Central City Opera House Association Records
Collection Description: The Central City Opera House Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1931 to manage and preserve the Central City Opera House located in Central City, Colorado and to direct annual summer opera festivals. Heirs of Peter McFarlane, a Central City businessman who owned the Opera House prior to 1931, donated the building to the University of Denver in 1931. The real estate holdings of the University of Denver were transferred back to the Association in 1982. The Association held the Central City Play Festival from 1932-1942 and from 1946-1970. Performances included the premieres of ''The Ballad of Baby Doe''(1956) and ''Lady From Colorado''(1964). The Opera House, Teller House and other Central City properties are part of the organization, and the Central City Opera Festival commissioned five original operas. The records located at the University of Denver cover the period from 1931 to 2013. The collection contains the administrative records of the organization together with programs for performances and photographs of productions and artists.