Friday, October 7, 2016

Touring Molly Brown's House -- It's Unsinkable!!

When my sister came for a visit recently,
we toured the Molly Brown house on Pennsylvania Street in Denver. 
A stunning 1880's mansion, it was once the residence of J.J. and Margaret "Molly" Brown. 


If you're a history buff or just love old houses, this tour is a must. 
This is the front parlor where Margaret received visitors.
I wonder if the bearskin rug was a subtle reminder for guests to behave!


Margaret gained fame as a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. 
She was never called Molly in her lifetime but the Broadway musical,
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, changed all that for posterity. 
In her lifeboat, she encouraged other survivors to row, sing and survive. 
She also tried to convince a ship's officer to turn around and search for more survivors. 

One of my favorite rooms -- her library. 


Margaret was a well-known philanthropist and socialite as well as
an activist for education and women's rights 
She spoke five languages and loved to travel, often returning to Denver 
with crates of antiquities like the huge sphinxes on the front of the house.

Wonder where I could pick up a couple of these for my front porch?


She acquired great wealth in 1893 when her husband, J.J., made a bundle 
in mining engineering. They purchased the house the following year. 
After Margaret's death in 1932, the mansion housed twelve roomers and deteriorated rapidly.

When the mansion next door was demolished (and this three-story condominium was built;
it looks old but is brand new), the Molly Brown house began to sink into the empty pit beside it. 
This caused cracks in the mosaic tile floor on the porch which had to be replaced. 
It's always something with old houses, isn't it? 


The house was destined for demolition in 1970 when a group of concerned citizens formed 
the Historic Denver non-profit and saved it from the wrecking ball. 
They've been renovating it with many original items as well as period antiques ever since. 


Apparently, just after The Titanic movie was released, the house had so many visitors,
 they had to replace the worn-out carpets throughout the house! 

Wouldn't you just love a pantry like this . . . 


or a sumptuous dining room like Margaret's?

Allegedly, she said the animal heads were there to remind guests that she decorated
just like Teddy Roosevelt, her close personal friend.
Actually, she never met the man. 


If the family wanted a snack, they could just ring for it with this clever contraption.
Shades of Downton Abbey!


Here is the "modern" bathroom. 
Women sat down to do their toilette which is why the sink was so low.


So, for $8 you can enjoy a fascinating 45-minute guided tour where you'll not only learn more about the unsinkable "Molly" Brown but also have the opportunity to see two of the three floors of her historic house. The top floor will be open next year and will feature a servant's room.

And don't forget, the gorgeous carriage house in the back is now a gift shop.
It's bigger than my entire house!


Be sure to put this on your list of must-sees if you're planning a trip to Denver.

***

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Linking with:
One More Time EventsRustic & RefinedDwellingsBetween Naps on the PorchCoastal Charm,
Cedar Hill FarmhouseA Stroll Thru LifeSavvy Southern StyleA Delightsome Life,
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. OlsonThe Vintage NestPeonies and Orange Blossoms,
Poofing the PillowsAdirondack Girl at HeartRooted in ThymeShabby Art Boutique,
French Country Cottage

38 comments:

  1. Oh i loved that movie, I enjoyed the tour of her home.

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    1. I loved the movie too Marty. It seems more real after seeing her home. Have a good weekend.

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  2. What a fascinating story about the house, so glad it was saved and wonderful to see so much care and attention to detail has gone into the restoration. Thanks for this tour, I really loved it, would happily spend ages in the library!

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    1. Thank you Susan! I agree the restoration is first class. I love to see our old houses and their history preserved. See you in the library!

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  3. What a wonderful dwelling! Love seeing homes from the past Thank you for sharing! Lisa@ Sweet Tea N' Salty Air

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    1. Thank you Lisa! I could spend all day wandering around in old houses. The history permeates everything inside and brings everything back to life.

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  4. Been there several years ago -- always a treat. Thanks for sharing your visit. Sally

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    1. Hi Sally! So nice to hear from you. This is one of my favorite old houses in Denver; I never tire of imagining what life was like a hundred years ago.

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  5. Thanks for the tour! I enjoyed the history lesson and the architecture.

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    1. Thank you Carole! So glad you enjoyed the tour. Seems like the best way to learn about history is seeing where it happened. I'm sure you have a lot of historic places in the Carolinas to visit.

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    2. I am so glad that we got to do this together. It was amazing and I loved all of it. can't pick a favorite room although the library stands out. We both love to read and could spend hours touring the books there. Thanks for sharing it with me.

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  6. I am so thankful when I read about an old structure being saved from destruction. And what a eclectic place it looks to be! Thanks for the tour.
    :) gwingal

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  7. Thank you Nikki! Denver has so many interesting historic houses and it makes me sad to see them torn down to build a three-story blocky duplex. Thank goodness for groups like Historic Denver that saves them. I think Margaret (Molly) would have loved being called eclectic!

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  8. Thanks for taking us along on the tour. What a fun post!

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  9. This is so interesting, I know she was quite the character. Wonderful that individuals started the preservation. We too quickly rip down beautiful homes and don't preserve the past. Great post, thank-you---putting the house on my must-see list, Sandi

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    1. Thank you Sandi for taking a moment to read this post and for leaving me a sweet comment. Such a fascinating woman and a gorgeous home. I hope you get to see her house someday.

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  10. Looks like you had fun with your sister! :) I love it when history is preserved.

    I'm so glad you linked up and shared at Dishing It & Digging It! Looking forward to seeing more of your creativity each week! :)

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    1. Thank you Lori! My sis and I will be talking about this day for a long time. Such an inspiring and brave lady (Molly AND my sister!).

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  11. Pat, this brought back such great memories for me. Ten years ago my 4 sisters and I visited our cousins in Co. and we toured Molly Brown's home. I love history and loved the tour! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thank you Jann! It's always a wonderful thing when something brings back fond memories. I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour (both times!).

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  12. History buff here, too! So glad they saved this historic home. Thank you for the tour!

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    1. Thank you Julie! I think so many of us antique and vintage bloggers are also history buffs! Makes sense, doesn't it? We have many historic homes in Denver and I hope they're all still here in another hundred years!

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  13. Titanic is one of my favourite movies. Thanks for the tour of "Molly's" house and I'm so glad they saved it. A lot of history there and oh my, the library; I would love it! I should mention it to my son who is in Boulder. Hope you're having a wonderful day, Pat.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    1. Thank you Sandi! It's one of my favorite movies (and music) too. Isn't that library to die for? I hope your son in Boulder has an opportunity to visit Molly's house. Thinking of you and hoping you're doing well.

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  14. Visiting from SYC- I enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading about the home. I am disappointed to know she wasn't actually known as Mollly Brown! Gees- hollywood!! Anyway, I am glad the home was preserved. Too bad the condo unit built next door caused some damage to the tile flooring. That's amazing that the carriage house was larger than the home but then again they used horse and buggy back then and it likely housed straw and hay too!

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    1. Thank you Liz! I can tell you're a fellow old house fan. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. Every time I go into a big old house, I want one and then I think how much room do I really need and am happy with my little house which is also over a hundred years old. I think I wasn't clear on the carriage house..it's bigger than MY house not Molly's. But you're right about them in general. They were definitely big enough to hold all that horsey stuff.

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  15. Oh my...that was so much fun! I am so glad it wasn't demolished. The kitchen sink is amazing!!!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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    1. Thank you Cindy. So glad you had fun on the tour. The kitchen sink was amazing and so was the bedroom and the library and... oh, love it all!

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  16. Oh my...that was so much fun! I am so glad it wasn't demolished. The kitchen sink is amazing!!!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  17. Wish I had toured this historical treasure when I was in Denver and so glad that it wasn't torn down. Thank you for sharing your visit with us at Snickerdoodle Create~Bake~Make Link Party!

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    1. Hi Sharon! Maybe you can check it out next time you're in Denver. Thank you for tagging along with me.

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  18. How very cool! Her library is gorgeous. That is my dream library! Thank you so much for joining the party at Dishing It & Digging It! Hope to see you share with us this week!

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  19. Hello and thank you so much for sharing. What an amazing post! I so enjoyed visiting you today. Hug, Beverly http://teacottagepretties.blogspot.com/

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  20. Really enjoyed this historic post. We should all do more to bring attention to tours to help make the historic sites profitable. Kudos to you!

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  21. Wonderful house and wonderful post! Thank you for the pics of inside! Glad it wasn't torn down!

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  22. How fun to see this! Thank you for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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  23. I love history and old homes, Pat, so this was right up my alley. She was a fascinating character, wasn't she? The Teddy Roosevelt story made me laugh! Thanks so much for sharing your tour with us at Vintage Charm--

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