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Black Monarch Hotel

updated April 20, 2021

VICTOR, COLORADO — A haunted writers retreat, a mirrored Bella Lugosi-inspired room, a secret society, plus an endless string of curious events, and I almost can’t keep up with the swirling dreams and concepts Adam Zimmerli is considering for his buzzing boutique hotel, The Black Monarch, in Victor, Colorado.

Launched as a "horror" hotel in May of 2019, The Black Monarch snagged articles in The Lonely Planet, Travel and Leisure, The Mail, and The Guardian, among others, upon opening and has gained thousands of social followers in a blink.

And despite that initial headline-grabbing identity, there’s a lot more at play for The Black Monarch than a chance to compete with The Stanley Hotel, famous for inspiring Stephen King’s "The Shining," for most haunted Colorado destination. Its mystic-horror-noir aesthetic has drawn new visitors from across the US to a remote town they’d probably never discover otherwise

Victor, where The Black Monarch is located, is a quiet, gravely thumbprint on the vast Colorado post-mining-boomtown topography. Settled into the shadow of Cripple Creek’s gambling district to the north, it can feel as ghostly as any other dying mountain town of its kind, especially on a frigid winter morning wandering through its practically vacant, high-altitude corridor.

Old mining structures slump against the hillside. Stone foundations sink into the earth. Homes that appear tidy and well-preserved from afar seem post-apocalyptic as you sneak a closer look, their windows bashed in and their interiors stripped bare.

Visitors can even tour the most prominent relics of this once thriving Gold Camp on a hike known as Vindicator Valley Trail. And while much of the mines are indeed disintegrating, they still stand, for now, as a legacy to the prosperity that launched this gorgeous Colorado mountain town.

bringing a Colorado Ghost Town back to life

Even with the many bright gems here—the friendly people, the dedication to history (there’s an entire museum dedicated to the famous journalist and world traveler, Lowell Thomas), and a stunning, craggy terrain—it still feels a bit like Victor might be breathing its last breath.

And that’s exactly what Adam Zimmerli, owner of The Black Monarch, longtime property manager, and self-described marketing savant, wants to change. "I was obsessed immediately after getting this building," Zimmerli shares in a December 2019 phone interview. "I love historic buildings, and I always have since I was a teenager."

With only a three-person crew, Zimmerli transformed The Monarch (its original name), an 1899 Victorian building that originally housed a brothel, saloon, and casino, into a boutique concept with what feels like limitless potential.

Four rooms share a European hostel-style restroom and shower area along with a full kitchen. We stayed in the H. H. Holmes Room, named after the serial killer who famously constructed the Chicago Murder Castle where the con artist and pharmacist killed over 200 people.

Down the hall is the Nikola Tesla Room, rumored to have been wired by the electrical genius himself, and the Elizabeth Báthory and Black Annis Rooms. Báthory was a 16th Century Hungarian Queen known for killing and bathing in the blood of female servants, and the Black Annis is an ancient English creature akin to a witch or bogeyman that is said to kidnap and consume children.

An entrepreneur with multiple properties for rent in Colorado, Zimmerli sees opportunities not only for The Black Monarch hotel but also for Victor itself. A new event center has been built, and more public spaces are being proposed. And as we chat, it’s easy to share his excitement and enthusiasm. The alternative, Victor’s business district dying like so many Colorado mining towns before it, is just too sad.

In addition to reinforcing the existing structure, Zimmerli wants to add three more hotel rooms—Bella Lugosi, Harry Orchard, Lizzie Borden and Boris Karloff are among the contenders—two more bathrooms, a penthouse and a wraparound rooftop bar with swanky amenities like a hot tub and gas fire features. A large interior atrium with vining plants (once popular in Victorian culture, he adds) could be used for hosting group dinners.

And that’s just lifting the veil, quite literally, for Zimmerli. "One of my ultimate goals is I really want to make kind of the alt tattoo girl or goth girl’s ultimate dream destination wedding," he adds. There’s plenty of street-level space available in his building which would also be rented out for receptions or events.

It’s all part of one impressively ambitious long-range vision, one that Zimmerli admits might take some time to fully realize. "At the current rate of funding, because I’m currently paying for this cash out of my own pocket, it’s going to take me probably 10 years."

We personally can’t wait to see how The Black Monarch develops!

 

Things to do in Victor, Colorado

Photographs and text by Elaine Skylar Neal / Travels and Curiosities

 

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