The Baldpate Inn is the historic name of a hotel located in
Estes Park, Colorado
Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corr ...
, with designations 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 ...
, and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. The property has changed hands several times, always under a private family's proprietorship. In 2020, the property was purchased and the name changed to the Seven Keys Lodge by the new owners.
History
The hotel was founded in 1917 by Anglo-American brothers Charles Mace (combat and commercial photographer, 1889-1973), and Gordon Mace, and their families. The Inn is known especially two reasons: the hotel was named for the popular mystery novel, play and films ''
Seven Keys to Baldpate'' by
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) was an American novelist and playwright. His novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China.
Biogra ...
, and was eventually accepted to be the "true" Baldpate by the author. While the hotel originally gave away keys as curios, today it is known for its collection of more than 20,000 keys, usual, unusual and figurative, that have been offered to the inn by visitors, hotel guests, and dignitaries from all over the world.
![A sampling of the keys hung from the ceiling in the Key Room at The Baldpate Inn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/A_sampling_of_the_keys_hung_from_the_ceiling_in_the_Key_Room_at_The_Baldpate_Inn.jpg)
Keys are cataloged in a database, supported by a grant from
American History Savers and maintained by rotating curators who offer insight into the collections through a lecture series and blog.
![The Key to Occlusion at the Baldpate Inn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/The_Key_to_Occlusion_at_the_Baldpate_Inn.jpg)
The hotel structurally survived the
2013 Colorado floods
The 2013 Colorado floods were a series of natural disasters occurring in the U.S. state of Colorado. Starting on September 11, 2013, a slow-moving cold front stalled over Colorado, clashing with warm humid monsoonal air from the south. This res ...
, although the road leading to the property, which also connects to local trailheads, was severely damaged due to erosion. They received support from the
History Colorado
History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado un ...
State Historical Fund and Colorado Preservation.
References
External links
Seven Keys LodgeThe Baldpate Innat Roadside America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldpate Inn
Estes Park, Colorado
Hotels in Colorado
Hotels established in 1917
Buildings and structures in Larimer County, Colorado
National Register of Historic Places in Larimer County, Colorado
Seven Keys to Baldpate
Roosevelt National Forest