HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Dedicated in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson as a World War I memorial, this 1,600-seat theater had a phantom cougher haunting its empty seats from the first year of construction.
1 City Hall Pl, Pueblo, CO 81003
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by event; see pueblomemorialhall.com for current programming and pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Formal theater interior with paved approaches; accessible seating available.
Equipment
No Photos
Est. 1919 · Dedicated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 as a World War I memorial · 1,600-seat capacity made it Pueblo's primary large performance venue for over 100 years · Civic and cultural anchor of downtown Pueblo since its opening
Pueblo Memorial Hall was built in the years following World War I as a civic memorial to the men from Pueblo who served and died in the conflict. The building's dedication in 1919 was a significant civic event, presided over by President Woodrow Wilson, and it established the hall as both a performance venue and a site of ongoing public commemoration.
The 1,600-seat theater became the center of Pueblo's performing arts life through the twentieth century, hosting concerts, theatrical productions, political events, and community gatherings. Its scale and central location made it the natural venue for any event requiring a large audience. The building is listed on the official Pueblo attractions register maintained by SharePueblo.
The haunted history of Memorial Hall is notable because it predates any formal construction completion. According to the Pueblo Pages documentation of local ghost stories, a night watchman assigned to the building during the first year of construction repeatedly reported hearing a persistent cough coming from the empty, unfinished interior—before the hall had opened or been occupied. This early account has remained the foundation of Memorial Hall's paranormal reputation in the century since.
Sources
The haunting tradition at Pueblo Memorial Hall is anchored by an account that predates the building's use as a theater. According to the Pueblo Pages documentation of Pueblo ghost stories, during the first year of the hall's construction—before any performances or public occupation—the night watchman assigned to guard the site repeatedly heard a cough issuing from within the empty building. The sound recurred throughout the watchman's shifts and had no discoverable source.
This construction-era account is documented in the Pueblo Pages roundup of Pueblo's historically haunted locations, which places Memorial Hall among the city's notable paranormal sites. The persistence of the phantom cough from before the building even opened sets it apart from typical theater ghost stories, which usually develop after years of occupation and are attributed to former performers or audience members.
The specific identity behind the sounds has never been established. Some local accounts have speculated about connections to the building's dedication as a war memorial—an association that would link the phantom to the grief of the period—but this is interpretation, not documentation.
Attend a performance in this 1,600-seat memorial theater, dedicated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 as a tribute to World War I veterans. The building's ornate interior and documented paranormal history make it a notable southern Colorado landmark.
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