Henry Cordes Brown was a former Ohio resident who bought several tracts of land in Denver in 1860. In the 1880s, he decided to build the first luxury hotel in Denver and created plans for the Brown Palace.
The design for the Brown Palace came from architect Frank Edbrooke. The hotel cost $1.6 million to build. Brown spent an additional $400,000 for furnishings and decorations. The building was started in 1888 and officially opened in August 1892.
The atrium lobby inside the hotel was the first of its kind in the United States. The hotel was also the second building in the United States labeled fire safe.
The tradition of afternoon tea began in the 1890s and continues today. Guests in the lobby are treated to traditional English tea service, complete with scones and finger sandwiches.
The Brown Palace has a reputation as a haunted hotel. According to legend, Room 904 is haunted by the ghost of a socialite who once stayed there. The dining room is haunted by a string quartet. There are also stories of employees encountering the ghosts of a train conductor, waiter, kids and a baby.
In the 2000s, the hotel spent $6.5 million on the restoration of the top two floors. The renovation maintained the original look of the hotel, while bringing modern conveniences into the rooms.
