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Central Hotel

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1892. 975 Main Ave. (southwest corner of 10th St.)
  • (Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • (Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

One of the most striking structures on Main Avenue, this narrow, three-story Italianate hotel has a mansard fourth floor with prominent dormers. Its red brick skin contrasts with white stone trim in hand-carved floral patterns. On the first floor is the El Rancho Bar, where twenty-year-old Jack Dempsey, the future heavy-weight world champion, supposedly knocked out Andy Mally in the tenth round. A mural on the side of the building commemorates that bout, while a large mural over the pool tables celebrates more recent exploits of regulars.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Thomas J. Noel
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Data

What's Nearby

Main Avenue Furnishings (Balthasar Kern Saloon)
First National Bank
Burns National Bank
Office Building (Post Office)
La Plata County Courthouse

Citation

Thomas J. Noel, "Central Hotel", [Durango, Colorado], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CO-01-LP06.

Print Source

Buildings of Colorado, Thomas J. Noel. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997, 556-556.

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