activities. Call 800-368-4748 or 719-635-7506 to request brochures or specific information. Or access the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.coloradosprings-travel.com/cscvb on the Internet.
