A stay at the Urban Cowboy hotel, which opened in Capitol Hill last month, is like taking a trip in a Denver DeLorean. Set inside an 1886 Queen Anne–style mansion—designed by prominent local architect F.E. Edbrooke for hatmaker turned real estate mogul George Schleier—every inch of the boutique inn and on-site bar is outfitted with period details, from gargoyles carved into the staircase balusters to ornate tile surrounding the fireplaces to hammered-copper soaking tubs in all 16 of the guest suites.

Husband-and-wife owners Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks’ design goal? For the building’s recent additions to be indistinguishable from its original features. “We want people to walk in and go, Was this here all along?” Porter says, noting that Denver was the perfect fit for Urban Cowboy’s fourth location—they started in Brooklyn before expanding to the Catskills and Nashville, Tennessee—because it encapsulates the 10-year-old hotel brand’s nostalgic Western aesthetic. The Mile High City also happens to be Banks’ hometown. The couple worked with GBX Group, an Ohio-based real estate firm that revitalizes historical properties, and Historic Denver to preserve the Millionaire’s Row mansion’s century-old architecture. “It’s a piece of art; it’s a piece of history,” Porter says. “We’re just the stewards of it for a moment, but it’ll be here long after us.” Suites start at $200 per night

5280 November 2024
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This article was originally published in 5280 November 2024.
Michelle Shortall
Michelle Shortall
Michelle Shortall is a senior editor at 5280, where she manages Compass and writes and edits home stories for 5280.com.