Colorado Springs residents can now purchase an original chair from the City Auditorium as the downtown landmark undergoes a major renovation. AVA Presents, the company managing the auditorium project in partnership with the city, announced the sale of the building's 1,500 seats. Money collected from buyers will be directed into the City Auditorium Gift Trust Fund to support preservation of the building.
The auditorium dates to 1923 and has served the community for roughly a century, hosting concerts, sporting competitions, and public events. Among the performers whose shows filled those seats, city officials cited Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Primus, Willie Nelson, and Def Leppard. The city also confirmed that each chair features a wrought-iron rack beneath the seat, engineered to hold cowboy and top hats worn by audience members during performances.
The 1,500 chairs are divided into four pricing tiers based on condition. Those in the best shape, some still bearing original upholstery, are listed at $150, while chairs showing heavier use but remaining functional or repairable are offered at either $100 or $50. The $50 category contains the largest share of chairs, and hundreds more in severely deteriorated condition will be given away at no cost.
AVA Presents founder Jesse Morreale described the sale as a meaningful way to connect residents to the building's past. He said the auditorium had long been the place where Colorado Springs families attended graduations, friends came together for concerts, and neighbors marked milestones, and that the chairs embody those accumulated stories — making the sale a chance for people to carry a piece of that legacy home. The chairs occupy the second floor of the building, encircling the main floor on three sides.
Rather than replacing the sold chairs with new individual seats, the venue plans to install bench seating on the upper levels — a format Morreale said is already familiar to concertgoers who have attended shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre or the Mission Ballroom in Denver. Morreale noted that backstage work is largely complete, and that once the chairs are cleared out, construction crews will advance into the main hall. The broader renovation is intended to preserve the auditorium's historic character while readying it to serve as a contemporary destination for concerts, plays, and community gatherings, according to the city.
Purchases can be made through AXS.com or via CityAud.com, and buyers may pick up their chairs between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays from August 3 through August 10. Morreale has been overseeing building operations and renovation work for roughly a year, with a target reopening date of around January 2027.
How quickly the 1,500 chairs sell — and whether all funds raised meet the Gift Trust's preservation goals — will become clearer as the pickup window opens in early August.