A downtown alley will now forever pay homage to the AdAmAn Club.
Two years in the making, the clean, well-lit, freshly paved walkway celebrates the 100th anniversary of the local institution, a group of mountaineers who hike Pikes Peak every December to set off New Year’s Eve fireworks. Founded in 1922, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the club.
“We want to celebrate the community’s relationship with Pikes Peak,” said AdAmAn President Dan Stuart. “It’s not just about the AdAmAn Club. We’re talking about the spirit of perseverance and overcoming adversity and welcoming in the new year — things the community does well. Pikes Peak drives all that. We’re trying to bring that spirit downtown.”
A grand opening celebration is planned for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Remarks by officials, a ribbon cutting and tours begin at 5:15 p.m.
The 600 linear feet of alley off South Tejon Street, between the Carlton and Hibbard buildings, is easily found by its new AdAmAn Alley archway, topped by figures of hikers trudging up an incline.
Look down and you’ll notice a squiggly black line that extends through the alley, from Tejon Street to its exit on South Nevada Avenue.
The line is a depiction of the popular Barr Trail, which snakes up Pikes Peak, and is intended to appear as though you’re looking at a topographical map. Along the trail are markers that will eventually correspond to QR codes on the walls of the buildings. Scanning them with a smartphone will bring up the history of that trail location and Pikes Peak.
Deeper into the alley are several murals celebrating the wintry hike, painted by local and national artists. And on tap for the evening hours is projection mapping, when a projector will display images of the seasons on Pikes Peak onto one of the murals.
For years the city of Colorado Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities had AdAmAn Alley on a list of alleys needing rehabilitation and utility restoration.
“This was the impetus to get them going on this project,” Stuart said. “It ended up being a showplace for what could be done in other alleys.”
The club raised $650,000 to $700,000 for the artistic installations. Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs served as project manager.
“We hope it will be a fun destination for people coming downtown,” Stuart said.
