A large fire heavily damaged the Old Capitol Grill on Washington Street in downtown Golden this afternoon.
A call about smoke in the building came in at 3:30 p.m., said Sabrina Henderson, Golden Fire public information officer. She said firefighters quickly evacuated the building. By about an hour later, thick plumes of black smoke and 15-foot flames had nearly disappeared as firefighters got the fire under control.
Henderson says there’s no report of injuries. She says it is possible that there may also be some damage to neighboring buildings.
Local historian Tom Noel says the Colorado territorial legislature used to meet in the building from 1866 until 1867. It was restored in the 1990s.
“It would be a terrible loss to lose the building,” said Noel. “Practically every other building used for the territorial legislature like the one in Denver was destroyed by fire.”
“This was a beautiful restoration of one of the most important buildings in Colorado,” he said.
