Wheeleroperahouse -

: It was the first theater west of the Continental Divide to be fully wired for electricity, featuring a 36-light chandelier. The Arson Mystery (1912)

The building’s rebirth began in the late 1940s when Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke arrived to transform Aspen into a world-class ski resort. wheeleroperahouse

: Renowned architect Herbert Bayer led early renovations, initially keeping the fire-charred beams exposed as a minimalist design choice before a full Victorian restoration in 1984. : It was the first theater west of

In 1888, Jerome B. Wheeler—a Civil War veteran and former president of Macy’s—invested his fortune into the booming mining town of Aspen. He commissioned the Wheeler Opera House as the town's cultural centerpiece. wheeleroperahouse