The Collins Block building has a relatively unassuming edifice that belies its storied recent past. The building was constructed between 1891 and 1893, the last major commercial building built in the city just before its silver mining boom town days came to an end. There wouldn't be another comparable structure built in Aspen until after World War II, when the city reinvented itself as a ski resort. Long before Aspen became a playground for the rich and famous, it was a relatively typical silver mining town. Like many others, it boomed quickly in the late 1800s and then entered several decades known as "the quiet years." Aspen may not have had the bust that other boom towns experienced, but it was certainly no longer the prosperous silver town that it once was.&nbsp; After World War II, Aspen once again boomed, this time as a ski resort. With the influx of tourists and the money that came with them, there was a new interest in Aspen's historic buildings. In 1988, Harley Baldwin bought the Collins Block Building. To the shock of many locals, Baldwin began digging underneath the building with plans to open a private club in its newly-created basement.&nbsp; The club became the Caribou Club, one of the city's truly legendary nightspots. The club has hosted countless Hollywood celebrities as well as sports figures, politicians, and writers.&nbsp; The Collins Block Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

Built between 1891 and 1893, the Collins Block building was the last major commercial structure built in Aspen before the collapse of the silver mining industry. For years the building housed Aspen Lumber and Supply. At present, the building is most well-known for the exclusive Caribou Club, which is located in the basement.

Collins Block and the Caribou Club 

This short walking tour starts at the local historical society and includes a number of landmarks and buildings in Aspen's charming and historic downtown.

Interestingly, Jerome's wife refused to move to Aspen and as a result they never lived there. After a period of vacancy, in 1905&nbsp;the Stallard family moved in and lived there for several decades. Other private owners lived here until the Society officially acquired it in 1969.&nbsp;

Built in 1888, the Wheeler–Stallard House is one of three remaining Victorian-era houses left in Aspen. It has been the home of the Aspen Historical Society since 1968. It was built by silver mine investor Jerome Wheeler and designed in the Queen Anne style. The first floor features a recreated 1800s parlor and rotating exhibits are shown on the second floor. There is also a carriage house which is where the society's archives is located; visitors are welcome by appointment. 

Wheeler–Stallard House (Aspen Historical Society)

Opened in 1889, the Hotel Jerome
has been a fixture of Aspen society for nearly as long as the city has existed.
The hotel was built by Jerome B. Wheeler, who was then a co-owner of Macy’s and
who was heavily invested in Aspen.&nbsp;

Wheeler was one of the earliest
residents of Aspen, which he had visited on vacation in 1883. He began
investing in the community and completed the construction of a smelter. He also
built the hotel which bore his name, and the Wheeler Opera House. His intention
for the Hotel Jerome was that it would rival the great hotels of Europe, and spared
little expense to accomplish that dream.&nbsp;

The Hotel Jerome was one of the
first buildings in the West to have full electric lighting. It also had other
modern conveniences, such as running water, steam heat, and an elevator. The
hotel changed hands several times in the coming years, but retained its central
place in the social life of Aspen.&nbsp;

The early years of the twentieth
century were comparatively lean ones for Aspen and are known as “the quiet
years.” Silver declined precipitously in the late 1800s and its population
dwindled significantly. Aspen didn’t begin to see a recovery until the
mid-1930s, when Billy Fiske, an Olympic bobsledder, realized that the terrain
around Aspen was perfect for a ski resort and bought property to build one.&nbsp;

World War II slowed Aspen’s
growth into a skiing destination.&nbsp; The
Army’s Tenth Mountain Division trained in the area during the war, and
afterward, some of them returned and began to try to revitalize the town. The
city’s first modern ski lift opened in 1947, and once again the city began to
grow and prosper.&nbsp;

With new interest in Aspen
because of skiing, the Jerome was restored and became a popular choice for
visitors to the city. Celebrities were frequently seen at the Jerome, including
John Wayne, Lana Turner, and Gary Cooper.&nbsp;
By the 1960s, however, the Jerome was attracting a different kind of
clientele, as hippies and counterculture devotees, including writer Hunter S.
Thompson, who was a regular at the hotel’s J-Bar. In the 1970s, the Eagles and
Jack Nicholson were also regular fixtures at the hotel.&nbsp;

At the end of the twentieth
century, the hotel underwent an extensive renovation to return it to its
boomtown glory. In the early 2000s, the property changed hands several times,
and was eventually purchased in 2015 by Auberge Resorts. The property remains a
landmark in Aspen and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

&nbsp;

The Hotel Jerome has a history nearly as long as Aspen’s. The hotel opened during the city’s early boom years and prospered along with Aspen. In the years following World War II, when skiing replaced silver as the city’s livelihood. In its long career, the Hotel Jerome has hosted numerous celebrities, including Hunter S. Thompson, who used the hotel’s J-Bar as his unofficial office.

Hotel Jerome 

The Hyman-Brand Building, more commonly known as the Brand Building, is a two-story stone building built in 1891. Its significance to Aspen lies in its association with David Marks Hyman, one of the earliest investors in Aspen and owner of the Durant and Smuggler mines. The Brand Building is the only building in Aspen known to have been financed by Hyman. The building was built during Aspen's boom years and was one of the largest in the city.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Brand Building was originally home to the First National Bank of Aspen, while the upper floors housed offices and a meeting hall for the Patriotic Order Sons of America. In the early twentieth century, M.H. Brand opened both a Buick and a Dodge dealership on the ground floor, as well as an automobile repair facility. At one time, a drive-through gas station occupied the part of the building that had once been the bank lobby. By the 1970s, the building was in a declining state and was marked for demolition. In 1971, developer Harley Baldwin, then only in his 20s, bought and restored the building, and leased it for retail space. In the late 1980s, Baldwin also bought the Collins Block, and began to transform both buildings to match the growing prosperity of Aspen. The Brand Building became home to numerous high-end retail shops like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Consequently, the area of the Brand Building and Collins Block came to be known among locals as "Glitter Gulch." The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Built in 1891, the Hyman-Brand Building, more commonly known as the Brand Building, is historically significant because it is the only building in Aspen known to be associated with David Marks Hyman. Hyman was one of the earliest investors in the city. The building has housed a number of businesses over its long life. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Hyman-Brand Building

The restaurant known as the Red
Onion has a history going back to 1892, when Aspen was still a booming silver
town. The city was at the zenith of the silver boom when Tom Latta built the
New Brick Saloon to serve miners and gamblers. &nbsp;Latta’s name is still a fixture at the Red
Onion—it’s inlaid in the floor at the entrance.&nbsp;

For years the establishment was
known by its nickname, the Red Onion, which, in local parlance, apparently
referred to something special or unusual. The nickname stuck, and in 1947,
owner John Litchfield made the nickname official.&nbsp;

The bar flourished in the postwar
years, as winter and summer sports allowed Aspen to prosper again following the
collapse of the silver mining industry decades earlier. In the 1950s,
Litchfield sold the property to Werner Kuster and Arnold Senn, who expanded the
size of the business and brought in big-name performers for live entertainment.
Among the stars who performed at the Red Onion were Billie Holliday and Louis
Armstrong.&nbsp;

Over the course of the twentieth
century, the Red Onion changed owners a few times and numerous businesses
operated in the space. In 2006, it was announced that the Red Onion would close
permanently when the building came under new ownership. Since that time,
however, the restaurant was remodeled and reopened, and the current owners
retained much of its original charm. The bar looks much as it did when the
building was constructed, and historical photos line the building’s interior

The city of Aspen only predates the Red Onion by a few years. The Red Onion, originally known as the Brick Saloon, is the city’s oldest operating restaurant and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The restaurant was built in 1892 at the peak of the city’s silver boom.

Aspen Colorado Walking Tour

Collins Block and the Caribou Club

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources