THE HOTEL DENVER IS BORN
In 1906, a young Italian immigrant named Henry Bosco established a bottling company in the basement under one of the saloons facing the depot (where the brewery is now).
This was a strategic move, for in addition to the nine saloons on this block, there were at least 14 other saloons within a one block radius. Henry acquired the saloon above his business, later acquired an adjacent saloon, and in 1914 built the Star Hotel. At the other (west) end of the block, a man named Art Kendrick opened a second-rate rooming house called the Denver Rooms (to promote Denver clientele!).
|
|
PROHIBITION
In 1921, prohibition was a devastating blow to the downtown saloon and red light district. Real estate was depressed, and both Henry Bosco and Art Kendrick were able to add to their holdings and expand their hotels, to the point that they were now adjoining. Henry’s nephew, Mike, acquired the Star Hotel after WW1, and in 1938 he acquired Art’s Denver Hotel. The properties were combined into what we now know as the Hotel Denver. The brick walls in the brewpub and hotel rooms are reminders of the seven buildings which were once here.
|
|
MOTHER OF PEARL PICTURE
According to Rock Island Railroad officials, 50 mother-of-pearl pictures were created shortly after the turn of the century and were given to hotels such as The Hotel Denver as a promotion. Rock Island paid $50 each for these 50 pictures that were made by the Western Sand Blast Company in Chicago. Because of the mother-of-pearl inlay, each picture was hand crafted individually, with no two pictures alike. The backgrounds are also unique to each picture, and were painted freehand. Other known locations for the pictures are the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and the Smithsonian.
|