For 127 years, the Colorado Chautauqua auditorium has largely gone dark each winter, its open-air design built for summer concerts beneath the Flatirons, not January snowstorms.
Now, crews are working around the clock to transform the historic venue into a year-round theater before Sundance arrives in Boulder next January, compressing what organizers say would normally be a three-year project into just 13 months.
That accelerated timeline collided with Boulder’s permitting process this spring after Chautauqua began construction work without required permits, prompting a stop-work order, fines and a nearly eight-week shutdown.
The episode has become an early example of a tension surrounding Sundance’s arrival in Boulder: the urgency institutions face to move quickly and the city’s deliberate permitting, preservation and review processes.
The 1,300-seat auditorium at the base of the Flatirons was viewed early on as a potential Sundance venue after Boulder secured the festival with a $34 million package of city and state incentives.
But there was a logistical challenge. The auditorium has historically operated only during warmer months, typically closing around October.
So last November, the Colorado Chautauqua Association began work to winterize and upgrade the building. The project represents the most significant renovations to the auditorium since its construction in 1898.
“It’s a massive project,” said Shelly Benford, the organization’s CEO.
But some of the work moved ahead before the required approvals were in place.
“Extensive structural work and demolition was illegally performed before a building permit or landmark alteration certificate application had been submitted to the city,” Kristofer Johnson, a city planning manager, told Boulder Reporting Lab.
The organization had a permit allowing upgrades to the building’s fire suppression system. But Benford acknowledged that some of the work went beyond what that permit allowed.
“We did some work under the building that was not included in that specific permit,” she said.
Chautauqua first applied for a building permit in January, but the city said the application was incomplete because it was missing required information, including soils and asbestos reports.
City spokesperson Cate Stanek said staff worked with Chautauqua to complete the application process as soon as the unpermitted work was discovered. Chautauqua submitted complete building and landmark alteration applications in March.
But the stop-work order did not end the issue immediately. Johnson said staff observed “extensive foundation and structural work” at the auditorium on March 20 and 23 despite the order. The city later imposed $7,600 in fines for violations of Boulder’s building code.
By April 24, both permits were approved and the stop-work order was lifted the same day.
The delay disrupted Chautauqua’s schedule and finances.
Benford said the organization had originally hoped to complete the project’s first phase in May. The delay meant Chautauqua had to move four concerts and cancel another concert and two graduations, resulting in roughly $400,000 in losses.
Chautauqua is now trying to complete the project’s first phase by June 25, before the next slate of summer performances begins. At times, as many as 70 construction workers have filled the auditorium, some working consecutive shifts.
The second phase, including the winterization work, will begin after the summer season ends. Chautauqua leaders say the project remains on track for Sundance’s opening in January 2027.
“As a city, our goal is to ensure this building (and all buildings in the city) are designed and constructed in a way that will keep people safe,” Johnson told Boulder Reporting Lab in an email. “Ensuring that projects comply with our codes and regulations is one of the ways we do this.”
Both parties said they are working collaboratively and are excited about the auditorium’s next chapter.
A long-discussed project accelerated by Sundance
Benford said Chautauqua had considered winterizing the auditorium for nearly a decade, but Sundance ultimately pushed the organization to move forward.
During Sundance representatives’ first visit to Boulder, Gov. Jared Polis asked whether the auditorium could be winterized in time for the festival, Benford said. Visit Boulder, the Boulder Chamber and the Sundance organizers also expressed interest in using the venue.
“So we just kind of went into overdrive to get a team together of designers, architects, engineers, builders to do it,” Benford said.
So far, the Colorado Chautauqua Association has raised about $8 million for the renovations through private donations and bonds issued by the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority. The organization also received a $250,000 grant from the State Historical Fund.
Benford said Chautauqua has not received direct financial support from the city, state or Sundance itself.
She said the organization still needs to raise another $6 million to $7 million to complete the project.
Preserving a historic landmark while preparing for year-round use
The Chautauqua auditorium was built in 1898 as part of the national Chautauqua movement, which brought lectures, education and cultural programming to communities across the country.
After years of deferred maintenance, the building was recommended for demolition in the 1970s. Preservation advocates ultimately saved it, helping secure its placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
Benford said the current renovations are designed to preserve the auditorium’s historic character while making it usable year-round. Winterization will rely on removable wall panels designed to preserve the venue’s open-air look during summer months.
The broader project includes fire suppression upgrades, accessibility improvements, lighting and acoustic upgrades, structural reinforcements, indoor restrooms, concession areas and a new basement-level multiuse space.
“The structural engineer came in and said this place could get blown over by a really stiff wind,” Benford said, pointing to wooden support beams that are now being reinforced with metal.
“If we didn’t do a lot of these improvements, this building could be gone,” said Debbie Stewart, Chautauqua’s chief development officer.
Benford said the renovations are expected to add roughly 200 days of programming each year, with community arts groups already expressing interest in using the venue.
