104 Years Ago
On this date in 2020, a crew began dismantling the Bella Vista Hotel on 12th Street (see location on Google maps). Constructed in the early 1880s, the Bella Vista was originally called the “Hotel St. Bernard,” and later renamed the “Bella Vista Hotel.” The building had stores, the post office, a bar, and a billiard room on the first floor, a grand ballroom on the second floor, and 75 guestrooms above. Unfortunately, in that era Golden just couldn’t support a hotel of that size. It was never a commercial success.
A crew of twenty men spent about two months dismantling the building. They began by removing all of the doors, casings, and interior woodwork, then moved onto the root, walls, and flooring.
As the June 17, 1920 Colorado Transcript article said, “There is a vast quantity of excellent material in the big structure. The floor joists are all two by twelves, made of the finest Texas pine. The interior woodwork is of excellent material, and all of the heavy timbering is in good condition. There are almost a half million bricks in the building, and also a large amount of water and gas piping.”
The Golden Transcript (originally called the Colorado Transcript) has been publishing since 1866. The Golden History Museum has been working on digitizing the historic issues. You’ll find old Transcripts online at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org.
