In a mountain town defined by its forests and sweeping alpine views, a new nonprofit is betting that its future may be shaped just as much by what happens in artist studios, on performance stages, and in shared creative spaces.
Whimsadoodle, Inc. is positioning itself as more than an arts organization. In its own words, Whimsadoodle is “the living legacy of Barb Marshall,” a longtime advocate for local creatives who died in 2024.
Marshall saw Estes Park’s future as a three-legged stool involving the arts, the business community, and the resident community.
“Barb’s whole vision was a triad,” said Walt Dietrich, president of the foundation and a friend of Marshall’s since they were in the seventh grade.
Whimsadoodle, a private foundation recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 to carry forward Marshall’s legacy, is now working to bring the ideas to life through a series of arts-centered projects intended to connect creative work, commerce, and the resident community.
An arts patron, visionary, and local entrepreneur
Marshall, the granddaughter of Joyce Hall, who founded Hallmark Cards, grew up in Kansas City. She came to Estes Park as a youth to attend Cheley Colorado Camps and fell in love with the community. In 1985, after college, she decided to make Estes her home.
Marshall was a businesswoman who owned a vacation rental property management company and several stores on Elkhorn Avenue and Moraine Avenue, including Wonderful Things, a gift and home décor store in the Dutch Colonial house at 170 Moraine Ave.
Built in the 1920s by Walter Baldridge, the town’s first electrician, and his wife Winnie, the house had served as a boarding house known as Colonial Rooms. The Baldridges rented out five upstairs bedrooms to supplement their income, and Winnie also ran a hand laundry in the basement.
Before Marshall bought the white house in 1999, it had been the home of the Satirical World of Art Museum, which exhibited the paintings of artist and former dishwasher Jose Perez. The paintings, described as “quirky,” “exuberant,” and “whimsical,” were commissioned by Wayman Spence, a physician, researcher, inventor, and patron of the arts who made his first million dollars during his medical residency.
Whimsadoodle is currently renovating the Moraine Avenue property, which is slated to open by mid-June as the Wonderful Things Cafe and Wine Bar. It will include a pottery studio, gallery space, and artist housing. A small guest cottage behind the house has been renovated as the organization’s offices.
Articulating Marshall’s guiding belief, the organization’s website says, “the soul of a town is reflected in its art.”
That underlying philosophy informs the organization’s mission to strengthen the fabric of the Estes Park business and residential community and collaboratively support the arts and artists by addressing barriers that often push creatives out of resort communities, such as affordable housing, available workspace, and economic opportunities.
According to Victoria Endsley, Whimsadoodle’s director of programming and marketing, the foundation, which owns several properties in Estes, aims to foster a “creative ecosystem” where artists can thrive.
Residencies as the cornerstone
The cornerstone of Whimsadoodle’s mission is an artist residency program. The nonprofit plans to offer one- to two-year residencies for emerging Colorado artists, providing studio space, affordable housing, mentorship, and professional development.
The goal is to ease financial pressures so artists can focus on their work while building connections within the community.
Shorter-term residencies and retreats are also part of the organization’s plan. The structure reflects a dual aim: attract outside talent and nurture a sustainable local arts base.
Beyond studios: building a collaborative creative hub
On its website, Whimsadoodle outlines a network of initiatives that include makerspaces, festivals, workshops, culinary arts programming, and community gathering places in partnership with area businesses, where visitors can watch artists at work, take a class, or simply gather.
Endsley said Whimsadoodle is working with nonprofits and community groups to identify needs and create spaces that can be used collaboratively. One example is a planned woodworking and metalworking studio in the former Estes Park Rent All building on Manford Avenue that could be used by the Estes Valley Library and local craftspeople for classes and workshops.
Plans for the space also include a commercial kitchen that could support bakers, food truck operators, sauce makers, and others who need access to a licensed space.
“We are seeking those relationships and those collaborative partnerships so that we can make these spaces accessible to everyone,” Endsley said.
Cleave Street
Whimsadoodle will activate the Cleave Street Commons in mid- to late May with live music, weekend events, and a Saturday artisan and farmers market with handmade goods by local creatives.
Another major concept involves a collaborative partnership between Whimsadoodle, the Town of Estes Park, and the Estes Park Housing Authority for a proposed mixed-use development on Cleave Street.
While the concept remains preliminary, Dietrich and Endsley describe it as a project that could include retail, housing, and parking while reflecting the varied architectural character of downtown Estes Park.
The foundation expects to hold community conversations this summer, including a broader public presentation to explain its plans and seek additional partners.
Relationship with the Historic Park Theatre
The organization is excited about its relationship with the Historic Park Theatre, the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the United States.
Whimsadoodle’s partnership with the theater, which will include necessary renovations to preserve and update the building, bridges the town’s history and its creative future, providing a setting for films, events, and performances.
The first phase includes cosmetic and structural work to make the building safe and welcoming, while later phases could reimagine the theater as part of a broader performing arts campus.
Dietrich said the foundation is working with architects who specialize in historic preservation. The goal, he said, is to protect the theater’s historic exterior while eventually creating a more flexible interior that could support film, theater, dance, classes, and other performances.
Endsley said interim plans include expanding usable stage space, creating a movement studio for dance and yoga classes, and developing a practice room for musicians.
Jenna MacGregor, the theater’s longtime operator, will continue to be involved. “She has such a history, not only in this town, but with theater,” said Dietrich. “We plan to honor that.”
On a recent trip to Las Vegas with MacGregor for CinemaCon 2026, Dietrich and Endsley were impressed by MacGregor’s relationships and national connections with the independent theater industry.
Who’s behind it?
Whimsadoodle’s leadership includes a foundation board and a local operating team.
The board is led by Dietrich, owner of Arcadian Property Management and a long-time friend of Marshall. Dietrich has a 70-year history with Estes Park, and his wife and Marshall were life-long best friends. “My kids called her Aunt Barb,” said Dietrich, who described how Marshall would dress in matching pajamas at holidays with his children when they were young.
Also on board are Nick Smith, owner of Lumpy Ridge Brewing and the Public House; Heather Kline; Dwight Arn; and Scott Martinsen, long-term associates of Marshalls.
The Estes Park team includes Dietrich and Smith, along with Endsley, director of programming and marketing; Bruce Darby, director of properties; Sophie Frankel, project coordinator; and Jenna MacGregor, general manager of the Historic Park Theatre.
That structure provides a blend of governance and on-the-ground management, with local staff focused on implementing programs and developing community projects.
Taken together, Whimsadoodle plans to integrate the arts into the economic and social fabric of Estes Park. Rather than treating art as an amenity, the organization frames it as essential to community identity and vitality.
You must be logged in to post a comment.