City of Manitou Springs looks to rehabilitate old dance hall property into open-air pavilion

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City of Manitou Springs is considering revamping the area known as Hiawatha Gardens, restoring the historic property for the public to enjoy once again.

The property encompasses more than 100 years of Manitou Springs history. According to the Manitou Springs Heritage Center, Hiawatha Gardens served as a gentleman's club in the late 1800s. A dance pavilion was added sometime around 1897, and the main property was renamed the Hiawatha Family Concert Garden. Photos courtesy of the Denver Public Library show the open pavilion to the left of the main property.

The Manitou Springs Heritage Center says the clubhouse ultimately burned down in a fire in 1920. However, the dance pavilion survived and was enlarged to become what was called Hiawatha Gardens a year later.

According to city documents, the property was purchased by the city back in 2016. However, due to structural safety concerns, the area has not been accessible to the public.

City officials are considering restoring the property to its former glory and creating an open-air pavilion. The project will enable the space to be used by the public once again. It also includes plans for new restrooms, the redevelopment of a parking lot, and a new pedestrian plaza.

City council is slated to discuss the project further in its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. According to a memorandum by city staff, approving the Major Development Plan will allow the city to submit construction plans to the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

If city council does not vote to approve the Major Development Plan, city officials say it would push back the project timeline and potentially result in the loss of funding previously allocated for the project.

According to city documents, Phase 1 of the project, which includes the changes to the parking lot and addition of bathrooms, is slated to cost about $3.3 million. Documents online do not indicate what the budget for Phase 2 (the pavilion and plaza) is.

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