Christian Science Church

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1880s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; condemned

Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: Christian Science Church was constructed as a saloon and bowling hall at the turn of the 20th century. The property was converted to a church in the early1900s. Located within Victor’s downtown National Register Historic District, this rare architecturally designed building stood as an example of the town’s rich mining history and architectural heritage. Over the years, the building had developed severe cracks in its walls, which required the city to close off the street immediately in front of the property over concerns for public safety. The owners had placed it on the market, hoping a preservation-minded buyer would rehabilitate the building. Still, an attempt to find a buyer was unsuccessful, and the building was deemed a hazard and demolished.

Isis Theatre

Listed: 2020

Constructed: 1899; rebuilt in 1900

Threat: Demolition by neglect; development

Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: The Isis Theatre is a rare survivor of a minimally altered, vaudeville-style theatre. Originally constructed in 1899, the building was burned in a fire that leveled the majority of Victor to the ground that same year. Rebuilt in 1904, the theatre witnessed countless important figures in entertainment in the early 20th century. The building maintains a high degree of integrity, with hundreds of the original seats still on the property, original projector systems operating with DC electricity, and decorative elements. The outside evokes a sense that the building might have been remodeled in an Art Deco style but adds to the overall historic character of Victor

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1899

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: The Silver Dollar Saloon is one of the many buildings rebuilt in 1899 following a fire that destroyed most of downtown Victor. Built by Jimmy Doyle, founder of Colorado’s richest gold mine (the Portland Mine), the building is one of only two stone buildings in town. Early directories show that the upstairs housed ten offices. Downstairs housed the Gorman Clothing Company, shoe store, haberdashery, and barbershop. At the height of the Art Deco era, the first floor was transformed into a saloon. The owners spared no expense to attract patrons, as evidenced by the surviving Can-Can stage, dining booths, bar stools, and counter. In 2008, the Silver Dollar Saloon was sold to sympathetic owners who immediately applied for and received a State Historical Fund grant to reroof the building and perform a Historic Structure Assessment. In more recent years, the broken storefront windows have been replaced, and work has begun on the interior. A recent sickness in the family and concerns for funding have stalled progress on the site.

Site Needs: Funding and partnership with Victor’s Main Street Program.

Update: There has been little change. The site is privately owned, and while they have done some work to the building, health concerns with the family have put the project on hold.