Goldfield Hotel
History
Built at a cost of between $300,000 and $400,000, it was reported to be the most spectacular hotel in Nevada at the time of its completion in 1908. Champagne is said to have flowed down the front steps in the opening ceremony. Its 150 rooms were fitted with pile carpets, many with private baths, and the lobby was trimmed in mahogany, with black leather upholstery and gilded columns. It also featured an elevator and crystal chandeliers.
The hotel was in use as such until the end of World War II, its last occupants being officers and their families from the Tonopah Army Air Field. Despite several renovation attempts over the years, it has remained unoccupied. In the 1980s, California developer Lester O'Shea spent $4 million trying to turn the hotel into an Edwardian-style tourist retreat, but that project eventually collapsed in bankruptcy proceedings.
At the 2003 Goldfield Days auction, the hotel was sold to Edgar S. "Red" Roberts, a rancher and engineer from Carson City, for about $360,000. Roberts told The Wall Street Journal in 2004 that he had plans to refurbish the bottom two floors of the four-story hotel and open them to the public by 2006. He also told the newspaper: "It's a challenge. I may regret it." As of 2010, work remained uncompleted.
Goldfield resident Virginia Ridgway spent three decades as caretaker and "keeper of the keys" to the hotel, granting visitors access to the building and accompanying them as they toured its floors. In January 2016, Ridgway announced that she was giving up that role and turned the keys of the hotel over to Malek DaVarpanah, who owns an antique shop in Goldfield.
In September 2017, the Pahrump (Nev.) Valley Times reported that renovation work on the Goldfield Hotel had resumed.
The hotel was put up for sale in 2022; the sale included the hotel and other nearby properties for a price of $4.9 million.
In media
The building was used in the film Vanishing Point (1971) as the site of Super Soul's radio station, KOW. It also featured in the film Cherry 2000 (1987) and the film Ghosts of Goldfield (2007).
In 2004, the American television programme Ghost Adventures featured the property, where cast members Zak Bagans and Nick Groff conducted a paranormal investigation. The investigation became famous for a specific incident in the basement when a brick was seemingly flung across the room on its own, provoking a terrified response from Bagans.
Four years later, in 2008, TAPS of the popular Syfy show Ghost Hunters investigated the hotel.
A researcher for the Central Nevada Museum, however, notes that there are "inconsistencies" in the stories, and most apparently stem from a book written by a former owner of the property. The notoriety has not helped the hotel rehab and has led to frequent vandalism and unauthorised entry.
In 2011, Ghost Adventures returned to the hotel to conduct a third investigation, during which the crew observed a significant amount of unexplained activity. In that episode, Bagans learned that owner Red Roberts was in talks with people who were interested in buying the hotel. In 2013, the Ghost Adventures crew returned once again for a fourth investigation where, like their previous investigations, a lot of unexplained activity was captured.
In 2021, Ghost Adventures returned to the hotel to conduct a fifth investigation, during which the crew observed a significant amount of unexplained activity.
See also
- Mizpah Hotel, designed by one of the same architects.
References
- ^ "State Historic Preservation Office". nvshpo.org. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Goldfield Hotel". onlinenevada.org. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Goldfield Nevada – The Goldfield Historical Society – The Goldfield Hotel". goldfieldhistoricalsociety.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Goldfield – Nevada Ghost Town". ghosttowns.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ Glionna, John (January 17, 2016). "Ghost guardian: Keeper of keys at Goldfield Hotel soon to turn over responsibilities". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ^ Patty Cafferata. The Goldfield Hotel: Gem of the Desert. Reno, Nevada: Eastern Slope Publisher, 2005
- ^ Anders, George (December 7, 2004). "Prospecting for Gold: Nevadan Has Plans For Old Mining Hotel". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ Meehan, Jeffrey (September 8, 2017). "Plans Taking Shape to Reopen Landmark Golfdfield Hotel in Nevada". Pahrump Valley Times. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ "Goldfield Hotel up for sale for $4.9 million". KLAS. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ JoVon Sotak (October 29, 2010). "The Goldfield Hotel: When Ghost Stories Are Bad for Historical Properties". OldHouseWeb. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
External links
- IMDB for Cherry 2000
- A Guide to the Goldfield Hotel furnishings list, NC1205. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.