Leadville Main Street

Leadville’s history is the stuff of legends. From the first miners who discovered gold in California Gulch in 1860 to the silver kings who followed like Horace Tabor and J.J. Brown, the city’s history is filled with intriguing stories. In 1961, the Leadville Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark, which includes 67 mines in the 20 square mile mining district east of the city. There are 70 square blocks of original Victorian architecture as well as 50 turn-of-the-century buildings in the city. Leadville is one of Colorado’s premiere heritage tourism destinations, and has more museums than any other city in Colorado. The City of Leadville has been a Department of Local Affairs Main Street Community since 2015, and a local affiliate member of the National Main Street Center- Main Street America. The mission is to encourage economic growth and historic preservation in downtown Leadville. With the history of Leadville in our hearts and the future on our minds, Main Street allows us to focus our efforts on developing a long-term vision for the city that outlives the mining industry while Lovin' On Leadville.

 Visit Leadville Main Street .

During the month of May (Historic Preservation Month),  Colorado Main Street  and local programs ask residents and visitors about those downtown places - historic buildings, businesses, and public spaces - that matter most to them. The following are the top results for Leadville.

Colorado Main Street has launched the Heritage Energy Pilot Project to offer interagency collaboration to combine quality historic preservation in Colorado Main Street districts with statewide energy goals. The Leadville Herald-Democrat was one of three buildings chosen for the pilot program.

When funding became available through SB21-252 to support efforts to support façade improvements and energy efficiency projects through Main Street: Open for Business grants, these pilot projects each received $250,000 to achieve these goals.

You can see the dramatic results here in Leadville! 

Leadville, a Victorian-era mining town, was once home to 30,000 residents. In its heyday, it saloons, dance halls, and brothels. Thanks to the profiting gold and silver mines, there was also a lot of wealth, which afforded the construction of hotels, Victorian mansions, and the Tabor Opera House.

70 square blocks of Leadville’s downtown were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Since then, extensive preservation efforts have put much of the town’s rich history on display. With such notable structures as the Healy House, Heritage Museum, Delaware Hotel, and Tabor Home on the route, a historic walking tour of downtown Leadville is not to be missed.