Wheeler Opera House Description

Wheeler Opera House delivers world class touring performances, live music, comedy, film screenings, and community events from a landmark building at the corner of Hyman Avenue and Mill Street in downtown Aspen. Wheeler Opera House sets itself apart as the primary year round indoor stage in the upper valley, hosting everything from national comedy tours and independent films to acoustic concerts and full theatrical productions in a fully accessible, three story sandstone structure.

The building dates to 1889, when investor Jerome B. Wheeler financed its construction using peachblow sandstone quarried from the nearby Frying Pan Valley. Architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke designed the structure with a mix of Romanesque and Italianate detailing, and the top floor originally held a public hall while Wheeler’s bank and other businesses occupied the lower levels. A fire in 1912 gutted the auditorium, and Wheeler Opera House sat largely dark for decades until a series of restorations, including a mid century redesign by Bauhaus architect Herbert Bayer, brought it back into use. A more complete Victorian restoration followed in the 1980s, and the auditorium today pairs its original azure ceiling, studded with silver stars, with modern additions like an Alcons Audio sound system and a Barco laser 4K projector for film screenings. The main hall seats several hundred guests, and a smaller adjoining space called the Vault hosts lectures and more intimate gatherings.

Wheeler Opera House operates through a dedicated box office that handles ticketing, venue rentals, and production coordination, and visitors can also book guided tours of the historic building or pick up multi show passes for the season. Funding comes largely through a real estate transfer tax approved by Aspen voters in 1979 and extended since, which keeps Wheeler Opera House operating on a more stable footing than many municipal arts venues. Between its silver boom era architecture and modern production capabilities, Wheeler Opera House continues to anchor Aspen’s cultural calendar much as it did when it first opened its doors.

Category: Entertainment
Features: Events, Family, Historical Sites, Theatre, Live Music
Address: 320 E Hyman Ave, Aspen, CO 81611
Directions: View on Google Maps