The Rochester Hotel

Built in 1892

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

1. The Rochester Hotel Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Frederic B. Wildfang, 5/26/1995:
The Rochester Hotel is one of Durango's oldest hotel establishments, continuing in business for the last hundred years. Foundations were laid for the hotel in 1890. In 1891, construction of the building was taken over by E.T. Peeples, a long-term resident of Durango, local accountant, and former county commissioner. In 1892, J.E. Schutt (President of the Schutt Mercantile Company) and W.C. Chapman (Director of the Colorado State Bank, Vice President of the Durango Iron Works, and dealer in hardware) bought the property and completed construction of the building — then known as the "Peeples Hotel." Local directories listed the Peeples (along with The Strater, The Grand Central and others) as one of the best hotels in Durango. Among the guests at the Peeple's Hotel

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

2. The Rochester Hotel Marker

The marker is mounted on the right side of the front entrance.

the first year after opening were various members of Durango theatrical groups. From 1905 until 1920, Mrs. Mary F. Finn owned and operated the hotel, renaming it the "Rochester Hotel." During these years the hotel and rooming house continued to do a thriving business.

The Rochester experienced a typical evolutionary pattern in conjunction with the early boom and later decline of a mining-related community. During its early years the hotel did a steady business by accommodating miners, salesmen, tourists, and other short-term tenants. As the economy cooled, competition from the fancier and larger hotels on Main Street and in close proximity to the depot placed hotels like the Rochester at a disadvantage. They began to function more as long-term residential facilities or boarding houses catering to those unable to afford the purchase of a private house.

Excerpt:  Construction was begun in 1890. E.T. Peeples took over construction in 1891. It was completed in 1892 by new owners J.E. Schutt and W.C. Chapman. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Excerpt: 

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

3. Rochester Hotel Entrance

From the National Register Nomination:  A neon sign was attached to the front of the building sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. At about this same time the balcony was replaced by a classically inspired porch. A pair of Tuscan columns flanking the entrance steps supports the balcony with its wood paneled balustrade.

Colorado Historic Site Number: 5LP.1210. The 1890 Rochester Hotel represents a working class hotel / boarding house typical of the type that catered to tourists, salesmen and long term tenants less affluent that those attracted to Durango’s more elaborate and expensive hotels. The circa 1909 facade and rear expansions illustrate part of the commercial history and successful operation of this century old facility.

Excerpt:  The Rochester Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Durango, harkening back to Durango’s silver-boom days when it was originally named the "Peeples Hotel." The hotel was completely renovated in 2022, transforming the former 33-room public boarding house into 15 luxurious king and double queen rooms with private baths, featuring modern amenities and furniture that complement the historic building and architecture.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

4. The Rochester Hotel (west/front elevation)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

5. Peeples Bar

Inside the Rochester, the Peeples Bar is named for former county commissioner E.T. Peeples who began construction of the hotel in 1891, then known as “Peeples Hotel.”

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 24, 2024

6. The Rochester Hotel (northwest elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The Rochester Hotel is a two-story, red brick building constructed in 1890-1892 with additions ca. 1909 and ca. 1920. Flat-roofed and rectangular in shape, this building features triple segmental arches over most windows and doors, rough cut-stone sills on the windows, a porch with Tuscan columns at the main entrance, and a pressed-metal, bracketed cornice with dentils on the facade with an arched cornice bearing the inscriptions "1892" and "Rochester." The building fronts west onto 2nd Avenue which is one block east of Durango's primary commercial street. Interior features include some of the original simple trim molding, door frames, and window frames; the original doors (of varied design including four-panel Christian doors, six-panel doors, five-stacked- panel doors, etc.); the original windows (including transom windows); an original skylight in the ceiling upstairs; and an original stairway with banister and posts.