Casino building still ‘bows’ to show its history, character
By Linda Jones
In 2000 the Grimes family purchased the two buildings that comprise the Easy Street Casino. One of the buildings contains the state’s oldest bar, the Gold Coin, most famous for its “Bringing Down the Ceiling” party. This unusual event always takes place the night of Lou Bunch Day – June 18 this year.
Throughout the year, visitors ask why there are dollar bills tacked to the ceiling. The bartender shows them why – after requesting a “George” and a quarter. The bartenders are skilled at adding a tack to the bill and tossing the items to the high ceiling – the quarter comes back down, to be returned to the visitor, and the bill stays on the ceiling. The visitor is asked to fill out a postcard with his address and he will receive an invitation to the next “Bringing Down the Ceiling” party, where he will drink free, courtesy of the ceiling. For everyone else the evening includes happy hour with free appetizers.
The Phillip Zang Brewing Co. of Denver built this handsome structure in 1897 and the first business was the Gold Coin Bar. Now, 114 years later, the same saloon, same name exist. In 1991, the Central City Council passed an ordinance to protect the interiors of some of the iconic buildings in the town as Victorian Landmarks and the Gold Coin is one of those buildings. Swinging through the doors instantly whisks a visitor back to the gay ‘90s. During Prohibition the building was a pool hall and grocery store.
If you look carefully at the photo, you’ll see that the building still bows along the roofline. The city required that this bow be left when the building was restored as a testament to the critical condition of the Main Street buildings prior to gaming.
The first casino in the Gold Coin building was the Gold Coin Casino; Lady Luck bought them out and when they ran out of luck, it again operated as the Gold Coin Saloon and Casino. Now this building and the Old Homestead Bread building are combined into Easy Street, with its popular restaurant, Millie’s. Easy Street also offers the only kid-friendly space in town, their arcade. This basement play area is accessible by a separate entrance.
