Thomas Croke built this 1891 Capitol Hill mansion and promptly sold it — whatever he encountered there, it apparently hasn't left in 130 years
420 E 11th Ave, Denver, CO 80203
Research updated June 2026
Age
18+
Cost
$$$
Nine-suite boutique hotel; rates from approximately $270/night
Access
Limited Access
Historic 1891 mansion; multi-story, limited accessibility
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1891 · National Register of Historic Places · Capitol Hill Denver Architecture · Thomas Patterson Political History · Chateauesque Manitou Sandstone Construction
Thomas B. Croke commissioned the Chateauesque mansion at 420 East 11th Avenue in 1891. The Colorado Encyclopedia identifies him as a successful Denver merchant and later state senator who commissioned the home as a Capitol Hill showpiece. Period accounts note that Croke visited the completed building, then sold it quickly, without explanation for either the speed of his departure or his reluctance to move in. He declined to discuss the matter publicly.
Senator Thomas M. Patterson purchased the property and occupied it through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using it as a family home and social venue appropriate to his political station. The building passed through subsequent ownership to the Campbell family, which gives the mansion its three-part name.
The structure is built of Manitou sandstone, a distinctive reddish-orange Colorado material, in the French Chateauesque style that was fashionable for Capitol Hill mansions of the period. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It sat through periods of disuse and partial deterioration before restoration work brought it back to operating condition. The Patterson Inn opened in 2013 with nine themed suites. It is now an adults-only property.
Sources
The Patterson Inn's haunting accounts begin before the building was a hotel. During the renovation work that preceded the 2013 opening, workers reported persistent disturbances: apparitions of children in the hallways, voices without visible speakers, sudden drops in temperature in specific rooms. The renovation team's accounts, documented in 303 Magazine, noted that these were not isolated incidents but consistent enough that some workers refused to be in the building alone.
Two guard dogs employed during the renovation died after apparently falling from a third-floor window. This was reported by the renovation team and has been independently referenced in multiple accounts of the mansion's history. No human witnessed the dogs' departure, and no explanation for the fall was established.
The haunting claims count as many as 12 distinct presences in various accounts. The most documented are Thomas Patterson himself, who reportedly appears in the suites associated with his family's occupancy; a male figure associated with the carriage house described as resembling an Irish caretaker from the mansion's domestic staff era; and an apparition of Katharine Patterson, Thomas's daughter, who has been described as helpful to distressed guests rather than threatening.
The original occupant, Thomas Croke, remains the building's most persistent mystery. The Colorado Encyclopedia documents his rapid departure after a single visit to the completed house, but no historical record survives of what he encountered or told anyone about it. He never returned.
Notable Entities
Nine themed suites in the 1891 Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion, one of Denver's most historically documented haunted buildings. Breakfast is included. The inn is adults-only (18+).
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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