Ellie Caulkins Opera House

In a challenge of architecture and design that was described as “building a ship in a bottle”, the creation of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House was no easy task. A coalition of Denver’s performing arts leaders, a voter-approved $25 million general bond, grants from the Colorado State Historical Fund and significant private donations and pledges helped this ship to set sail. Today, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House fills the space within the walls of the historic 1908 Quigg Newton Denver Municipal Auditorium—adding to the revitalization of Denver’s cultural arts district and adding one more jewel to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the largest arts complex in the world connected by an 80 foot tall glass roof. According to a historic review by Opera Colorado, the original Denver Municipal Auditorium hosted the city’s first and only major party political convention in 1908 and soon became the heart of Denver’s civic life, hosting pageants, Shrine circuses, exhibitions, high school graduations, and theatrical and musical performances to name just a few. During World War I, 700 U.S. Soldiers were quartered in the building for weeks. The Auditorium played host to a virtual who’s who of American entertainers over the years.

The renovation of the Newton Auditorium and the creation of the 2,245 seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House was led by the City and County of Denver Department of Theatres and Arenas. The Caulkins family must also be sited for their generous $7 million contribution to the project donated in honor of Eleanor “Ellie” Newman Caulkins, Denver’s “first lady of opera.” As a leader on the Opera Colorado board since its inception over 20 years ago, Ellie earned the distinguished title of Opera Colorado’s Lifetime Honorary Chair. Today many think of Ellie as Denver’s connection to the national and international opera world as a result of her many friendships with great opera singers, and her seat on the board of the Metropolitan Opera Association.

The shape, structure and feel of the opera house was conceived of by Semple Brown Design, p.c. Resembling the contour of a lyre, the Ellie is consistent with the design of the most famous opera houses in Europe. It is also one of three opera houses in the United States to feature a complete installation of a seat-back titling system—the ninth opera house in the world to claim a full installation of the system.

As the first building in Denver dedicated to opera and ballet in a century, the Ellie is now home to Opera Colorado and Colorado Ballet, and will also be available to traveling performances. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House has helped to redefine the way we look at and experience the cultural arts in Denver, superbly blending history and tradition with sophistication and class.