Winter Park Balcony House

GRAND COUNTY

Winter Park’s original base area ski lodge, known as the Balcony House, vividly represents the early history and pioneering evolution of the City of Denver’s first Mountain Park, while also fostering groundbreaking developments in the Colorado ski industry as a whole. Since 1955, the Balcony House has played an essential role in skiing, snowboarding and summer activities, and in enhancing the overall experience of visitors, including “non-skiers and sightseers” as the marketing efforts proclaimed for years. Now the innovative, passive solar designed and uniquely sited Mid-century Modern Balcony House is threatened by neglect, under-appreciation for its uniqueness, and the relentless “big is better” drive for expansion that characterizes the contemporary ski industry.

The Balcony House was designed by Stephen Bradley, the first director of the Winter Park Recreational Association (WPRA), who also invented the first ski packing and grading device in the United States. The two-story Balcony House, with its panoramic views from cascading balconies, is a prime example of Mid-century Modern architecture. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only remaining mid-century modern public ski lodge in Colorado. The Balcony House was one of America’s very first passive solar ski lodges and its style captured America’s fascination with futuristic designs and the coming space age. The Balcony House is iconic to Colorado's early ski industry from the 1930s to the 1960s and has been Winter Park’s meeting place, Ski Train station, ticketing hub, coffee house, lunch spot, and ski competition epicenter for over 65 years. The location of the Balcony House, at the base of the ski area, is perhaps its greatest feature and, at the same time, its greatest vulnerability. The adopted 2009 Master Plan for the base area of the ski resort calls for its demolition and replacement with 5-6 stories of condominiums above one level of resort operations. Advocates for preservation think a better way can be found to accommodate future growth without sacrificing the Balcony House.

“WINTER PARK HAS CAREFULLY DIFFERENTIATED ITSELF THROUGH ITS LONG HISTORY OF AUTHENTICITY UNLIKE OTHER, MUCH YOUNGER, COLORADO RESORTS THAT WOULD HAVE GUESTS BELIEVE THAT COLORADO SKIING STARTED AFTER WWII WITH ROOTS IN BAVARIA. NOT WINTER PARK. OUR IDENTITY IS GENUINE.”

James G. Johnson AIA

Reimagining Our Balcony House, a thoughtful alternative plan championed by architect James G. Johnson, AIA, and other preservation advocates, envisions a synergistic effort to save and enliven the historically significant portions of the Balcony House, while meeting the programmatic requirements of the Master Plan, which calls for increased ski operations, lodging and parking. Listing the Winter Park Balcony House on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places would raise awareness of its historical importance within the Denver Mountain Park System and ski industry as a whole, build on its historic, unique marketing and thematic appeal, and enhance the building for future generations. Listing on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places is intended to be a catalyst for further discussions with the WPRA and Alterra Mountain Company, developers of the ski resort, about how we can work together to preserve Winter Park Ski Area’s most authentic building.