Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2021

1. Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Cynthia Emrick, 7/13/1973:
This brick and stone dwelling was designed by Isaac Hodgson and built by J. M. Cochran for Thomas B. Croke in 1890. It is a fine example of the transitional style of Victorian Architecture and is an adaptive version of the Loire Valley chateau architecture, especially in the pattern of the Chateau

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2021

2. Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion Marker

The marker is near the northeast corner of the Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion grounds.

d'Azay-le-Rideau.
The structure is built of brick and faced with cut and dressed Colorado red sandstone with natural blocks of the sandstone for the foundations and the walls of the porches. The wood framing the windows and doorways is painted to match the stone in color. The walls are decorated by an elaborate frieze and varied stone coursing.
The mansion is three stories in height and is constructed on an irregular floor plan. It is connected to a carriage house of matching architectural style and stone. Between the two structures is a small courtyard which leads to a narrow staircase for the front porch. An unpretentious side entrance with a roofed and open porch also is reached through the courtyard.
The roof is slate and of a high hipped shape. It is decorated by crockets and finials along the ridges. There is a square tower with a hipped roof which sets on the corner where the north and east facades adjoin. This tower has retained its small corner spire with its conical roof but has lost the upper part of a stone column-like structure (probably a chimney) which at one point extended well above the roof, but which now stops at

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2021

3. Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion (east roofline)

the roofline. A round tower adorns the west corner of the north facade and it is topped by conical roof and decorated with a finial at the crest.
The mansion was built by Thomas B. Croke for a family dwelling. Croke was a schoolteacher, merchant and agriculturist from Wisconsin. He acquired 3,500 acres of land north of Denver where he established an experimental farm, which concentrated on plant breeding and irrigation techniques. It was this latter work which brought him recognition. Croke was involved in many affairs of the community as well, aiding in the development of Loretto Heights College, and the Denver Community Chest. In 1911 he was elected to the Colorado State Senate.
Croke sold his home on East Eleventh to Thomas MacDonald Patterson in 1892. Patterson, originally born in Ireland, came from New York and Indiana to Denver, to launch himself on a successful career in journalism and politics. He was one of the first seven men to represent Colorado in Congress, as territorial delegate in 1874. Patterson continued in political service in Colorado as a member of Congress, in either the House or the Senate into the 1900s.
His

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2021

4. Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion (northwest turret)

daughter, Margaret, married Richard Crawford Campbell in 1895 and the couple lived with the Senator in the mansion at East Eleventh until 1916. Campbell had come to Denver from West Virginia and had become the business manager for Patterson for the Rocky Mountain News. Campbell was known in Denver as a prominent financial leader. The house has been as unique in its history as it is in its architecture serving as the residence for the families of Colorado's early and most distinguished political representatives.

Excerpt:  The Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion is one of the oldest still-standing residences in the city. It was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the castle-like mansion’s residents represented a cross-section of the American upper class. Today, the building is home to the four-star Patterson Inn, which opened in 2013.
To build his new house, Croke hired contractor J. M. Cochran and noted architect Isaac Hodgson, Jr., who had designed the nearby

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2021

5. Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion (northeast elevation)

McMurtrie-Good Mansion and similarly styled stone dwellings in Portland and Omaha. It boasted three stories and a full basement. Turrets, spires, finials, dormers, bay windows, and arched doorways enhanced the facade. An archway connected the castle with a stable that was a miniature of the main house. Inside, the entrance opened into a large hall, the focal point being the massive grand staircase illuminated by large stained-glass windows. On either side of the great hall stood the library, parlor, and dining room with their elegantly carved oak trim. Ornate fireplaces accented each of these rooms, including a welcoming stone fireplace in the entry hall across from the staircase. Upstairs, the second floor opened up into another large hall leading to five family bedrooms, and narrow stairs rose to the third floor with its playroom for the children and three small bedrooms for servants. The basement featured a ballroom and tucked in the corners were laundry and storage rooms.

Excerpt:  The

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1890 sandstone residence with attached carriage house is a rare example of the use of Chateauesque style architecture in Denver. Thomas B. Croke, who gained fame as a merchant and experimental plant breeder and later served as a state senator, commissioned the house and lived there until he sold the property to Thomas M. Patterson in 1892.
Patterson served as a territorial delegate to Congress in 1874, a U.S. Congressman in 1877-79, U.S. Senator from 1901 to 1907, and edited and published the Rocky Mountain News until 1913. Patterson’s daughter, Margaret, married Richard C. Campbell, and the couple lived with the Senator until 1916. Campbell became a prominent local financial leader and worked as business manager for his father-in-law at the Rocky Mountain News.