Sometimes, a small room can tell a much bigger story about a historic building—and challenge us to rethink which parts of its history deserve to be seen.
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| Toilet Room (1942) |
At Hotel de Paris Museum, a room that disappeared decades ago may be making a return. Dating to 1905, the second-floor toilet room represents a chapter of the hotel's story that falls just beyond its officially recognized period of significance of 1875-1900 as documented by the National Register of Historic Places.
Proposed reconstruction of the room raises an important question: How do we preserve a building's history when the story extends beyond the years for which it is best known? A reconstructed room offers a tangible connection to what came next: the period from 1905 to 1949, when the building's story continued to unfold.
Beyond the National Register Period
A National Register listing identifies the years during which a property attained the importance that qualifies it for recognition. For Hotel de Paris, 1875–1900 provides an essential framework for understanding its association with hotel founder Louis Dupuy and Georgetown's mining-era.
However, this designation does not mean the property's history after 1900 lacks value. The years that followed offer insight into changing uses, evolving expectations of comfort, and adaptations that allowed the hotel to continue serving occupants and guests. Interpreting these developments helps visitors understand Hotel de Paris as more than a preserved remnant of the nineteenth century.
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| Toilet Room door and transom (2026) |
Bringing Back the 1905 Toilet Room
Reconstruction falls within the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and is defined as "the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location. The Reconstruction Standards establish a limited framework for recreating a vanished or non-surviving building with new materials, primarily for interpretive purposes."
Reconstruction will restore a missing feature associated with the property's early twentieth-century history. The return of the toilet room will help visitors visualize how the building functioned starting in 1905 and provides an opportunity to discuss changes made by proprietress Sarah Burkholder in order to promote Hotel de Paris as a health resort.
As with any reconstruction, the work will be grounded in reliable historical documentation and physical evidence (see images above and below). Clearly identifying reconstructed elements also allows visitors to distinguish new work from surviving historic fabric and understand the decisions behind the project. More than a room, this feature becomes an interpretive resource, connecting the museum's physical spaces with a period that falls outside its currently designated National Register period of significance.
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| Toilet Room mirror, turned toward wall (2026) |
Embracing Multiple Periods in Historic Preservation
Historic preservation professionals increasingly recognize the importance of understanding buildings through multiple periods of use and change, rather than interpreting only one preferred date or architectural appearance. Later alterations can reveal significant information about evolving social expectations, ownership, and patterns of occupancy.
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties provides a framework for evaluating preservation decisions. The appropriate treatment depends on a property's significance, surviving materials, available documentation, and preservation objectives. Reconstruction requires particular care because a missing feature must be supported by sufficient evidence to avoid conjecture. Fortunately, the original 1905 door, transom, mirror, and toilet paper dispenser have survived; in addition, a photographic image of the room before disassembly is in possession of the Denver Public Library.
A multiple-period approach does not require retaining every alteration or reconstructing every lost feature. Instead, it encourages professionals to assess what each period contributes and how its significance can be communicated responsibly. The toilet room demonstrates how interpreting a feature from 1905 can complement, rather than compete with, Hotel de Paris's established period of significance.
A Fuller Understanding of Hotel de Paris
A reconstructed toilet room creates an opportunity to connect architectural history with the everyday experiences of people who used the building in the early- to mid-20th century. It also illustrates how museum interpretation can acknowledge a property's evolution without diminishing the period for which it is nationally recognized.
By exploring both its nineteenth-century significance and the developments of 1905–1949, Hotel de Paris Museum can offer visitors a richer understanding of the building and the generations that shaped it.
Historic preservation is not simply about returning a building to one moment in time. It is about using evidence, thoughtful interpretation, and careful stewardship to make its history more fully understood.
