Fitzgeralds Casino Expansion Completed

Renovation focused on preserving historic buildings in downtown Black Hawk

The historic Rohling Inn and adjacent Masonic Building were destined for ruin until Fitzgeralds Casinos and Hotels embraced them as part of the firm’s $22-million casino renovation and expansion in Black Hawk.

Great care was taken to give the facades of the Masonic and Rohling buildings a full makeover consistent with Black Hawk’s 1860s mining architecture.

Photo courtesy of Haselden Construction

Haselden Construction of Centennial and ICI Design Group of Minneapolis recently completed a two-phase, 32,000-sq-ft expansion project that restored both buildings—structures that date from the 1860s. Preliminary demolition began in spring 2006, with structural renovation starting in August 2006.

New construction, including the reconstructed Masonic Building, encompasses 22,000 sq ft, with Rholing contributing an additional 9,000 sq ft. Gaming areas, offices and back-of-house operations were the majority of the expansion.

Careful planning ensured that new construction did not diminish but enhanced the nostalgic charm of some of the oldest documented structures along the Front Range. Besides being an example of early Colorado architecture, the Rohling is notable for having hosted Elizabeth McCourt “Baby Doe” Tabor, who kept an apartment there.

Although the interior decor gives the appearance of a unified whole, the exterior sports distinctive facades consistent with the architecture of 1860’s Black Hawk. Veneers of native stone cover new concrete walls. Brick walls were repaired or added using “antiqued” brick—new brick subjected to a tumbling process—that blends with the original masonry.

“Great care was taken to give the facades of the Masonic Building and the Rohling Inn a ‘full makeover’ consistent with period architecture,” said Haselden Project Engineer Erick Hartzell. “Original lighting, window treatments, ornamental detailing and floor-plan designs were accurately duplicated.

“Interior and exterior materials from the original buildings were salvaged and refurbished. Where that proved impossible, fiberglass was used to replicate cornices, trim and other architectural elements,” he said.

Casino additions include a three-story grand entry at Main and Gregory streets, two bars, an upscale restaurant, a porte-cochere entryway and refrigeration facilities in the basement of the Rohling Inn.

“We carried the handsome woods of the existing casino, including beadboard wainscoting and crown molding, into the new space to make the interior decor appear as seamless as possible,” said ICI Design Group’s Jay Perisol, lead architect on the project. “Stone used to build new retaining walls and repair existing building walls was reclaimed from the site. It’s truly historic material.”