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Resource Number: 5BL8036
<br /> Temporary Resource Number: NIA Architectural Inventory Form
<br /> (Page 3 of 5)
<br /> V. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS
<br /> 31. Original use(s): Commerce and Trade I Bar
<br /> 32. Intermediate use(s):Commerce and Trade I Restaurant, Bar
<br /> 33. Current use(s): Commerce and Trade I Restaurant, Bar
<br /> 34. Site type(s): Commercial Building
<br /> 35. Historical Background
<br /> A previous cultural resource survey, conducted by Western Historical Studies in 1985, and Carolyn Conarroe in _1
<br /> The Louisville Story, both relate that this building was built in 1906, and that it was owned and operated by Nick
<br /> DiFrancia as a saloon. The 1908 Sanborn map corroborates that the building was indeed a saloon, however, the
<br /> saloon's original name has not been absolutely documented. Conarroe indicates that it was called the (Old)
<br /> Louisville Inn, while Western Historical Studies lists "DiFrancia's Saloon" as the building's historic name. The
<br /> saloon, however, is not listed under either name (or under any other name) in Boulder County directories during
<br /> the 1910s. In the 1940s and 1950s, the establishment was known as the Colorado Cafe and Bar, which specialized
<br /> in Mexican food. For a time in the 1960s the establishment was called the Primrose Bar. In the early 1970's the
<br /> business was called Grosso's Bar, but by 1975, it had been renamed the Old Louisville Inn. In the 1970s and
<br /> 1980s, the Old Louisville Inn was owned and operated by Hugh McKenzie, who also specialized in Mexican food.
<br /> In the early 1990s, McKenzie sold the business to Tina and Enzo Torelli. The Old Louisville Inn is perhaps best
<br /> known for its intricately carved Victorian-era bar, renowned as the second oldest bar in Colorado.
<br /> 36. Sources of Information
<br /> (Boulder County) "Real Estate Appraisal Card - Urban Master", on file at the Boulder Carnegie Library.
<br /> Conarroe, Carolyn. The Louisville Story, Louisville: Louisville Times Inc., 1978.
<br /> Mehls, Steven F., Mehls, Carol Drake, and Fell, James E. Jr. "Colorado Historical Society, Historic Building
<br /> Inventory Record [740 Front Street]", July 28, 1985. On file at the Colorado Historical Society, Office of
<br /> Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Denver, CO.
<br /> "Old Becomes New Again." Louisville Times, March 3, 1999, p. 1.
<br /> "Old Louisville Inn Contains Interesting Past and Future." Boulder Daily Camera. (date unknown, from clipping
<br /> file at the Louisville Historical Museum).
<br /> Polk's Boulder County Directory[generally published annually], Denver, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City: R.L. Polk
<br /> and Company Publishers.
<br /> Polk's Longmont City Directory, [generally published annually], Denver, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City: R.L. Polk
<br /> and Company, Publishers, 1966 - 1997.
<br /> Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, dated August 1893, November 1900, and August 1908.
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