The Astor House, at 822 12th St. in Golden, Colorado, is a historic stone hotel from the earliest years of Golden, Colorado,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was built in 1867. It has also been known as the Astor House Hotel, the Lake House and as Castle Rock House. It is now the Astor House Hotel Museum. Associated with prominent area pioneers, it was also a pioneering effort in

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

in the region. Today it is a museum open to the public, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973. It is a two-story building built from hand-cut

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. With

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

quarried by Charles R. Foreman & Co. at the far west end of 12th Street, upon which the hotel stands. The premier hostelry of Golden, it served patrons from miners to Territorial legislators, who met nearby in the Territorial Capitol. It was Golden's only known hotel not to have served

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, as the devout

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

owner was a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

man who would not allow it on his premises. Later, the hotel was owned by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

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 concerns 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 to 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 no longer open to the general public today as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. The museum depicted life in the hotel in the early 20th century.

References

External links

Astor House MuseumGolden Landmarks Association
{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Golden, Colorado Hotel buildings completed in 1867 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Historic house museums in Colorado Museums in Golden, Colorado 1867 establishments in Colorado Territory National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Colorado

History

Preservation

See also

References

External links