Croke - Patterson- Campbell House is located at the southwest corner of 11 Avenue and Pennsylvania Street.
Thomas B. Croke, started his own firm at 1630 Lawrence Street, which offered carpets, window shades, draperies, and upholstered goods. He emerged as a carpet tycoon and invested in real estate. He owned a great deal of property.
In 1890- 1891, on the fringes of Capital Hill, the mansion was built for $18,000. The French Renaissance home was designed by architect Isaac Hodgen, based on the 16th Century Chateau d' Azay le Rideau in the Loire River Valley.
After the house was completed, something scared off Croke. He never lived in the house and after spending some time in North Denver, he moved to Park Hill. Croke served in Colorado State Senate during the early 1910's. His efforts were devoted to irrigation projects.
In 1892, Thomas Patterson bought the house. He arrived in Denver in 1872. He was appointed a deputy district attorney. He served in Congress from 1877 to 1879. He operated a very successful law practice. In 1890, he was quite wealthy and acquired the Rocky Mountain News. The newspaper had a reputation for integrity, honesty, and hard hitting reportage. He was elected as the Democratic candidate to the United States Senate in 1901, serving until 1907. He reported the news in 1913 and passed away in 1916.
The mansion passed to his son-in- law and daughter, Richard C. and Margaret Campbell. The Campbell's moved out in in the 1920's. Their son, Thomas Patterson Campbell occupied the mansion for a short time.
By the mid 20's, the mansion was the quarters of the Joe Mann School of Orchestra. Then it became a radio station KFVR.
In the 1930's it was divided into six apartments, until the 1940's. Dr. Archer Chester Sundan purchased the castle in 1947. He remained there until 1957.
The house continued to be apartments until the 1970's. In 1973, when it was converted into offices, it was designated a landmark. It was officially named the Croke - Patterson- Campbell House in honor of its first three owners.
Paranormal Phenomenon
After Dr. Sudan moved out, mysterious and bad things have happened. Couples with children had a hard time. There is a legend that states an infant had once been mysteriously found dead in the house, leading its mother to commit suicide. Cribs would swing on their own and objects would fly through units.
People on the second floor would be occasionally awakened by the most deafening noises from a unit occupying the northeast corner of the third story. When they went upstairs to check it out, nothing was going on.
There were rumors that other ghosts were in the carriage house and how a baby had once been tortured to death in that building. The spirit of a tired old man was said to be wearily trudging between the carriage house and the mansion.
Some people have experienced an icy presence draining away all of their body heat in the catacombs of the basement.
Stories about ghosts escalated during the renovation of the mansion. The workers tools' were displaced and many jobs that the workers were sure they finished had to be started and completed again.
Dogs were placed in the fenced off mansion to guard the dwelling. Shortly thereafter, A Doberman was reported found dead on a sidewalk in front of the house. It had committed suicide by leaping out of the third floor window, rumored to be chased by a demon. Another dog allegedly killed himself by leaping out the same window during the renovations. A third dog was found shaking and drooling in the corner somewhere on the third floor. It was out of its mind. They were so afraid by something in the house that it drove them to take drastic measures trying to escape the evil clutches of the evil and demonic entity.
Once this building was converted into offices, typewriters started clicking by themselves, copy machines turned themselves on and reproduced nonexistent documents, light bulbs rapidly burnt out, and telephone lines would be totally tied up.
Seances were held in the house. A reporter claimed to see a ghost glide up the main staircase. A medium told investigators to check the basement. She claimed that a body of a young girl was buried there. The Investigators found a sealed off, bricked up chamber in the basement. However, when they broke through the wall, nothing was amiss.
Most people think that Senator Patterson haunts the building. He tries to communicate by manipulating electronic devices.
The house has never done well as offices. The property has been in and out of ownership over the last twenty years.
Author Ann Alexander Leggett recently wrote a book about the" Croke Patterson Mansion". She confirmed ten very spooky stories about the mansion. This is some brief information about what she discovered.
There's a spirit in the carriage house of an Irish caretaker and both the Patterson's and the Crokes were of Irish descent. The spirit told a psychic that once it found out that Ann was writing a book, it said ,"Tell her we want her to write the whole story. She has to tell the whole story." I couldn't find any information on what the story was though.
The ghost of Kate Patterson revealed herself to a pregnant woman in the late 1990's. She spoke to the woman saying her name was Kate and helped the woman roll over in bed. Thomas Patterson's wife was named Katherine or Kate.
The woman's husband experienced watching the opening and closing of drawers on the third floor. He would sit on the couch and watch this. When he got up and examined the drawers they were all locked.
The woman had a friend who brought in a priest to exercise the house. He went immediately to the parlor to start his blessing. Plaster started to peel off the walls were the fireplace was and a dark vortex of wind came out of the fireplace. The priest just left.
Psychics and paranormal groups have picked up many phantom voices. Some of the tenants would leave the building in the middle of the night because they were freaked out by a crying baby.
On the main floor there have been reports of a super human wind.
There is a rumor about a woman who lost her baby and dug it up and buried it in the wall of the basement. Then it was found and re interred in the cemetery. Many psychics and mediums say there was definitely something with a child in the basement.
People have had problems walking up the steps to the third floor. They feel like all of the oxygen is gone.
It was uncovered that Dr. Sudan's wife committed suicide in the house. She mixed rat poison and water. She basically suffocated and couldn't breathe. The psychics picked up on a woman standing at the top of the stairs.
My Investigation
I went on the Capital Hill ghost tour in Denver, Colorado in 2010 and discovered the eerie, dark, and menacing looking Croke - Patterson Mansion. I was fascinated by this building because it looked like an old medieval castle in the middle of the city. The mansion took up the whole block. I was there in October, so the night was pretty dark and chilly. This added to the creepiness of the building.
I was intrigued by the stories of this beautiful, Gothic mansion. I kept wondering why no one would rent or own this building. What I found the most fascinating about this building was the story about two, Doberman Pincher's whom jumped out the window and committed suicide. The third was found on the 3rd floor shaking and drooling in the corner.
I was able to run around the sides of the building to take pictures and walk up
