Who owns the broadmoor in colorado springs

Gaylord's Oklahoma Publishing became sole owner in Luxury resorts faced the sudden rise of new competition in the s, Bartolin says, as major brands such as Hilton and Westin entered the resort sector. For older resorts to keep up, "you really had to invest the capital necessary.

As a nonprofit, El Pomar really couldn't justify that. Bartolin, who was hired as president and CEO of The Broadmoor in , was greeted with letters from those two groups in his first months on the job warning him of that possibility. He was able to ward off that threat, he says, by showing them the capital plans for the resort - and those plans were significant. First up was construction of the Spa, Golf and Tennis Club complex in The West Tower opened in , adding rooms.

A pedestrian bridge was built across the lake in Other improvements included opening of the infinity pool and the Lakeside Suites in and a major renovation of Broadmoor Main, Northmoor and Southmoor. And that progress, he says, has continued under Anschutz - who, like Edward Gaylord, had grown up visiting The Broadmoor.

The Denver-based Anschutz Corp. The Gazette is owned by the Anschutz Corp. Edit Close. Toggle navigation. Home News. Once a place of ruin and hard memories, Colorado Springs native restoring childhood landmark.

Around Town: Fostering Hope moves into new beginnings as openings start again. Pikes Pick: This seafood stew will have you clam-oring for more. Downtown Colorado Springs alleys repurposed for art, events. Place an Obituary. Colorado Winter Fun Guide: Hot springs, ski areas, winter festivals and more. Send a photo of your look-alike to The Gazette. Here's where to get a pediatric vaccine this month in Colorado. Sign up for our newsletters and get news that matters sent to your inbox.

Editor's note: This July, as Colorado Springs gears up for its th birthday on the 31st, our sister paper, The Gazette, has prepared a series of articles on the history of our city.

Check back for fascinating glimpses into the people and events that have shaped Colorado Springs into the landmark it is today. The history of the palatial Broadmoor hotel and resort that became "The grande dame of the Rockies" dates back to Colorado Springs of the s. Wealthy Prussian Count James M. Pourtales had arrived by train in , intrigued by the rapidly growing town of Brig. William Jackson Palmer, its nearby mountains and its mining boom area.

It was, as well, a sunny, dry site that was a positive to help lung health issues of the countess who would become his wife. Pourtales, with a gentleman farmer background, purchased part of the Broadmoor Dairy, securing water rights on Cheyenne and Fountain Creeks. Along a man-made Cheyenne Lake he built the large, Georgian-style Broadmoor Casino in and adjoining hotel in It was an entertainment and luxury area outside Palmer's town, which was, as the count pointed out, "a temperance city.

The hotel remained part of what would become the major resort as a less-expensive Colonial Club, razed in Bringing the good life to the area, Pourtales and friends created the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club in , donating land near his Broadmoor and what would also become his dreamed of area of exclusive mansions.

An acclaimed amenity of the area was polo. Soon to arrive, Spencer "Spec" Penrose, Harvard-trained son of a well-connected Philadelphia shipyard family and a bit of a family black sheep, was drawn to the profitable mining area of Cripple Creek, partnering with Philadelphia friend Charles Leaming Tutt. They became incredibly successful at smelting gold camp ore.

Traveling the world, the couple pictured building a resort in Colorado Springs. They lived in her home at 30 W. Dale St. The Penroses had moved in to a Spanish villa, El Pomar, close by what would become their hotel. In "The Broadmoor Story," Penrose admitted to what was already being planned, that they "have now plans for building the best hotel in Colorado at Broadmoor.

Therein lies a delightful local urban legend. Penrose's Broadmoor has a small raised "a" in its name. As the story goes, flamboyant Penrose wanted to buy the competition, and when his offer was rejected, urban legend has it, he saddled up and rode his horse into the lobby of the Antlers, ordering drinks for himself and his steed. He retaliated by giving his Broadmoor a tiny "a. Well, not quite.

It was just a copyright issue. The Broadmoor brand had been used elsewhere during the s, including the Broadmoor Dairy. A copyright violation was avoided by raising the little "a," making it unique. Penrose's pink luxury project, created to be magnificent, was begun in A legendary landscaping family from New England designed gardens and walkways.

The hole golf course, the resort's first, was considered the best in the country, designed by Scottish-born golf architect Donald Ross. Doing so nowadays may be even harder. That pressure, in terms of pricing, has made it hard for independents to compete. They have launched public service campaigns and anonymous programs to meet small but emergency short-term needs of the truly needy.

The Jones family at Sea Island was one of those families. Of course, family ownership of a business brings unique problems. Spencer Penrose, ever the bon vivant, did not have heirs. Other hoteliers have produced too many, leading to succession battles and fractious ownership.

In Oklahoma Publishing finally agreed to sell Anschutz the Broadmoor for an undisclosed price. Few knew what his plans would be for the resort—flip it, maintain the status quo, or invest for the long term. In a few moments my life will depend on a galvanized steel cable the width of a finger, as I soar across a box canyon half a mile wide, and what amazes me most about this is not that I am one of the first people to try out this ride but that the people who went on its inaugural run, barely a week ago, were six U.

A seventh declined the offer. After riding across the canyon at 45 miles per hour, I was approached at dinner by Anschutz. I was. Chuckling, he admitted that sending senators across it had made him nervous, too. Anschutz has been labeled a conservative Christian, but some kind of spiritual bent can also be detected atop Cheyenne Mountain, where Spencer Penrose built a mountaintop retreat with views across the Great Plains in one direction and into the Front Range in the other.

He believes the west brings out the best in human nature as well as the worst. It also has cutting-edge infrastructure created—at great profit, of course—largely by Philip Anschutz. The recent economic surge touches all corners of the state, including Colorado Springs, where Anschutz has made major investments beyond the Broadmoor, buying the local newspaper, an arena, and land throughout the city. The right owner is someone with a very long-term perspective. The wrong buyer is someone looking to flip the property rather than hold on to and take care of it.

Anschutz calls his outlook "thinking of yourself as a steward rather than an investor," a remarkable statement coming from a man with one of the most stupendous records in American history for turning a profit. Sea Island, on the coast of Georgia, was built during the great hotel boom by Howard Coffin, an automobile tycoon. Sprawling, verdant, and isolated, the resort features five miles of uninterrupted coastline, one of the best hunting preserves in the South, and a long tradition of hosting U.

In , however, undone by the global financial collapse, it filed for bankruptcy, and Anschutz joined a consortium of investors that bought it. Who would do that on purpose?