Rossonian Hotel

The Rossonian Hotel, is a historic building and former business located at 2650 Welton Street in the Five Points section of Denver, Colorado, United States.[2] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since in 1995, for ethnic heritage and social history.[1][2] It has also been known as the Baxter Building and as the Baxter Hotel.[2]

Rossonian Hotel
Rossonian Hotel is located in Colorado
Rossonian Hotel
Location2650 Welton Street,
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates39°45′15″N 104°58′40″W
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectGeorge Louis Bettcher
Architectural styleLate 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements, Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.95001009[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 15, 1995

History

The former Rossonian Hotel is a historic building which opened in 1912 as the Baxter Hotel.[3] It was home to a jazz lounge where many prominent musicians performed.[4] They were able to stay at the hotel which catered to African Americans during the era of segregation. In 1929, the hotel name changed to The Rossonian, and was named after the hotel manager, Albert Henderson Wade Ross (A. H. W. Ross) (1884–1939).[2][3][5] Some sources state that Ross owned the Rossonian starting in either 1928 or 1929, and others state he owned it in the mid-1930s.[6][7][2] Ross had owned the Denver White Elephants, a semi-professional baseball team.[8] The hotel ownership and management changed many times during the period 1929 to 1945.[2]

The building has been empty since 1998. Chauncy Billups was a partner in one redevelopment proposal.[9] It has had various owners and redevelopment plans have been launched but as of 2021 none had been successfully completed.[10]

Architecture

The building was designed by architect George Louis Bettcher (1862–1952), for cigar businessman Robert Y. Baxter.[2] Bettcher was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and moved to Denver in 1895 where he remained until his death. Bettcher also designed residences in the Denver Country Club area and the Turnverein Building.[2]

The building was built in 1907, and was opened in 1912.[2][11] It is on a wedge of property and is triangular shaped.[11] According to the Denver Architecture Foundation, it is Beaux-Arts in style.[11] The Rossonian's main entrance is on Welton Street.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. Nancy R. Lyons (August 12, 1994). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Rossonian Hotel / Baxter Building / Baxter Hotel / 5DV65. National Park Service. Retrieved February 10, 2023. With accompanying five historic photos and seven photos from 1994 PDF including both text and photos also available at NARA.
  3. "Rossonian Hotel". Colorado Encyclopedia. March 16, 2016.
  4. "Rossonian Hotel". Denver Public Library History. June 6, 2014.
  5. Reed, Byron (February 24, 2020). "History Colorado exhibit shows Denver's role in desegregating professional baseball". KUSA NBC. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  6. "Go Behind Colorado's Rich History Of African-American Baseball". CBS News. September 15, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  7. Wintz, Cary D.; Glasrud, Bruce A. (May 22, 2012). The Harlem Renaissance in the American West: The New Negro's Western Experience. Routledge. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-136-64910-3.
  8. London, Nell. "The White Elephants, An All-Black Team, Once Ruled Denver Baseball". Colorado Public Radio (CPR). Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  9. Sexton, Josie (April 17, 2018). "New Hotel, Restaurant, and Lounge Coming to the Old Rossonian Building". Eater Denver.
  10. "Rossonian Hotel changes hands again as Five Points neighborhood changes up". Denver Post. September 13, 2017. ISSN 1930-2193.
  11. "Rossonian Hotel". Denver Architecture Foundation. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.

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