The Antlers-Hilton

The facade of the Antlers-Hilton, on Cascade and Pikes Peak, gets a little dressed up every Christmas. Our largest downtown hotel, it used to be called the Antlers Doubletree, which explains the large silhouettes of two trees affixed to the building (I guess they never bothered to update the holiday decorations after the hotel changed hands to the Hilton group). Before that it was just the Antlers, and it's been a fixture of our downtown for generations. Built in 1883 by our city's founder, General William Jackson Palmer, it was intended as a resort for the well-heeled and has remained an upscale hotel ever since. Here is how it originally looked:

Unfortunately the original structure burned to the ground on October 1st, 1898, and was rebuilt. Here is the second incarnation, which I think was quite gorgeous:

Alas, in the name of progress this beautiful structure was torn down in 1964, and rebuilt to look like this (sigh):

It had a little cosmetic upgrade in the '90s, but still I think either of the two earlier versions are far more preferable! Although I must say that, even though the exterior lacks the charm of its ancestors, the interior of the Antlers Hotel is still luxurious and upmarket, and I've shot many a beautiful wedding there over the years.