The Lon Chaney Tour of Colorado Springs

In October, I made a video about Lon Chaney, also known as The Man of a Thousand Faces. Born Leonidas Frank Chaney on April 1, 1883, Lon Chaney would go on to become one of the world’s most famous horror legend. Two of his most famous roles include the Hunchback in Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923,) and the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera (1925.)

Lon Chaney started touring with theater companies in 1902 and would settle in California in 1910, but he was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As luck would have it, I spent 5 months living with my grandparents in Colorado Springs at the very same time I found out it was the birthplace of Lon Chaney! I couldn’t squander the opportunity to share with you the most important places from Lon Chaney’s early life. Let’s set off on the tour!

*A disclaimer about our first three locations: I tried searching public records to confirm every address, but a few were impossible because a fire in 1921 destroyed 1890 Census Records. These are the most common addresses attributed to the first few years of Lon Chaney’s life.

Lon Chaney’s First Home (509 W. Bijou Street)
Lon Chaney was born April 1, 1883 to Frank and Emma Chaney, and this was the first house he lived in. The house is pretty well maintained, not too far from the modern-day downtown.

Lon Chaney’s Elementary School Home (738 N. Spruce Street)
Lon Chaney likely lived in this house when he started going to elementary school nearby. This home is about half a mile down the road from his first place on Bijou Street. Lon already had an older brother, John, and they may have lived here when his younger sister Caroline (Carrie) was born.

Lon Chaney’s Last Childhood Home (802 N. Walnut Street)
This is likely where Lon Chaney lived when he stopped going to school so he could help care for his mother who was sick. In addition to Carrie, he now had a younger brother George. You may remember from my video about Lon Chaney that Lon’s mom was deaf. It was during this time, while Lon was home with her that he really honed his dramatic skills. Each day, he’d reenact the day’s events for her mom through mime. This also might be the home he lived in when he started as a tour guide at Pike’s Peak.

Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (33 Institute Street)
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind was founded in 1874 by Lon Chaney’s grandfather, John Ralston Kennedy. The first class of students was just 7 children, and 3 of them were John’s own. This is where Lon’s mom and dad met! Frank and Emma were both students here, and the two were married in 1877.

Lon Chaney’s Elementary School (2727 N. Cascade Avenue)
This was Lincoln Elementary School, though it’s not called the Lincoln Center, with little shops and restaurants, pilates, a barbershop and brewery. This is where Lon Chaney went to elementary school! It’s so interesting to imagine what Lon Chaney would have been like as a child. In some ways, I see him being very quiet, serious, and mature…but then I think about his gift for performing and movement and I wonder if perhaps he was more playful and silly. Unfortunately, Lon was only able to attend elementary school until he reached 4th grade, and then he had to leave school to help care for his mother and siblings.

Brown’s Wall Paper and Paint Company (210 N. Tejon Street)
In the early days of performing, acting wasn’t considered the most desirable of professions. In Colorado Springs, for instance, some hotels and restaurants would post signs saying, “No dogs. No actors.” Because of this, Frank Chaney encouraged his son to take a more reputable or normal job. Lon Chaney studied home repair, and he started working in the building above (to the right of Terra Verde) at Brown’s Wall Paper and Paint Company. This building would become the Chinook Bookshop for many years, and is now a store called Title Nine.

Antlers Hotel (4 S. Cascade Avenue)
In 1898, a fire started at the Denver & Rio Grande freight depot and strong winds carried the flames for blocks. Antlers Hotel on Cascade Avenue was one of the casualties of the fire. The damage cost more than $350,000. Because of Lon’s experience with him repair, he was able to join the renovation crew as a carpet layer and wallpaper hanger. Still, his heart was in performing, so he spent his days working, and at night he’d sneak to our next destination.

The Colorado Springs Opera House (18 N. Tejon Street)
The Colorado Springs Opera House doesn’t exist anymore, but it used to be right here. As a teenager, Lon Chaney worked briefly as a tour guide at Pike’s Peak, and then he started working props here at the Opera House for 25 cents a night. I’m pretty sure it was his brother who got him the job, as he was a stage manager here. The Little Tycoon, which Lon Chaney co-wrote, premiered here before going on tour. For a time it turned into a nightclub called Rum Bay, and now it’s called Mansion.

The Lon Chaney Theatre (221 E. Kiowa Street)
Last stop on our tour is the Colorado Springs Auditorium, which is currently home to the Lon Chaney Theatre. Lon Chaney never went here, as far as I know, but it’s a nice way to honor a hometown here, and a great place to end the tour.

What we saw here represents about the first 18 years of Lon’s life. I’m so inspired to keep exploring the homes and haunts of Lon Chaney. Keep checking back to get the Lon Chaney Tour of Los Angeles!