When you live in Denver, you often hear muffled voices whispering about dirty secrets kept underground – of tunnels and brothels, bunkers and politicians, boozing and gambling. Tales are muttered under breath of lascivious acts that took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, that include the entanglement of prostitutes, public officials, and staunch defenders of Prohibition. More recently, rumors again swirled of underground happenings also involving government agencies, unexplained passageways, and illicit activities. Whether you’re a bonafide conspiracy theorist or a tried and true devil’s advocate, read on to see what lies beneath the streets of Denver that is shockingly twisted yet incredibly intriguing.
The Brown Palace Hotel…
Facebook/The Brown Palace Hotel …opened its doors in 1892 and has remained a lively hub of downtown Denver ever since. This grand, historic landmark has provided rest and recreation for many celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries over the years, including the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, the Beatles, Bill Clinton, Al Capone, and the notorious Denver mob boss Jefferson “Soapy” Smith.
The Navarre Building…
Flickr/Sam Cox …was built in 1880 and served as a school for girls (ironically, as you’ll soon see) until the owner’s death in 1889, when it became Hotel Richlieu. The new establishment soon gained a reputation for nefarious activities that included gambling, over imbibing, and ladies of the night. Years later, the building was lost in a card game and renamed, The Navarre, but it remained a popular haunt for drinking, dining, sporting, and prostitution.
Flickr/Amy Huffaker (I’m sure the Navarre was a much classier bordello, but for some reason images of the infamous Birdcage Theatre in Tombstone keep flitting through my mind.)
Flickr/Amy Huffaker Legend has it that when the Navarre’s wine cellar was built in 1892, a secret underground passageway was constructed leading to the Brown Palace Hotel across the street, allowing guests diplomatic, easy access to the famed cathouse. According to reliable sources, patrons and prostitutes were allowed to come and go as they pleased, until at least the 1920s.
Photo Courtesy of Altitude TV Supposedly the tunnels also connect to the Oxford Hotel, Hotel Teatro, and all the way to the Capitol Building. They’ll tell you the tunnels were built for the heating systems in the late 1800s so that unsightly coal ore carts wouldn’t be seen delivering coal or removing ash. They’ll tell you…a lot of things. (Pictured is a sealed entryway beneath the Blake Street Vault, built in 1863.)
The Denver International Airport…
Flickr/Hector Parayuelos …raised a lot of speculation during its construction in the 1990s, as many regarded the already established Stapleton International Airport to be sufficient. But the sprawling, 53-square-mile complex that is now DIA was ultimately erected and has remained at the center of the rumor mill for years.
Flickr/Friends of the Higher Forces Conspiracy theorists claim that there’s a massive military facility (maybe even city) beneath the Denver Airport which could be used by government officials should the security of Washington D.C. (and subsequently the country) ever be compromised.
Flickr/Mark Frauenfelder I’m not saying that I believe the accusations, but the strangely apocalyptic murals at DIA, coupled with the fact that in 2014 an insider blew the whistle about the existence of the underground facilities, has my curiosity piqued.
Flickr/Rocky Chang Seriously, though. Coincidence? Don’t believe in ’em.
Flickr/Robert Blyth And then there’s this. (What does it all mean!?)
Flickr/Friends of the Higher Forces And things that make you go hmmm…?
One last word from Tombstone…
Flickr/Amy Huffaker
Okay, we want to hear it! What are your thoughts about these wild accusations? True or false? Let us know what you think lies beneath the streets of Denver in the comments below.
Facebook/The Brown Palace Hotel
…opened its doors in 1892 and has remained a lively hub of downtown Denver ever since. This grand, historic landmark has provided rest and recreation for many celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries over the years, including the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, the Beatles, Bill Clinton, Al Capone, and the notorious Denver mob boss Jefferson “Soapy” Smith.
Flickr/Sam Cox
…was built in 1880 and served as a school for girls (ironically, as you’ll soon see) until the owner’s death in 1889, when it became Hotel Richlieu. The new establishment soon gained a reputation for nefarious activities that included gambling, over imbibing, and ladies of the night. Years later, the building was lost in a card game and renamed, The Navarre, but it remained a popular haunt for drinking, dining, sporting, and prostitution.
Flickr/Amy Huffaker
(I’m sure the Navarre was a much classier bordello, but for some reason images of the infamous Birdcage Theatre in Tombstone keep flitting through my mind.)
Legend has it that when the Navarre’s wine cellar was built in 1892, a secret underground passageway was constructed leading to the Brown Palace Hotel across the street, allowing guests diplomatic, easy access to the famed cathouse. According to reliable sources, patrons and prostitutes were allowed to come and go as they pleased, until at least the 1920s.
Photo Courtesy of Altitude TV
Supposedly the tunnels also connect to the Oxford Hotel, Hotel Teatro, and all the way to the Capitol Building. They’ll tell you the tunnels were built for the heating systems in the late 1800s so that unsightly coal ore carts wouldn’t be seen delivering coal or removing ash. They’ll tell you…a lot of things. (Pictured is a sealed entryway beneath the Blake Street Vault, built in 1863.)
Flickr/Hector Parayuelos
…raised a lot of speculation during its construction in the 1990s, as many regarded the already established Stapleton International Airport to be sufficient. But the sprawling, 53-square-mile complex that is now DIA was ultimately erected and has remained at the center of the rumor mill for years.
Flickr/Friends of the Higher Forces
Conspiracy theorists claim that there’s a massive military facility (maybe even city) beneath the Denver Airport which could be used by government officials should the security of Washington D.C. (and subsequently the country) ever be compromised.
Flickr/Mark Frauenfelder
I’m not saying that I believe the accusations, but the strangely apocalyptic murals at DIA, coupled with the fact that in 2014 an insider blew the whistle about the existence of the underground facilities, has my curiosity piqued.
Flickr/Rocky Chang
Seriously, though. Coincidence? Don’t believe in ’em.
Flickr/Robert Blyth
And then there’s this. (What does it all mean!?)
And things that make you go hmmm…?
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
