If that hedge maze wasn’t enough, The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is buying into its Shining links even more: It’s hoping to redesign its entire building to become a horror-themed museum and educational center.
The Denver Business Journal reported the news. Basically The Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for Stephen King’s book, has released plans to make a 43,000-square foot museum–which would also have places for students to make, edit and screen their films. The downside is that it’ll cost about $24 million, so now the hotel is trying to raise the money. It’s starting with the State of Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act, which could get it an $11.5 million credit, and will move on from there.
So what would this museum include? “Multiple indoor and outdoor entertainment venues, including a 500-seat auditorium; a 30,000-square-foot interactive museum and discovery center that would feature rotating exhibits; a 3,000 square-foot soundstage; classrooms and workshop spaces; and post-production and editing suites.” Here’s a rendering from MOA Architecture of the project:
While The Stanley was Stephen King’s inspiration the novel The Shining, it bears no real connection to the Stanley Kubrick film, despite the name. The hotel is named after F.O. Stanley, the man who originally bought the land, making it nothing more than an eerie coincidence.
Despite that, it remains a tourist destination for horror fans, and hosts an annual horror film festival. This expansion would only bolster its role as a hub for horror fans–if it happens, that is.
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