923 10th Street
Golden, CO 80401
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Early Washington Avenue


The following information was provided by Golden historian Richard Gardner.

This photo was taken in 1867.  We are looking at the east side of the 1100 block of Washington Avenue.

Early Washington Avenue

The buildings from left to right are:

  1. The Chicago Saloon, built 1859, destroyed c.1924.  A regionally famous establishment ran by Col. Parker B. Cheney; the building's formal name was the Cheney Block.  Saloon ran from 1859-79.  Upon the tall flagpole was raised, every June 21st (saloon's birthday) and 4th of July, the flag of the USS Cumberland, sunk by the CSS Virginia in Chesapeake Bay before her famous encounter with the USS Monitor.  There is enough info on the Chicago Saloon to due an accurate scale reconstruction, decor, even original drinks.

  2. Garbarino Building, built 1866.  Still exists as entrance building to Golden West Realty at 1103 Washington Ave.  Built by brothers Charles and Louis Garbarino as a restaurant; they were immigrants from Monte Bruno, Italy, among Golden's Italian immigrant population.  Later served a short time as one of the locations of the barber shop of John Tolliver, a black man who operated as a barber downtown to raise money to eventually buy himself a farm on Ralston Creek.  Died in Denver well into the 20th century at the age of 107.

  3. Loveland Building, built in 1859, demolished c.1924.  Original home of the Mercantile, which was in business downtown 119 years. Original home of Colorado's 1st Masonic lodge, still in operation in Golden.  Built by William Austin Hamilton Loveland, alone. Meeting place of Jefferson Territorial Legislature, 1860. Meeting place of Colorado Territorial House of Representatives 1862-66.  Loveland's mercantile and Masons moved to their new better-known building in 1863.  Later the carpenter shop of Samuel Eldridge. 

  4. Clark Building, built in 1867, demolished 1904.  Built as the grocery store of Charles A. Clark, Jeffco sheriff, who later built the north building of the Woods Mortuary in 1872.  The grocery store got homesick and returned here in 1873.

  5. Overland Hotel, built in 1859, demolished 1910.  Constructed by Dr. Isaac E. Hardy and Richard T. Davis as a grocery store, and it is still a grocery store by this time.  Meeting place of the Colorado Territorial Council (aka Senate) from 1862-66.  Converted to a hotel in 1869.  Long owned by Edward Louis Berthoud, and provided him a living later in life.  He died from injuries from a fall down the hotel's steps around 1910.  Destroyed to make way for a Woodmen lodge building, which never arrived.

  6. International Bowling Saloon, built in 1859, demolished 1902. The building's gone, but the saloon still exists in the same location, now called the Buffalo Rose.  Opened by Hubert F. Crow and Henry Brundy it originally featured 3 bowling alleys.  It was the scene of 2 shootouts, in 1860 and 1868.  Repossessed by County in 1863 after it went under during Civil War Depression; reopened in 1867 by Jack Hill, Cheney's famous "free drinks for 3 minutes!!" barkeeper. Saloon room opened through 2nd floor when later German owner Gustavus Haas couldn't fit his orchestrion inside in 1872.  Building replaced by fellow German immigrant Paul Ficht in 1902.  Then known as Paul's Place, Ficht weathered the establishment through Prohibition by serving soft drinks.

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