Do You Know This Building?
Answers: 1.d) Durango; 2.a) 1882; 3.d) Victorian Eclectic Located at the southern end of Main Street, a block and a half from the depot, this red brick building with white stone trim is a mix of several Victorian-era styles. Completed at a cost of $70,000, an extravagant figure at the time, the building utilized 376,000 bricks. It was built at a time when Durango was experiencing a boom due to the wealth from the mines of the San Juan mountains, the opening of two smelters, and the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Although there were plenty of hotels and boarding houses in town, one 20-year old man undertook the task of building a luxury hotel. Henry H. Strater lacked sufficient money, had no experience in the hotel business, and was still a minor who legally could not enter into a contract. None of these drawbacks stopped him. He lied about his age, gained financial backing from family members and began construction on the elaborate building. His lack of hotel experience was demonstrated in one important omission—the 50-room hotel was built without any closets. Opened in August 1888, the Strater Hotel with its ornate exterior and lavish interior was advertised as “strictly first class in all appointments.” The building featured a four-story atrium topped by a skylight, and the first sewer line in Durango serviced the hotel. Henry Strater promptly leased the building to Mr. H. L. Rice, a competent hotel man. The two soon started quarreling and in 1892, Strater was constructing a two-story annex immediately south, called the Columbian, which he hoped would compete with his lessee. A third floor was added shortly after it was completed in 1893. Unfortunately, no business was able to escape unscathed from the financial panic that year and Strater lost both the hotel and the just-completed annex. Many stars of stage, screen, and political circles who visited Durango stayed at the Strater. Guests at the hotel included Tom Thumb, Will Rogers, Lowell Thomas and John F. Kennedy. It was also used by the townspeople, who closed their homes during the winter months and moved their families to the hotel, as each room had its own wood-burning stove. The Strater Hotel is within the National Register listed Main Avenue Historic District. |
