6 Things You Didn’t Know about the Brown Palace

October 4, 2018 Posted In

Written By Michelle Johnson, Colorado Homes Magazine

Over the past few years, Denver has grown into a hot spot for chic hotels—from downtown’s Le Méridien, to Halcyon in Cherry Creek, to the gallery-like ART Hotel, to the fun and funky Maven in the Dairy Block. But the one hotel that’s been around since long before the Mile High was a vacation destination is the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, the iconic red sandstone building that’s held court on a triangular lot since 1888, just 12 years after Colorado became a state. The Brown Palace is known for its proper high teas, annual showings of the National Western Stock Show’s Grand Champion Steer in the lobby, and glorious holiday lights display, but a stay in one of its 241 guest rooms also provides a valuable history lesson. Here, six things you probably didn’t know about the 126-year-old hotel. 

WHAT’S IN A NAME: Contrary to popular belief, the Brown Palace is not named after Titanic survivor and Denver socialite Molly Brown (although she stayed at the hotel two weeks after the sinking of the Titanic). The hotel was actually named for its founder Henry Cordes Brown, a carpenter-turned-real-estate entrepreneur from Ohio. He arrived in Denver in 1860 and purchased several acres of land—including the triangular plot the hotel now sits on, which was originally where Brown’s cows grazed. His land’s property values skyrocketed, and Brown became very wealthy. 

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