63 Years Ago
The November 16, 1961 Colorado Transcript celebrated the dedication of the Golden Odd Fellows’ Temple. The Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization, dedicated to civic improvements and mutual aid. Their lodge was established in Golden in 1871.
I’ve read two versions regarding the origins of their name. The first says that in the middle ages, when guilds formed for the major trades–masons, butchers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, etc.–the Odd Fellows was formed of people who did “odd jobs.” The second origin story says that they were formed to help each other and their communities, which some people considered an odd objective; thus, they were “Odd Fellows.”
Until recently, their lodge hall–or “temple”–was located on the second story of 1106 Washington Avenue (map). This building, constructed in 1871, housed many businesses over the years, including the Osborne market and the Avenue Hotel.
The Odd Fellows did a major renovation of the building in 1960. Victorian architecture was very much out of favor at that time, and old buildings were being demolished all over town. The Odd Fellows kept the inside walls of the building, but replaced the Victorian facade with modern, unadorned brick. In a sign of the times, the October 19, 1961 Transcript described it as “one of the most beautiful fronts in the city’s history.”
The Odd Fellows recently sold their building to the same company that remodeled the adjacent buildings (now the Atomic Cowboy and Bjorn Honey). They plan to recreate the original Victorian facade.
Thank you to Wendy Weiman for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of November.
