All five living Colorado governors will gather this month for an exclusive dinner at the Governor’s Residence to celebrate the mansion’s second century as the home of Colorado’s first family. We asked them about their favorite memories from the old homestead.

5280 November 2013
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Richard Lamm

1975–1987

“The first thing I remember thinking was, Pinch me, this can’t be real. I went to a one-room schoolhouse and grew up in a middle-class home. I was taken aback by the Governor’s Residence’s grandeur and dignity.”

Roy Romer

1987–1999

“The first thing I remember is the grandeur of the Residence. It’s reminded me of turn of the century homes with mining influence. I particularly liked the Palm Room on the South side of the Residence, with all the Colorado yule marble.”

Bill Owens

1999–2007

“My favorite parts of the residence were the study—with its built-in bookshelves, Boettcher desk, and windows that opened onto a small balcony facing Logan Street—and the deck we installed off the master bedroom, from which on a clear day you could see Pikes Peak. Dick Lamm told me he had used this same space “pre-deck,” pulling a chair out onto the blacktop and gravel.”

Bill Ritter

2007–2011

“I enjoyed the ability to host my extended family and many friends at the Governor’s Residence. Sometimes the events were formal, governor-sponsored events, and sometimes they were more informal family get-togethers. My mother, an Aurora native, would have never imagined in her youth being at a family event at the Governor’s Residence. Providing her that experience was a true privilege.”

John Hickenlooper

2011–present

“My first thoughts of the house were how immense it was, but then I imagined the conversations all these governors had about their state in there. Forget the walls, if that chandelier could talk…!”