Lower Downtown
Walking Tour
Oxford Hotel and Annex
1891
The Oxford Hotel, built in 1891, is Denver's oldest hotel. Bankrolled by
brewer Adolph Zhang and his partners Philip Feldhauser Andy William
Mygatt, the hotel was designed by Denver's greatest 19th century
architect, Frank E. Edbrooke. Through the years, its red brick
battlements and terra cotta facade have presided over the comings and
goings of presidents and queens, scallywags and common laborers. The
Oxford's first rooms were advertised as elegant yet affordable, located
within a half block of Union Station. A room was one dollar, or two
dollars for a room with a bath. The hotel weathered teh 1893 depression
and silver crash to open a two-story brick addition on Wazee Street in
1903. A major addition came in 1912 with the oxford annex on 17th Street,
designed by Montana Fallis and Robert Willison. Its lavishly decorated
terra cotta facade incorporates elements of neoclassical style which
contrasts with the hotel's romanesque design. The proprietors of the
Oxford - Hamilton Brooks Company - purchased the land from Struby-
Estabrook Mercantile Company and left their mark with the "HB"
monogram above the first floor. Major alterations in the hotel occurred
primarily in the interior, as the magnificent stained glass windows and
dining rooms were installed in 1906, followed by the art deco Cruise
Room Bar with its bats relief panels in 1935. After 60 years of prominence,
the Oxford's fortunes tumbled after 1945, as the railways waned and the
neighborhood declined only to be restored to its former glory
for a grand reopening in June 1983.
LOWER DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
Submitted by: @Saskajanet