#332 - Black Monarch Hotel in Victor, CO

Monarch... Boutique?

During our Colorado road trip last July, Don and I spent 1 night at The Black Monarch Boutique Hotel. Interesting place. Interesting name. 

The words Monarch and Boutique are somewhat misleading. I picture some proper traveling ladies with butterfly print skirts, checking into a fashionable little inn. But this hotel attracts a different crowd. And a black monarch isn't even a butterfly. It's a bird.

Gentleman's Club in 1895

The Monarch Hotel (its original name) definitely was not a place for proper ladies, 129 years ago, Originally it was built as an exclusive Gentleman's Club. In 1899 it was rebuilt after a huge city fire and continued to serve the men of Victor, for many years.

The fine corner building once housed a saloon and casino and a brothel. So actually, I guess at least some women were allowed inside.

Victor at its Peak

The town at the foot of Pikes Peak, was at its peak back before the turn of the century. It was known as the City of Mines.

I've read there were around 18,0000 residents, during the gold mine era.

Victor Today

​There are less than 400 residents today.  Many of those still work in nearby mines.

When we arrived this past July, the town looked quiet. The buildings on Victor Boulevard looked just as they did when we visited 2 years earlier. In 2022, we stayed in the 5-story Victor Hotel, just a few buildings up from Black Monarch. Hard to believe this tiny town has 2 hotels! 

Victor in 2022

Two years ago, the little town was more lively when we visited. The annual Gem & Mineral Show was taking place.

While wandering 3rd Street that day, we spotted an unusual painting on the side of a building. Nikola Tesla seemed to be gazing down from the upper story of a brick building.

Hotel with Ominous Theme

The building with the mural, turned out to be The Black Monarch, which had recently been renovated. The interior had even more curious and eerie art.

We were able to peek in the hotel, after meeting a couple at a nearby coffee shop. Like us, they were retired folks who love to travel and stay in unusual hotels. They invited us to have a look inside.

​Jack the Ripper Room
​
The couple took us up to the second floor, where 8 guest rooms awaited. Most had themes involving notorious serial killers. Our new friends were amused by their creepy room, which was named for Jack the Ripper. I'm guessing those were some of Jack's victims, in the displayed frames. Ugh.

The nearly black walls, made the space feel claustrophobic. The 15-foot ceiling offered enough space for an odd sort of bunkbed, built next to the brick wall. Guess you could have a slumber party. Pull out the Ouija boards!

Ghoulish Displays

​Then we moved towards another hall, with more black and gray walls and a display case that held a mummy, a Frankenstein and a shrunken head.

​ 

---

At the opposite end of the hall, we spotted 2 oddly small knights, on either side of a door. The retiree couple insisted we pose for a photo, between the knights in armor.

The key was hanging outside the door which meant the room was not occupied. We 4 peeked inside and the room was huge! It was named for Nikola Tesla, instead of a murderer! I made a mental note. We'll stay in this room, if we ever come back! 

Black Monarch Hotel in 2024

We arrived at 4, on a Monday last July. I was excited that we'd booked the Nikola Tesla room. I was less excited about our host, who had yet to reach out about about check-in logistics. Oh the woes of contactless hotels.

The doors on the corner were locked. I peeked through some taped up glass windows. It looked like they were still in the midst of the same renovation we'd seen 2 years ago. The hotel's coffee shop to the left, was also closed. The hotel was dark and quiet, with lots of "stuff" cluttering the walk. Some looked more discarded than displayed.

Vacant?

Don and I have dealt with a lot of poorly run independent hotels, so I tried to be proactive. For days I attempted to reach our host through texts, emails and phone calls. I wanted to be sure our reservations were correct and that we were indeed down for the Tesla room.

Months earlier, I'd made my payment ($130. total) through Paypal, so I did at least have that receipt. But that receipt wasn't exactly a key that would get us in the door at that moment. 

​Open Door

I called the host's number again, but there was no answer. Luckily the door on the side of the building, (to the right of the HELP WANTED sign) was unlocked.

Don waited in the car and I stepped inside, to investigate.

Creepy Hall

The hall was dark! (my cellphone photo looks bright) The chipped floor tile and yellow wallpaper looked exactly as it had 2 years before. 

After entering the hall I peeked through a door window into the "Ballroom" that was being renovated 2 years ago. I took the above photo in 2022 and I could detect little progress. It looked like the same "Pardon Our Mess" sign.

I headed for the stairs and was huffing by the time I reached the landing. (Victor has an elevation of nearly 10,000!) I paused halfway up, and found myself being stared at by a growling wolf. I don't recall seeing this taxidermy guy before.

Noises

I continued up, hoping my eyes would adjust. As I neared the communal kitchen, I heard some clatter. "Hello? Hello there?" I greeted like I was in a Nancy Drew book.

A man walked out of the kitchen, looking startled. I told him we had arrived to check in. It was suddenly clear that he was a guest. And luckily not a scary looking one. 

Which Room?

The young man wasn't overly chatty, but he at least admitted he'd had the same frustrating issues reaching the host. He mentioned that he was staying in the Lizzy Borden Room. I told him we had booked the Tesla room.

The man pointed to the key hanging below the "3". I took a peek inside the room and didn't spot any suitcases belonging to strangers. I raced down to car to fetch Don. 

Quick! Move In!

I should have been relieved to see our 612 sq ft room waiting for us. But it felt ominous. I still hadn't heard back from the host. All I had was the Paypal receipt. I felt like we were squatting by bringing our bags into the room to claim our space! 

The dark room with coal gray walls and floors, felt a lot better when I pulled open the curtains, on all 7 windows. ​

But the light put more focus on the very worrisome bed making. Ugh. I had to do some major inspections and tidying.

Haunted 
​
Evidently the Tesla Room is the most haunted of all the Monarch's guest rooms. Odd because it's the only room that doesn't focus on a horrific character. Tesla was known as an electrical genius, not a murderer.

Long before this dilapidated building was purchased this in 2019, there were stories from locals. Many have spotted a woman looking out of a second floor window over the years. 

Which Window?

I read later that it was our window in the corner, where the mystery woman was often spotted. We saw no signs of the Ghost Woman, unless she was the one who rumbled the limp gray comforters on the bed. A bit of a Poltergeist maybe? 

I believe the building was vacant for decades, before it was purchased in recent years. I read that our host/owner (Adam Zimmerli) came upon the town of Victor over 5 years ago and fell in love with the charming buildings. 

Zimmerli eagerly purchased the empty Monarch Hotel, which had been the original name. He soon went to work renovating, to create a sort of Gothic "Horror Hotel".

The photo above shows our single window, above the corner door. I took this photo when we first arrived. Now I'm noticing the parted curtains. Was someone peeking out? Maybe she spotted us and  trampled the beds on the way out the door!

Scary?
​
So what attracts guests to Black Monarch? I'm sure many guests come to this hotel because they find the macabre theme entertaining. Some just want the thrill of staying in a haunted hotel, with creepy decor. 

I was less worried about ghosts than I was about the other guests. Who else would be staying? Who would be sharing our communal bathroom?​ None of the 8 guest rooms had their own. Just steps from our door, there was a room with 2 sinks and 2 mirrors. One shower stall and one toilet stall. Very cozy.

The Black Bathroom
​
I knew about the shared bathrooms when I booked. But  when I booked last March, I was not in a weary travel mood. like I was on that July day. ​

But there was one more option. There was a traditional, full bathroom, down the hall. Nothing traditional about a black toilet or sink, but it fit the theme. The old tub (with black curtain) was original to the building. The little black bat images that decorated the bottom of the tub, were nice additions to the theme... less nice for those who forgot their glasses and thought they saw bugs in the tub!

​Inspection

After calling and leaving a message that we had checked ourselves in, I finally heard back from our host. Whew, we could settle in and not be squatters. First I inspected the beds. Both passed inspection. I think the housekeeper was just in a hurry when she made them up.

Next, I gathered up all the gray shag pillows and beaded pillows and furry blankets and made a pile on the extra bed. No need for those.

​Exploring the Room

Usually after checking into a hotel, I leave the room to wander and explore. But our room had so much going on, I had to stay put and explore.

I checked out the telescope first. 
​

The instrument was aimed towards the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range. 

Then I looked above the window and noticed the glass insulators, decorating the ledge. A clever addition to the electrical theme.

I Love Windows

I do love a good window and we had 7 of them. I loved opening them up for fresh air.

There wasn't much happening on the corner of 3rd and Victor, but the General Store on 3rd, was a happening place at 5 on a Monday. Half the town seemed to be getting off work (nearby mines) and stopping to pick up a little something. 

Tesla Stuff

The hotel reopened about 5 years ago. Not that long ago, but it still felt a little worn in places. The "leather"couch had a rip in the center. The bed spreads looked weary. However, the Tesla theme was done well!

With 15-ft ceilings, there was lots of wall space to decorate.

I am not a science person and I know little about Nikola Tesla and I don't own a Tesla vehicle. But I was impressed with the collection of related curiosities. Below the Periodic Table of Elements, there were letters addressed  to N. Tesla. One had a postmark of 1899!

It actually makes me really sad that we didn't get a chance to meet the owner, A. Zimmeli. I would love to know how he acquired these "shocking" photo images and how he chose to display the other curious things. 

The photographic pieces were related to Tesla and electricity, but other stuff (like a boar's head) just added to the whacky decor. 

Tesla in Victor?
​
The local lore claims that Tesla actually came to Victor and wired this hotel for electricity in 1899. He was living in nearby Colorado Springs at that time. We tried out the electricity by turning on the TV. "SPARKTV" Even that fit the theme!

I kept discovering smaller surprises in the room. Like the miniature bust of Tesla, displayed beneath a yellow bulb. 

Learning

I actually took the mini Tesla figure out of his little display and moved him near my  chair, so I could have a little education time. 

I packed this book on Tesla, and dragged it all the way from Texas to enjoy in this room. I read aloud to Don for a while. I learned the fun fact that Baby Nikola was born at midnight, in the middle of an electrical storm. I hoped for a rainstorm that night. But no luck on that.

Antlers Instead

We didn't have storm excitement that night, but it was pretty exciting sleeping underneath so many antlers.

They seemed to be secured well.

Other Critters

There were other animals in the room. 

This smiling gator-head was resting on the coffee table. Maybe he's the one that took a bite out of the couch.

​We also had little creatures, visible in the pressed tin on the walls.

I loved this repeated dragon image. We also spotted the same design on the stairway, near the landing.

When we headed down the stairs to head off for dinner, we got a good look at the wallpaper and pressed tin.

​I made sure to stop and pose with the wolf.

I honestly had no idea I was making such an insane face! Is that capturing my real mood.

Dinner?

We could find absolutely no dining options open on a Monday evening in Victor. We could have purchased some Kraft Dinner or canned chili at the general store and heated it up in the communal kitchen.

There was a nice large table beneath a skylight, that we could have used just steps from the kitchen. But we chose to drive to the next town. We ate at a casino in Cripple Creek! 

Good Night!

​We returned from Cripple Creek before 9. I stepped back outside to take a night photo of our funny hotel. The town was eerily quiet.

Around 10 pm, we heard the arrival of a new guest. No talking, just a little coughing. Who comes alone, to stay a night at The Black Monarch Hotel? I plugged in a large and noisy floor fan that helped me sleep through the night.

Oscar the Fox

Sunlight poured through the curtains around 6 am. I peeked out at the morning and had a fun surprise. A little fox with a white tipped tail, scampered down the center of Third Street.

I thought about making coffee in the community kitchen, but the lighting was so dim that I needed my cellphone flashlight. We dressed and headed out. The bakery was closed that morning, so headed over to the General Store for coffee. On the sidewalk we chatted with a sweet family who told us the fox we'd seen was named Oscar. He was actually a pet and belonged to a man in town. We packed up and left town in happy spirits. I love a little tidbit like that.

​What's Notable?

The Black Monarch and the town of Victor are both intriguing and charming. So much potential, with these historic buildings in such a lovely setting.

I love that this hotel building was rescued and renovated by someone with enthusiasm and I'm guessing a sense of humor as well. A lot of creative thought went into designing these rooms. For a night it was fun to stay in a hotel with dark and creepy halls, yet stay in a room with a less freaky theme.

Sadly, I did feel disappointed. We tried to keep expectations low, because we know small, isolated communities struggle to find help and keep businesses afloat these days. But the lack of communication made our stay feel more like we were at a hostel than a Boutique Hotel. I so hope the owner can find some help or funds, to get this place running with enthusiasm again!