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Dickens Opera House
300 Main Street
Landmark Designation: 1983
National Register: 1987
Construction Date: 1881
Architectural Style: 19th Century Commercial
William Henry Dickens, an early St. Vrain Valley pioneer, came to the region in 1860 as a young man. He was active in farming and various business activities which helped him acquire land. In 1898, he was the largest individual taxpayer in Boulder County. Dickens was an instrumental figure in the formative years of Burlington, serving as its Town Marshall, and was a major constituent of the early developing St. Vrain Valley.
W.H. Dickens built the structure in 1881 as a theater with the lower floor of the building serving as various commercial establishments. The Opera House was the most widely used community center in Longmont's early days. Social and cultural community life revolved around this building for many years. Many types of amusements were enacted here including dances, vaudeville and minstrel shows, plays, and sporting events such as boxing and wrestling.
The Dickens Opera House is one of only a few period theater structures remaining in the State of Colorado. And, remains one of the very few structures that could be classified as architecturally significant in the core business area of Longmont.
Reference
HPC 1983-4