Mystery Location No. 151: May 26, 2019

This is the Croke-Patterson Mansion (now The Patterson Inn) at 420 E. 11th Avenue, Denver, Colorado. The clue "high in more ways than one" was a dead giveaway because Denver is known as the mile-high city and it's a haven for stoners, making it high in more ways than one. LOL!

The house was built by an Irishman named Thomas B. Croke for himself and his children – his wife had died a few years before. Some say he entered the mansion only once and decided to sell it. It was bought by another Irishman, Thomas Patterson, who served in both the US House and Senate. He and his family and descendants lived in the house for many years.

In 1927, the house was home to KFVR radio station and in 1930, it was converted into seven apartments and changed hands several times. In 1972, it was bought by Mary Rae and her husband and they continued to use it as an apartment building. She fought to save the mansion from demolition and it was eventually declared a Denver Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.


In 2011, the mansion was bought for $565,000 and turned into an inn. During renovations, workers uncovered various artifacts dating to the late 19th century as well as a few ghosts. People started seeing phantom figures of children, hearing strange voices and experiencing unexplained temperature changes. The ghosts were also awakened during renovations in the 1970s. Apparently, they only make themselves known when people make changes to the house. A lot of the original woodwork and windows were preserved, but some of the rooms (see above) are decorated in what I call "modern hotel horror."