The Molly Brown House Museum (also known as House of Lions) is a house in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States that was the home of American philanthropist, activist, and socialite

Margaret Brown Margaret Brown (née Tobin; July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932), posthumously known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", was an American socialite and philanthropist. She unsuccessfully encouraged the crew in Lifeboat No. 6 to return to the debris ...

. She survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' and was known as the “Heroine of the Titanic” for her service to survivors. She later became known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". The

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

is her former home and presents exhibits interpreting her life, Victorian Denver and historic preservation. The house 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 ...

in 1972. It is designated as a

Denver Landmark The City and County of Denver has a formal historic designation program that establishes Denver landmarks. These are designated by ordinances of Denver's city council. The first three sites so designated, on January 10, 1968, are the Emmanuel ...

History

The house was built in 1889 and designed by the well-known architect William A. Lang, incorporating several popular styles of the period, including

Queen Anne style architecture in the United States Queen Anne style architecture was one of a number of popular Victorian architectural styles that emerged in the United States during the period from roughly 1880 to 1910. Popular there during this time, it followed the Second Empire and Stick s ...

and Richardsonian Romanesque for the original owners Isaac and Mary Large. After the repeal of the

Sherman Silver Purchase Act The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was a United States federal law enacted on July 14, 1890.Charles Ramsdell Lingley, ''Since the Civil War'', first edition: New York, The Century Co., 1920, ix–635 p., . Re-issued: Plain Label Books, unknown date, ...

in 1893, the Large family sold the house. It was purchased by

James Joseph Brown James Joseph "J.J." Brown (September 27, 1854 – September 5, 1922), was an American mining engineer, inventor, and self-made member of fashionable "society". His wife was RMS ''Titanic'' survivor Margaret Brown. Early life Brown was born in ...

(J.J.), Margaret's husband, in 1894 for US$30,000 and the title was transferred to Margaret in 1898, possibly due to J.J.'s deteriorating health. Mollybrownhouse

Margaret and the family traveled frequently, and so the house was often rented out. In 1902, it was the governor's mansion for the

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

and his family (Margaret invited the governor and his family to use her home while the governor's mansion was undergoing remodeling). In 1926, Margaret turned the home into a boarding house under the supervision of her housekeeper. The house was sold after Margaret's death in 1932, for $6,000. The home then became a rooming house for men, a Jane Addams Hull House settlement, and rooms and apartments for rent.

Restoration

The house continued to deteriorate and by 1970 concerns arose about its impending demolition, but a group of concerned citizens formed Historic Denver, Inc., raising the funds for the house to be restored to its former glory. While restoring the home, the group used architectural research, paint chip analysis, and original photographs taken in 1910 as guides. The home is owned by Historic Denver, Inc., and public tours are run daily for a fee.HouseFront
/ref> File:Molly Brown House doorknob.png, alt=Detail of doorknob, Interior doorknob File:Molly Brown House - fireplace.jpg, alt=Polar bear rug in the Drawing Room, Fireplace detail File:Brown Family Photo.jpg, alt=, Brown Family Photo File:House 1889.jpg, alt=, House 1889 File:Loving Cup.jpg, alt=, Captain Rostron and Margaret Brown with the Loving Cup File:Votes for Women Sashes 3, Photo Credit Katie Roach.jpg, alt=, Votes for Women File:Stained Glass Detail 2.jpg, alt=, Stained Glass Detail

References

External links

Museum official website
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Historic Denver official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Molly, House Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Historic house museums in Colorado Houses completed in 1887 Houses in Denver Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Molly Brown House National Register of Historic Places in Denver James Joseph Brown family residences 1887 establishments in Colorado Denver landmarks

History

Restoration

See also

References

External links