THE GOLD COIN CLUB BUILDING

Last week I mentioned finding a story while looking for something else. This week I was attempting to identify what coin club had their own building. The Tidewater (VA) Coin Club established a building fund in 1965. I don't know what became of that. Currently the club meets at the Norfolk VFW Post.

 
The Gold Coin Club Building in 1903

The city of Victor, Colorado, was founded in 1891 after gold was found nearby. In 1894, the Woods brothers discovered a vein of gold ore while digging the foundation for their hotel. This became the Gold Coin Mine.

The Woods brothers were devout Baptists and wanted to create a place where workers could gather in a temperate environment away from the local saloons. Membership was offered to workers who had been on the job for sixty days. About half of the workforce took advantage of membership in the club.

There is a story within the story. On August 21, 1899, a Victor, Colorado, professional woman (prostitute) was washing her gown in kerosene in the entertainment (red light) district when she accidentally dropped a cigarette into the wash pan. A fire began in a shack on Paradise Alley on South Third Street. High winds quickly spread the fire uphill into the business district. By the end of the day, twelve square blocks with 200 buildings were destroyed, including the original Gold Coin Club Building across the street from the mine.

Around the turn of the century, the population of Victor swelled to 18,000. After the fire, a new building was constructed of fire-proof brick at 413 West Diamond Avenue. It was dedicated on Washington's birthdate in February 1900, about six months after the fire. It was built at a cost of $50,000, and patterned after the New York City Athletic Club.

The club had a large ballroom on the first floor. An oval balcony on the second floor overlooked the ballroom. The building included a bowling alley, pool and game room, steam room and gym and a 700-volume library. There were several dining rooms and eight sleeping rooms. The club had a 25-piece band that entertained at the club and marched in local parades.

How large was the building? An article in the February 22, 1900, issue of The Gilpin Observer described the size as 50 x 125 feet. After the building was occupied by the Elks, the Weekly Gazette for February 5, 1903, described the size as 75 x 125 feet. When the building was being renovated in 1971, an article in the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph described the ballroom as 60 x 150 feet.

This was unusual for mine owners to provide a facility for the social and recreational benefits of the employees. This was a way to retain good workers and keep them happy with their company. It also supported a sense of community within the workforce.

Vice President Theodore Roosevelt visited Victor on August 4, 1901. He had lunch at the Gold Coin Club and spoke to workers from the second-floor balcony. During a tour of the Gold Coin Mine, he was given a golden pick and fifteen minutes to dig for ore. The $500 worth of ore that he dug was sacked and given to him as a gift.

The club was in operation for less than three years. In January 1903, the Victor Elks Club was incorporated with the purpose of taking over the recently vacated Gold Coin Club. Their building was dedicated by the B. P. O. E. on February 2, 1903. The building was sold to a doctor in 1904 and used as the Red Cross hospital for ten years.

There was a labor dispute with the miners in 1903-4. Frank Woods announced to miners that they must quit the union by the end of their shift on September 30, 1903. Instead, the workers went out on a violent strike. Non-union workers at another mine were killed in a bomb blast in 1904.

As labor costs increased and ore sources were worked out, it became less profitable to mine gold. The Skaguay Power Dam that provided electricity to Victor did not produce enough revenue to pay for its construction. The Woods brothers were broke by 1910 and left town.

Doctor A. C. Denman, Teller County Coroner, had his office and residence in the building. A Houston investor purchased the property in 1964. The building was restored in the early 1970's and reopened, however briefly. Later it was converted to apartments.

 
The Gold Coin Club Building in 2017

On July 8, 1986, Q, David Bowers took an ANA Summer Seminar class to Cripple Creek and Victor, Colorado. They reported there was a "for sale" sign on the building. A photo of the abandoned building was included in Rare Coin Review, No 62, for Autumn 1986.

Colorado has more than 1500 ghost towns. Fewer than 400 current residents keep Victor from joining that list. The brick buildings constructed after the 1899 fire give the city its charm. Gold mining tourism is one thing that keeps businesses open. The Gold Coin Club Building continues to be a tourist attraction.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web