Hotel de Paris Museum, a Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is owned and operated by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Colorado. “Famous the wide world over,” Louis Dupuy’s Hotel de Paris, an idealized notion of a French inn, began in 1875 and is older than the State of Colorado itself. His creation catered to wealthy businessmen, railroad tyc
oons, mining investors, and outdoor adventure seekers. Hotel de Paris served as a first-class French restaurant, a showroom for traveling salesmen, and as a high-end accommodation during America’s Gilded Age. Guests marveled at the hotel’s elegant quarters, gas and electric lights, steam heat, hot and cold running, water, and cellar stocked with the finest wine, champagne, cognac, sherry, port, brandy, and whiskey…all nestled in the alpine beauty that surrounded the building and set against a backdrop of wilderness. A rich and storied past includes visits from notable guests George and Jay Gould and such celebrated figures as the Countess Magri. In 1954, it was purchased and reopened as a museum about the hotel. Over the last 60 years, the building has undergone millions of dollars of preservation and renovation efforts. Restored period rooms showcase the site’s original furnishings, which are faithfully arranged. Visitors are immersed in a setting of authenticity, which provides a fascinating window into the lives of the hotel’s proprietors, workers, builders, and guests. Today, the hotel is a treasured landmark and appears much as it did during the 1890s. The building poses a striking contrast to the rugged mountain terrain, and is distinguished by its cast iron window lintels and sills, gilded statuary embellishments, and stucco exterior scored to resemble blocks of stone. The interior still boasts its original black walnut and silver maple floors, English carpets, velvet-covered couches and chairs, marble-topped vanities, and an impressive collection of books from Dupuy’s personal library. However, the centerpiece of the site is the hotel’s dining room, with its scratch fresco ceiling, William Henry Jackson photographs, saloon tables, central fountain, and 1880s guest register. Hotel de Paris Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and lies within the Georgetown-Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. In 2003, Georgetown was named one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Mission: To collect, preserve, and share history associated with Louis Dupuy's Hotel de Paris, and serve as a catalyst for heritage tourism in Georgetown, Colorado. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately-funded nonprofit organization, works to save America's historic places.
