The Armstrong Hotel, Historic Fort Collins Icon, Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary
The Armstrong Hotel, a beloved centerpiece of Old Town Fort Collins, opened its doors on April 7th, 1923 and is celebrating 100 years of sharing remarkable hospitality with locals and visitors alike.
“Then and now, The Armstrong Hotel has been the heartbeat of the Fort Collins community,” said George Prine, hotel general manager. “We honor the hotel’s storied 100-year history and look forward to providing guests many more years of exceptional hospitality and opportunities for entertainment and revelry, just as they did when the doors opened in 1923.”
To honor the centennial anniversary, The Armstrong Hotel will host a Party Like It’s 1923 event to kick off the festivities on May 18 and special festivities open to the public May 19 & 20. The Armstrong Hotel will also reveal new celebratory activities exclusively online and via Instagram throughout the year like Craft cocktails by the Decade and special musical guests in the famous Ace Gillett’s Supper Club & Lounge.
In 1923, Charles & Carolyn Mantz opened the original Armstrong Hotel in lively Old Town Fort Collins. Upon opening, it was the tallest building in town and advertised the hotel as the ideal location to explore Northern Colorado, from the Poudre Canyon to Rocky Mountain National Park.
In addition to welcoming visitors, the hotel offered Fort Collins residents a home away from home. Serving America’s growing love affair with the automobile, it housed the first chapter of the Colorado American Automobile Association (AAA), and during World War II, it was used as barracks for the U.S. Army. During the 1940s the hotel changed hands to the Gillett family, who lived on the second floor of the hotel for several decades.
The Fort Collins’ icon has a storied past that includes “secret booze runs” during prohibition, which lasted well into the 1960s. The hotel was home to eager entrepreneurs, illustrious professors, feisty farmers, a cat named Oreo and even paranormal activity with a friendly ghost reportedly looking like a bellhop with a gold-accented uniform.
The hotel underwent extensive renovations in 2019. Meticulous care was taken to create an atmosphere that celebrates the history while creating a modern and refined experience. Today, The Armstrong Hotel and Ace Gillett’s, Fort Collins’ beloved underground vinyl lounge and supper club, continue to create remarkable experiences for its guests.