The Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
303.832.4092
Fax: 303.832.2340

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The Library, circa 1910

The Molly Brown House stands as an enduring symbol of the Victorian era and the city of Denver. In the 1880s the lucky few who made millions in the mountains, the railroads, or trade moved to the prestigious Capitol Hill neighborhood. Isaac and Mary Large had made their fortune in silver mining and purchased the land that the Molly Brown house sits on for $4000. In 1886 they commissioned the well-known architect William Lang to design their home. Lang combined the styles of Classic Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque and refined neoclassical to create a unique and eclectic home for the Larges. Lang used rhyolite stone on the exterior to create a rugged façade; he then complimented the ruggedness with smooth red sandstone. He also incorporated stained glass windows, ornamental wood panels and curved brackets to create a lavish appearance. The house contained all of the modern technology of the day including electricity, indoor plumbing, steam heat and telephone lines.

Shortly after the completion of the house the Sherman Silver Act was repealed, and the Larges became victims of the silver crash that followed. On April 3, 1894 the Larges sold their home to James Joseph Brown for $30,000. The Browns made changes to the house by adding a retaining wall to the front porch and enclosing the back porch.

In 1898, probably due to J.J.'s deteriorating health, the title of the house was transferred to Margaret Tobin Brown. Although Margaret owned the house until her death in 1932, the family did not live in the house continuously during these years. In 1902, while the Browns were on an around the world trip the home became the Governor's mansion for Governor James Orman and his family. After Margaret and J.J. separated, Margaret spent less and less time in Denver. When she did return to Denver she preferred to stay at the famous Brown Palace Hotel. She began to rent the 1340 Pennsylvania home out to different families. From the years 1911 to 1918 the home was rented to the well-known Cosgriff Family while their mansion was being built. Their mansion would later be sold to David Moffat and become the well-known Moffat Mansion.

Margaret continued to rent the house out to families until the declining neighborhood and the Great Depression forced her to turn the home into a boarding house under the supervision of her housekeeper, Ella Grable. Upon Margaret's death in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, the house at 1340 Pennsylvania Street sold for $6,000. It was in a run down state and the subsequent owners altered the house dramatically creating twelve separate spaces for roomers.

In 1958 Art Leisenring purchased the house and ran a gentlemen's boarding house. In 1960 Leisenring leased the house to the city, and it was turned into a home for wayward girls. Leisenring knew of "Molly" Brown because her life was being immortalized on stage and screen in the "Unsinkable Molly Brown."

Victorian homes were not popular in the early 1960s, and historic preservation projects were rare. Denver was in the process of undergoing "urban renewal," and bulldozers demolished many of the finest buildings to make room for high-rise apartments and parking lots.

Concerned about what he was seeing happen in the neighborhood, Art Leisenring and a group of other concerned citizens wrote the governor's wife, Ann Love, for help. On December 11, 1970, the group incorporated itself into Historic Denver, Inc. and made a grass roots effort to save the Molly Brown House from demolition. Through massive media appeals and other fund raising efforts, Historic Denver, Inc. was able to purchase the house for $80,000 and begin restoration. Through microscopic paint analysis, architectural research, and studying original house photographs from 1910 the house was finally restored to its original splendor.

Today, Historic Denver, Inc. has grown to be one of the largest private preservation groups in the country and continues to be involved in projects all over the city of Denver. In turn, the Molly Brown House Museum has become an established museum with the mission of interpreting the life of Margaret Tobin Brown, Victorian Denver and historic preservation. Approximately 40,000 people visit the Molly Brown House Museum per year to learn about the lifestyle enjoyed by Victorian Denver's upper classes and gain a glimpse into the life of Denver's "unsinkable" lady.