Est. 1892 · National Register of Historic Places · Historic Hotels of America · Denver Landmark · Presidential History
Henry Cordes Brown acquired his fortune through Denver real estate, purchasing land early in the city's silver-boom expansion. In the late 1880s, he commissioned a landmark hotel on a triangular parcel at 17th Street and Broadway, engaging architect Frank Edbrooke to design a building that would signal Denver's arrival as a significant American city.
The result, opened in 1892, departed from conventional rectangular hotel design. The triangular footprint created an atrium at the building's core — eight stories of wrought-iron balconies rising to a stained glass skylight. The exterior is Colorado red granite and Arizona sandstone. The lobby floors are onyx and marble. The building cost was substantial; the craftsmanship has proven durable.
Every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt — with the exception of one — has stayed at the Brown Palace. The hotel hosted a significant episode of early 20th-century Colorado history in 1905, when leaders of the Western Federation of Miners were arrested in the lobby — an event that preceded the prosecution of William Haywood and shaped the early American labor movement.
Denver socialite Louise Crawford Hill took up residence in Room 904 in 1940 and remained there until 1955. After her death, hotel staff began receiving calls from Room 904 — the switchboard would register a connection, but the line carried only static.
The Churchill Bar occupies the space where Henry C. Brown maintained his office. The bar is named for Winston Churchill, a noted guest. Staff have reported the scent of cigar smoke in the Churchill Bar during hours when no smokers are present — a detail reported by multiple staff members independently.
The Hotel is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection and was named to the Historic Hotels of America's list of most haunted hotels in 2025.
Sources
- https://www.brownpalace.com/
- https://www.historichotels.org/us/press/press-releases/the-2025-top-25-historic-hotels-of-america-most-haunted-hotels-list-is-announced
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-brownpalace/
- https://ghostcitytours.com/denver/haunted-denver/brown-palace-hotel/
- https://unofficialnetworks.com/2025/10/10/colorado-haunted-hotels/
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33388-d83088-r640449868-The_Brown_Palace_Hotel_and_Spa_Autograph_Collection-Denver_Colorado.html
ApparitionsPhantom smellsCold spotsPhantom sounds
Room 904 generates the most consistently documented account at the Brown Palace. Louise Crawford Hill lived there for 15 years, from 1940 to 1955. After her death, the hotel switchboard began receiving calls registering from Room 904. When answered, the line held only silence and static. Staff reported this phenomenon on multiple independent occasions.
The Churchill Bar — located in the former office space of hotel founder Henry C. Brown — has produced reports from multiple staff members of cigar smoke detected in the bar during periods when no smoking was present and no smokers were on the premises. Brown was documented as a cigar smoker. The reports are notable for their consistency across staff who were not aware of each other's accounts.
Near the hotel entrance, a figure dressed as a train conductor has been observed by guests and staff members. The figure stands, then disappears on approach. An unidentified waiter has been reported near the service elevator in the lower levels.
The baby crying in the boiler room is among the more specific claims — reported by staff during early morning maintenance hours — though it appears in fewer independent accounts than the Room 904 and Churchill Bar phenomena.
Denver Ghost Tours includes the Brown Palace on its routes, and the hotel was recognized in Historic Hotels of America's 2025 most haunted hotels list.
Notable Entities
Louise Crawford Hill (Room 904)Henry C. Brown (Churchill Bar)The Train Conductor
