Gilpin County commissioners were able to see the progress being made to renovate the Belvidere Theater as they toured the historic building on July 27, 2024. The public tour was led by Eric Chinn, a board member of both the Belvidere Theater Foundation and the Gilpin County Historical Society.

Chinn spoke about the history of the theater dating back to the 1870s, when it was the Shoofly Bar and dancehall. The building was also used as a bottling plant for cure-all elixirs in the 1890s and as an armory for the Colorado National Guard in the early 1900s.

The renovation began after Gilpin County transferred the property to Central City in 2015 and forgave the back taxes. Since then, Central City has used Historical Preservation Funds for planning and design and established the Belvidere Foundation in 2020 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to spearhead fund-raising for the project.

The project was slowed because of the pandemic but fundraising continued with grants and donations. Peter Droege of the Belvidere Foundation explained that the Belvidere has received $4.1 million to date in combined grants from DOLA, Gates Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, State Historic Preservation funds, Central City, Gilpin County, plus Preservation Tax Credits which have helped stretch the funding.

Renovation work began in earnest in 2022 and current plans are to open the restaurant area in 2026 in time for Colorado’s Sesquicentennial celebrations. When completed, the renovated community events space will be able to host concerts, plays, and other community events.

The Belvidere Theater Foundation (theBelvidere.org) has rolled out a new dedicated capital funds campaign for interested donors. The foundation maintains a Facebook page and can be contacted by mail at 139 Nevada Street, Central City, Colorado 80427.