FOCUS: Ouray’s Beaumont Hotel reflects grand traditions of Europe

One hundred and twenty years ago, the Beaumont Hotel opened its doors to an elegance and splendor previously unknown in the mining town of Ouray. Patrons compared its lobby and walkways to the regal Brown Palace Hotel located in downtown Denver. Its Roman windows and balconies overlooked Ouray and swept the eye upward to the spectacular snow-capped peaks of the San Juan Mountains. Completed in 1886 at a cost of $85,000, the Beaumont showcased such amenities as mahogany furniture, rosewood paneling, skylights, a four-story rotunda and grand staircase. The exterior of the hotel displayed a definite European influence with a “mansard” roof (a roof having two slopes on all four sides with the lower slope almost vertical and the upper almost horizontal).

The mining town of Ouray was less than a decade old when several of its leading citizens formed a real estate and building association with the sole purpose of erecting a fine hotel that would rival those of larger cities. In their opinion, if Ouray was to grow and prosper, it needed an influx of money from outside capitalists to invest in the 30 plus mines located in the mountains surrounding Ouray. These wealthy investors would need first-class accommodations. The highly-anticipated arrival of the railroad was another incentive to build a grand hotel that would attract visitors to the area.

The word Beaumont, which is French for “beautiful mountain,” seemed a fitting name for the new hotel. The grand opening ball, held on July 25, 1887 drew patrons from the nearby communities of Silverton, Durango, Telluride and Montrose.

Gala social events continued throughout the hotel’s early history.

“The costumes worn by the ladies were beautiful. Mrs. Thomas Walsh (of Camp Bird Mine fame) wore white silk tissue over white silk and diamonds; Mrs. Story, black satin and diamonds; Mrs. Rose, black lace and diamonds,” commented the Ouray Herald of an elegant affair held on Dec. 2, 1897.

On Christmas night 1905, nearly 150 guests dined at the Beaumont served by waitresses dressed in white satin. Later, 75-cent Sunday dinners became tradition at the hotel, accompanied by a five-piece orchestra.

In July 1911, residents of Ouray gathered at the Beaumont for a special band concert honoring Chipeta, wife of the late Chief Ouray. Chipeta was a guest of the hotel during her visit back to the valley that had been her home before the Ute Indians were driven out in 1881.

During the first World War, both the Beaumont and the neighboring St. Elmo, were managed by the same man. Freddie Heit was the son of St. Elmo’s founder, Kittie Heit, who had built her hotel in 1898 on Main Street in Ouray.

Freddie, who had been a professional gambler in the nearby mining town of Telluride, was known for his love of “ladies of the evening” and a flamboyant lifestyle. Following his mother’s death in 1915, Freddie borrowed $2,500 against the St. Elmo to cover his gambling debts, however he never payed back any of the debt owed, forcing the public sale of the St. Elmo in 1920. Distraught over losing his mother’s dream and lifelong work, Freddie took his own life.

Over the next 40 years, the Beaumont and St. Elmo remained much as they had during the previous decades. But a new form of competition was looming on the horizon—the rising popularity of the “motel.” Early motels, more akin to cabins, began springing up across the country providing a more informal setting where tourists had the convenience of their own kitchenettes.

When a woman by the name of Wilma Katheryn Hysopp purchased the Beaumont in 1936, there were no motels in Ouray—but that changed quickly. Within a short period of time, three motels were built in town, offering an alternative to expensive hotel lodging and dining. After owning and managing the hotel for over a decade, Hysopp sold the Beaumont to Thomas and Joan Beattie. The Beatties closed the hotel in 1964, and on April 28, 1967, the couple sold the building to Wayland Phillips of West Chicago.

It never reopened.

The Beaumont Hotel remained “mothballed” for over 30 years, until the death of Phillips in 1997 brought the historic landmark back into the public eye.