History
The house was built in the 1880s by architect William A. Lang, incorporating several popular styles of the period, including Queen Anne Style architecture, for the original owners Isaac and Mary Large. They suffered financially from the crash resulting from the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 and were forced to sell the house. It was purchased by James Joseph Brown (J.J.), Margaret's husband, in 1894 for US$30,000 and the title was transferred to Margaret in 1898, possibly due to J.J.'s deteriorating health.
Margaret and the family traveled a lot of the time, and so the house was rented out. In 1902, it was the governor's mansion for the Governor of Colorado and his family (Maggie invited the governor and his family to use her home while the governor's mansion was undergoing remodeling). During the Great Depression, Margaret was forced to turn it into a boarding house under the supervision of her housekeeper. It was also during the Depression that the house was sold after Margaret's death in 1932, for $6,000. It was in disrepair, and the new owners drastically remodeled it to house 12 roomers.
Read more about this topic: Molly Brown House
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