" In the Summer of 1875, Ouray's beauty and mining resources were discovered by its first white men. By 1875 news had spread of the abundant mineral outcroppings and sheer beauty of the area and the town of Ouray was incorporated.
Built in 1886 and opened in 1887, the original intent of the owners of the Beaumont was to build an elegant hotel to lure capitalists to come and invest in the silver and gold mining businesses of the area. Soon afterwards the Beaumont Hotel, known as the “Flagship of the San Juans” became a social and political hub of the community. The hotel was used as a meeting place and hosted weddings and grand parties.
The building’s architecture has a French influence evident in its Mansard roofline. Many say it looks like 3 separate buildings that come together along this roofline.
Unique and ahead of its time, the original hotel had a skylight, grand staircase and interior balconies that open into the hotel's atrium. At certain angles in the building, the skylight offers views of the majestic mountains that surround the town.
It has been reported that some of the hotel’s prominent guests included Theodore Roosevelt who stayed in the Cow Pasture Room, Herbert Hoover, Sarah Bernhardt and King Leopold of Belgium.
Over the years the Beaumont had several owners and was finally closed up after being open for more than 80 years. In the mid 1960’s, its owner, in a dispute with the city, closed the Beaumont Hotel and vowed it would never reopen. The building sat empty for over 35 years and became a run down “warehouse”. In 1984, part of its roof collapsed in a snow storm and long time residents of Ouray who once knew of the hotel's original elegance feared it would one day be torn down. In 1998, the Beaumont was purchased on auction and the new owners, seeing what the hotel once was and could still be, planned to restore the hotel to its original elegance.
Much time was spent studying the original layout, furnishings, wallpaper patterns and carpeting. Throughout its reconstruction, as many of the original components as possible were restored and are a part of the hotel today. In order to bring the building up to code standards much of the super structure had to be redone. At some time during its life, the hotel exterior brick was painted pink. In order to maintain the original look of the hotel and restore the brick, each brick was cleaned by hand. Working from scaffolds, crews would use a torch to "bubble up" the paint and a scraper to clean each brick. This process took about one year to complete.
Today, in the historic Dining Room located on the second floor is the award-winning Tundra Restaurant. The Dining Room boasts 28 foot ceilings and restored Romanesque stained glass windows that were found in boxes in the hotel. The hotel's other restaurant, Bulow's Bistro, is located in what was once the location of the stage for a melodrama theater that operated in the late 1880's. Bulow's Bistro is named in honor of the original architect of the hotel - Mr. O. Bulow.
In December 2003, 5 years after being purchased and several million dollars later, the owners' dream became a reality as the hotel once again opened its doors to guests. Common areas were rebuilt to reflect the past while each of its 12 rooms was designed to appeal to the modern day traveler.
Many of the long time residents fearful of the hotel’s fate are today amazed and in awe at the transformation. The once elegant hotel, which fell into disrepair, has been restored to its original grandeur. (from (
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