Wheeler / Stallard Museum
Location
620 W. Bleeker St.
Aspen, CO
81611
Dogs are welcome on the museum grounds but must be leashed at all times
Hours
OPENS JUNE 16, 2026
Tuesday - Saturday
12 - 5 p.m.
closed Saturday, July 4th
Free Admission
Generously underwritten by Jacolyn & John Bucksbaum, Ruth Turnquist Carver, Carol & Mike Hundert, Melony & Adam Lewis, Lynda & Stewart Resnick, and Corrine & Lenny Sands
Experience the height of Aspen’s boom at the Wheeler/Stallard house, a Queen Anne style Victorian built around 1887/1888. The first floor of the Museum is interpreted as a Victorian Aspen home and the second floor gallery features rotating exhibitions to explore area history. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the grounds comprise the Ruth Whyte Park.
Highlights
- Interiors restoration and interpretation – immaculate replica wallpapers, furniture, and period decor – including a piano played by Albert Schweizter – transport visitors to the ornate Victorian era
- Docents and welcome video – available for local history primers, questions, and conversation
- Detailed house timeline – an outline of the families who occupied the storied house, overlaid with local milestones
- Museum store – fun and funky memorabilia for every history fan
Site History
Jerome B. Wheeler built this Queen Anne-style Victorian home in 1887 as his private residence and the only home in Aspen to be situated on an entire city block. Despite Wheeler’s plans, his wife, Harriet, refused to leave their mansion in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and the family never lived in the house. Wheeler rented the house to his employees until he declared bankruptcy after the Silver Panic of 1893. Edgar and Mary Ella Stallard moved into the home in 1905 and eventually purchased it in 1917. The family occupied the home for 40 years. It was sold to Walter Paepcke in 1945, and served as employee housing for Hotel Jerome staff. The house then became the residence of the Aspen Institute’s president before the Aspen Historical Society rented it in 1968 and then purchased in 1969 to use as a museum.
Opens June 16, 2026
Aspen in Excess: The 1980s
Small Town, global Hotspot.
Summer 2026 – 2028
Aspen Historical Society presents the most rad exhibition yet – Aspen in Excess: the 1980s exploring the infamous decade and a turning point in local history marked by rapid growth, rising wealth, and global attention. The exhibition highlights how ‘80s-era changes in politics and culture–as well as building and tax codes–mirrored national trends and transformed the small ski town, revealing parallels with contemporary culture. Through curated stories, archival photographs, newspaper clippings, and epic playlists, this totally tubular history exhibition will bring the pivotal decade to life, in excess! Join us to relive Aspen in the 1980s, a decade defined by high highs and low lows that shaped the small mountain town into a global hotspot.
Special Thank You
to the generous underwriters who made this exhibition possible:
POWER PLAYER
Charles Cunniffe Architects
TOTALLY TUBULAR
Ruth Carver
John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation
MATERIAL WORLD
Sarah Broughton and John Rowland
Sally Cole
Barbara Reid and David Hyman
Corrine and Lenny Sands
GET STOKED
Karen and Karl Hartman
John Starr
ZG-CHICKS
Community Gallery
The Community Gallery is a multi-use space located on the first floor of the Archives Building. The Community Gallery also features rotating displays highlighting works from the AHS Collection.
On display in the Aspen Historical Society Community Gallery, Mountainscapes Photography by David Hiser is a curated selection of images from David Hiser’s newly preserved collection. A Roaring Fork Valley resident since 1965, Hiser is a widely published photojournalist and photography educator. The display, curated by AHS archivist Anna Scott, highlights one of David’s favorite subjects with vibrant color images of mountain views overlaying large-format black-and-white selections.
Hiser was a contributing photographer for Aspen Illustrated News, a weekly newspaper published from 1964 through 1970, whose work has also been published by National Geographic, among other notable outlets. His prolific imagery illustrates a lively view of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley from the 1970s to today, documenting everything from people and their passions to the places he explored. Often focusing his lens on the outdoors, David captured the Aspen area’s dramatic landscapes and recreational pursuits. He was as much an artist who cared about his subject matter as he was a mountain climber and outdoorsman with a knack for photography, always carrying his camera.
Aspen Historical Society is immensely grateful to David for the donation of his photographs to the Aspen Historical Society Archives. The breadth of his works offers an invaluable photo history of the area and is a treasure to the entire community and anyone who loves Aspen. Thank you David!
Community Gallery open during Archives Office hours (Monday – Friday 10 – 4); however, it is best to call ahead to confirm access.
Grounds Rentals
Whether your event is formal and elegant or Colorado casual, this one-of-a-kind park setting in the heart of Aspen’s historical West End neighborhood delivers an eclectic blend of Victorian charm and Aspen hospitality.
Available Memorial Day through early October
Additional Locations
Land Acknowledgement
We gratefully acknowledge we gather on the land of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute Nation, or Nuche, past and present. We honor this land and the people who lived in harmony with the natural world for generations before their forced removal. We are committed to sharing the complete history of the land, recognizing and partnering with Native Peoples, and supporting the advancement of Native places and heritage. This calls us all to be better stewards of the land we inhabit and the natural resources we benefit from today.