A LASTING VISION

Where It All Began

Walk the grounds of The Broadmoor and you are walking through a dream made real. Long before the elegant resort rose above Cheyenne Lake, before the marble staircases and hand-painted ceilings took shape, a vision was forming in the minds of people who believed Colorado deserved something truly extraordinary. That vision did not happen overnight. It was built through ambition, refined through travel, and realized through an unwavering belief that the American West could offer the world a resort unlike any other.

BUILT BY BOLD DREAMERS

Meet the Founders

Spencer Penrose

Spencer Penrose was the kind of man who saw possibility where others saw obstacles. Originally from Philadelphia, he was an outlier among his siblings: restless, adventure-seeking, and drawn to the raw promise of the American frontier. His fortune came from the gold mines of Cripple Creek and copper mining in Utah. Spencer, however, was never content to simply accumulate wealth. He poured it back into Colorado Springs as he built roads to summits, acquired railways, established the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, created the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, and of course, The Broadmoor.

Julie Villiers McMillan

Julie Villiers McMillan arrived in Colorado Springs in 1900 under the most difficult of circumstances. She came with her husband and two young children, leaving behind the comfort of their Detroit life so that her husband Jim, who had contracted tuberculosis during the Spanish-American War, could recover in the fresh mountain air. Within a span of heartbreaking weeks, she lost her son Jimmy to appendicitis and then her husband to the illness that had brought them west. What she chose to do next says everything about who Julie was. Rather than retreat, she rebuilt. She became a central figure in Colorado Springs society, a woman whose intelligence, taste, and generosity were evident in everything she touched. When you see the artworks, the architectural details, and the cultural refinement woven into every corner of The Broadmoor, you are seeing Julie's hand. While Spencer built the structure, she gave it a soul.

Spencer Penrose Et Al. Posing For A Picture

Spencer & Julie

Spencer and Julie met in the social circles of Colorado Springs. She used to send her cook and maid to look after him. He escorted her to social engagements.

In 1906, whether planned or destiny, Julie and Spencer found themselves aboard the same ocean liner headed for the French Riviera. It was the beginning of a love story and partnership that would span decades and leave an enduring mark on Colorado.

Count James Pourtales

Before Spencer and Julie Penrose ever set their sights on Cheyenne Lake, a Prussian nobleman had already envisioned what this land could become. Count James Pourtales arrived in Colorado Springs in the late nineteenth century drawn by the investment possibilities of the American West. In 1890 he formed the Broadmoor Land and Investment Company and purchased the original 2,400-acre tract that would one day become home to The Broadmoor.

To attract buyers to his land development, Pourtales built the Broadmoor Casino, which opened in 1891, bringing a touch of European social life to the Colorado frontier. In 1916, Spencer Penrose purchased the 40-acre casino and hotel site along with an adjoining 400 acres, and the stage was set for everything that followed.

EXPERIENCE THE HISTORY

Penrose Heritage Museum

Just across the street from the hotel, tucked beside Broadmoor Hall, a small museum holds a remarkable collection of carriages, racing cars, and objects that defined the Penrose era. Julie opened the carriage house museum in 1941 to preserve the modes of transportation she and Spencer had loved, and today it is owned and operated by El Pomar Foundation, the nonprofit the couple founded in 1937. Admission is complimentary, and the museum is a self-guided experience, with guided tours available by advance reservation.

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