House Party!

There was the time that Scott Lamm got caught, well, doing something that many teenagers do sooner or later. And the time Roy Romer put in a dance floor, in case he wanted to have a hoedown. And the time Bill Ritter sang karaoke. And then there was the time that Frances Owens snuck into the men’s room — oh, wait, that was with me, two weeks ago, when she and current First Lady Jeannie Ritter hosted a garden party to kick off the creation of a preservation fund for “Colorado’s Home” — the historic Boettcher Mansion that is celebrating its hundredth anniversary this year.

When Bill Owens was governor, Frances Owens oversaw a major renovation of the house, which included replacing the garage in back with a special events facility — complete with bathrooms outfitted with mirrors that Frances found in the attic of the mansion, stowed there by the Boettcher family, who lived in the house before the State of Colorado picked it up in 1959 as the official governor’s residence. (The Boettcher Foundation paid the state $15,000 for the privilege of having Colorado take it off the foundation’s hands.)

You’re sure to learn plenty more about the building from 5:30 to 7 p.m. tonight when Brian Shaw, senior architectural historian of the URS Corporation, offers Upstairs, Downstairs: An Architectural History of the Governor’s Residence — at the Governor’s Residence, 400 East Eighth Avenue. The lecture is $15, and reservations are required at 303-866-4686. But tomorrow between 1 and 3 p.m., you can also take a free tour of Colorado’s Home, no reservations needed (it’s first-come, first-served). For more information, visit www.coloradohistory.org. Sadly, I can’t promise that Frances Owens will be there to show you the men’s room.
Mon., June 9; Mon., July 14; Mon., Aug. 11, 2008