Astor House Hotel

Infobox nrhp
name = Astor House
nrhp_type =


caption =
location = 822 12th Street, Golden, Colorado
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 39 | lat_minutes = 45 | lat_seconds = 19.33 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 105 | long_minutes = 13 | long_seconds = 17.61 | long_direction = W
locmapin = Colorado
area =
built = 1867
architect =
architecture = Georgian (modified)
added = March 1, 1973
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum =
mpsub =
governing_body = City of Golden

The Astor House is a historic stone hotel from the earliest years of Golden, Colorado. Associated with prominent area pioneers, it was also a pioneering effort in historic preservation in the region. Today it is a museum open to the public, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Astor House was originally built in 1867 by Seth Lake, a pioneer hotelkeeper who came to the area in the early 1860s. An upgrade from his original Lake House hotel on the site, it was carved of sandstone quarried by Charles R. Foreman & Co. at the far west end of 12th Street which the hotel stands on. The premier hostelry of Golden, it served patrons from miners to Territorial legislators who met nearby. It was Golden's only known hotel not to have served alcohol, as the devout Baptist owner was a temperance man who would not allow it on his premises. Later the hotel was owned by German immigrant Ida Goetze. It gradually faded from hotel to boarding house, and was altered by four fires and repaired to its present appearance.

Preservation

In 1971 the property was acquired by the Golden Downtown Improvement District to be destroyed for a parking lot, a fate befalling a number of Golden's landmarks including the church Lake had faithfully served. City Councilor Ruben Hartmeister raised concern about whether a place of its history should be preserved. Standing alone he was not initially listened to, but Golden's modern historic preservation movement was born. Citizens rallied to the aid of the Astor House and formed the Golden Landmarks Association to try and save it. On June 13, 1972 Golden's people voted to save it, with 69% voting in favor. Afterward it became the Astor House Hotel Museum, which is open to the general public today.

References

External links

* [http://astorhousemuseum.org Astor House Museum]
* [http://goldenlandmarks.com Golden Landmarks Association]