The historic Durand Opera House in Glenwood Springs is on the market. There’s a local effort to purchase the building for a potential art center.
The Durand Opera House was built in 1890, and has a storied history.
Composer John Philip Sousa and his band played there in 1901. Scenes for ‘The Great K&A Train Robbery,’ the first feature-length silent film ever made, were shot there in the 1920s.
The building has been owned by the Glenwood chapter of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles since 1959. The chapter was dissolved earlier this spring, and on April 3, the building went up for sale.
Glenwood Springs arts commission member Jonathan Gorst is assembling a group of investors to buy the building. His intention is to restore it for use as a cultural center. "For the performing arts, some gallery space for the visual arts and, hopefully, a gathering space for the community."
Gorst says that community members have shown a lot of interest in the concept, and that nearly half of the funds needed to purchase the building have already been raised. However, he noted that time may be running short, as another offer on the building has already been made.
