[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14154]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO THE HOTEL COLORADO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 9, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise before this body of 
Congress today to honor a historic landmark in my district. The 
incomparable Hotel Colorado celebrates its 110th birthday this weekend, 
and I am honored to inform my colleagues here today of some of the 
history behind this amazing facility.
  The Hotel Colorado was completed in 1893 at a cost of $850,000, an 
enormous sum of money in those days. It was one of the first hotels in 
the country to be completely outfitted with, what was at the time, an 
amazing new technology--electricity. The hotel included a great 
courtyard fountain modeled after the one at the 1889 World's Fair, 
shooting water 185 feet in the air, along with a grand staircase.
  Many famous figures stayed at the Hotel Colorado, including Teddy 
Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and William Howard Taft. A few infamous 
characters such as Al Capone, Diamond Jack Alterie, and Doc Holliday 
overnighted there too, as did singer Dinah Shore and legendary Titanic 
survivor Molly Brown.
  On a couple of occasions the revered hotel didn't function as a hotel 
at all. During World War II, the U.S. Navy used the hotel as a 
convalescent hospital. In 1961, when a local school was condemned, the 
school district converted the hotel into a junior high school.
  Mr. Speaker, the Hotel Colorado has a spot in both the national 
Register of Historic Places and the hearts of thousands of people 
worldwide who experienced its beauty and splendor. The hotel has a 
special place in my heart since I have an office located there. I am 
truly honored to recognize the Hotel Colorado and to offer my 
congratulations on 110 years of outstanding service.

                          ____________________