Goldfield Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Goldfield Hotel is a historic four-story building located at the southeast corner of Crook Avenue (U.S. 95
) and Columbia Street in Goldfield
, Esmeralda County, Nevada
. Designed in the Classical Revival style of architecture by Reno
architects Morrill J. Curtis (1848-1921) and George E. Holesworth (born 1854} of the firm of Curtis and Morrill, it was built between 1907 and 1908 on the site of two earlier hotels of the same name which has burned. Built in a U-shape in order to insure outside windows for each guest room, the building has its west or main facade extending 180 feet along Columbia Street with the north wing fronting 100 feet on Crook Avenue and the south wing fronting 100 feet along an alleyway. The ground floor exterior facades were built of gray granite
stones from Rocklin, California
while the interior first floor facade and all upper story facades were built of redbrick. The top floor exterior facades were crowned with a white cornice
. On March 4, 1981, it was added to the Nevada State Register of Historic Places. It is a contributing property
in the Goldfield Historic District
, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on June 14, 1982.
. The rooms were outfitted with pile carpets, many with private baths, and the lobby was trimmed in mahogany
, with black leather upholstery
and gilded columns. It also featured an elevator and crystal chandeliers.
The hotel was in use as such until the end of World War II
, its last occupants being officers and their families from the Tonopah Army Air Field
. Despite several renovation attempts over the years, it has remained unoccupied. At the 2003 Goldfield Days auction, the hotel was sold to Red Roberts, a rancher and engineer from Carson City
. Roberts has plans to refurbish the bottom two floors of the four-story hotel and open them to the public. As of October 2010, the hotel renovations remained uncompleted.
Vanishing Point as the site of Super Soul's radio station, KOW.
In 2004 the American television program "Ghost Adventures
" featured the property, where cast members Zak Bagans and Nick Groff conducted a paranormal investigation. Four years later, in 2008, TAPS
of the popular Syfy
show Ghost Hunters
investigated the hotel for paranormal activity, as well. A researcher for the Central Nevada Museum, however, notes that there are "inconsistencies" in the stories, and most apparently spread from a book written by a former owner of the property. The notoriety has not helped the hotel rehab and has led to frequent vandalism and unauthorized entry. In 2011, Ghost Adventures returned to the hotel to conduct a second investigation, during which the crew observed a significant amount of unexplained activity. In that episode, Bagans learned that owner Red Roberts is in talks with people who are interested in buying the hotel.
U.S. Route 95 in Nevada
In the U.S. state of Nevada, U.S. Route 95 is a major U.S. highway traversing the state from north to south directly through Las Vegas and providing connections to both Carson City and Reno...
) and Columbia Street in Goldfield
Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
, Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of U.S. state of Nevada. Its county seat is Goldfield. Its 2000 census population was officially 971, making its population density 0.1045 inhabitants/km² , the second-lowest of any county-equivalent outside of Alaska. As of 2010, the population had...
. Designed in the Classical Revival style of architecture by Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
architects Morrill J. Curtis (1848-1921) and George E. Holesworth (born 1854} of the firm of Curtis and Morrill, it was built between 1907 and 1908 on the site of two earlier hotels of the same name which has burned. Built in a U-shape in order to insure outside windows for each guest room, the building has its west or main facade extending 180 feet along Columbia Street with the north wing fronting 100 feet on Crook Avenue and the south wing fronting 100 feet along an alleyway. The ground floor exterior facades were built of gray granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
stones from Rocklin, California
Rocklin, California
Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California located in the metropolitan area of Sacramento. It shares borders with Roseville, Loomis, and Lincoln...
while the interior first floor facade and all upper story facades were built of redbrick. The top floor exterior facades were crowned with a white cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. On March 4, 1981, it was added to the Nevada State Register of Historic Places. It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Goldfield Historic District
Goldfield Historic District
Goldfield Historic District is an historic district located in the center of Goldfield, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Roughly bounded by 5th Street and Miner, Spring, Crystal and Elliott avenues, the district encompasses of the unincorporated community of Goldfield...
, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 14, 1982.
History
Built at a cost of between $300,000 and $400,000, it was reported to be the most spectacular hotel in Nevada at the time of its completion in 1908. Champagne is said to have flowed down the front steps in the opening ceremonyOpening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
. The rooms were outfitted with pile carpets, many with private baths, and the lobby was trimmed in mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, with black leather upholstery
Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
and gilded columns. It also featured an elevator and crystal chandeliers.
The hotel was in use as such until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, its last occupants being officers and their families from the Tonopah Army Air Field
Tonopah Army Air Field
Tonopah Army Air Field was a World War II United States Army Air Force training airfield located seven miles east of the central business district of Tonopah, a city in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It was active between 1942 and 1945.- Origins :...
. Despite several renovation attempts over the years, it has remained unoccupied. At the 2003 Goldfield Days auction, the hotel was sold to Red Roberts, a rancher and engineer from Carson City
Carson City, Nevada
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
. Roberts has plans to refurbish the bottom two floors of the four-story hotel and open them to the public. As of October 2010, the hotel renovations remained uncompleted.
In media
The building was used in the 1971 movie1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
Vanishing Point as the site of Super Soul's radio station, KOW.
In 2004 the American television program "Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 17, 2008 on the Travel Channel. Currently produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment , the program follows and stars ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin, as they investigate locations that are...
" featured the property, where cast members Zak Bagans and Nick Groff conducted a paranormal investigation. Four years later, in 2008, TAPS
The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of Ghost Hunters, a popular weekly...
of the popular Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
show Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
investigated the hotel for paranormal activity, as well. A researcher for the Central Nevada Museum, however, notes that there are "inconsistencies" in the stories, and most apparently spread from a book written by a former owner of the property. The notoriety has not helped the hotel rehab and has led to frequent vandalism and unauthorized entry. In 2011, Ghost Adventures returned to the hotel to conduct a second investigation, during which the crew observed a significant amount of unexplained activity. In that episode, Bagans learned that owner Red Roberts is in talks with people who are interested in buying the hotel.