The Broadmoor history

The first Broadmoor Roundup rodeo was held in 1920.

The Broadmoor held its first Invitational Golf Tournament in 1921.

In 1925, Penrose purchased and modernized the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which became one of his most enduring legacies.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo opened in 1926 with an elephant, a camel, and a black bear.

3,000 feet above the resort atop Cheyenne Mountain, Cloud Camp opens on the site of Spencer Penrose’s original 1927 Cheyenne Lodge.

He oversaw the construction of a large polo field in 1928, as well as the Broadmoor Riding Arena across from the main building two years later.

When Spencer Penrose was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1931 it impacted the hotel in unexpected ways.

Also, the hotel had to close for the winter of 1935.

Julie Penrose was independently wealthy, so in 1937 Penrose formed a foundation for charitable purposes as well as for a tax shelter for his businesses.

The World Arena, formally the Ice Palace, built in 1938 is torn down to make way for the new Broadmoor West Tower.

Travel to Hawaii led to the transformation of the Jungle Room into a Hawaiian village style nightclub with Hawaiian music in 1939.

William Thayer Tutt became vice-president of the hotel in 1946.

In 1950 lobby expansion incorporated ceiling panels in a heraldic design as well as escalators for faster movement of larger numbers of guests.

After the death of his father in 1961 Thayer Tutt became president of the hotel and supervised continuation of the hotel refurbishment and expansion.

1965: The Broadmoor World Arena hosted the World Figure Skating Championships.

In 1975 Russell Tutt replaced Thayer as president of the hotel at a time of increased competition in the resort industry.

In 1976 an additional new wing on the west side of Cheyenne Lake added 150 deluxe rooms.

Affiliated with Colorado Springs as far back as the late 19th century, this bucolic district was only recently annexed by the city in 1980.

Colorado Hall was built in 1982 to provide 18,000 square feet of exhibition and convention space.

In spite of this success, El Pomar Foundation eventually sold The Broadmoor to The Oklahoma Publishing Company in 1988.

At a cost of $20 million a new 90,000-square-foot recreational area opened in 1994 with a fitness center, golf clubhouse, and clay tennis courts.

In October 1995 the Colorado Springs Planning Commission approved zoning for the Broadmoor Resort Community, a gated residential development located on 1,500 acres southwest of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The Mobile Travel Guide gave the Broadmoor a Five Star rating for the 36th year in a row in January 1996.

A 4,600-square-foot Polo Ralph Lauren store opened in April 1999.

In May 2002, The Broadmoor unveiled the completion of a $75 million renovation project.

2004: The Spa at The Broadmoor was expanded to 43,000-sqare-feet with the addition of 10 new treatment rooms, two exclusive water treatments – the Serenity Shower and the Tranquility Tub – as part of a total redesign of the existing space, all created by master architect TAG Galyean.

In May of 2005, the Golf Club Dining Room (formerly called Stratta’s) reopened, adding a wonderful new outdoor dining experience for guests and club members focusing on casual dining in a family-oriented atmosphere.

In July of 2006, the Mountain Course opened with 18-holes, designed by Nicklaus Design, bringing The Broadmoor up to 54 holes of championship golf courses.

2008: Construction of The Broadmoor Cottages began in August.

The Penrose Room and the Spa at The BROADMOOR each received their first Five Star rating in 2010.

2012: Museum-quality giclée fine art renditions of Western art masters from The American Museum of Western Art collection were added throughout the resort, including Broadmoor Main, Broadmoor West, Charles Court and South Tower.

A variety of renovations were completed in April 2013, including a new restaurant in Broadmoor West called “PLAY,” that includes not only a unique twist to traditional bowling food, but also sports six lanes of bowling.

The Broadmoor signed a three-year agreement with Pikes Peak Hill Climb and Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb in June of 2014, changing them to The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Hill Climb and The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb, respectively.

2015: The Broadmoor Fishing Camp (later renamed Fly Fishing Camp) opened in June of 2015.

The Cog celebrated its 125th anniversary in June of 2016.

2017: Broadmoor Outfitters added the Wild West Experience and falconry to their activities for guests in the spring of 2017.