Barney L. Ford Building - Denver, CO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Although this building is said to be considerably altered, the basic structure of the first two stories is the original 1863 building constructed by Barney Ford for his People's Restaurant. The remarkable life of this pioneer is a tribute to the perseverance of minority pioneers. Ford was born a slave on January 22, 1822, in Stafford, Virginia, but escaped to Chicago, where he worked with the Underground Railroad helping other slaves reach freedom. An active civil rights leader, a prominent politician, and an ardent supporter of the admission of Colorado to the Union as a free state with suffrage for all men, Ford was also a brilliant businessman. This building is the site of Ford's first Denver restaurant, which he rented, then purchased from E. A. Rice for $673 on March 24, 1862. The original structure was destroyed in the great fire of 1863, which wiped out Denver's business district, but Ford borrowed $9,000 from the Kountze Brothers Bank (later the Colorado National Bank) and opened the People's Restaurant on August 16, 1863. Ford also had a barber shop and hair salon in the basement and a saloon on the second floor. He went on to open the Inter-Ocean Hotels in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver (16the and Blake Streets). He was the first African American to serve on a U.S. grand jury in Colorado and was nominated for the Territorial Legislature.

The red brick structure had a third story, added possibly in the 1890s. The original windows were of the narrow, arched cathedral style. The present windows are squared by the addition of concrete tops. The four decorative columns on the front may be the originals. Later uses for the site included hotel, saddlery, tool storage company, and restaurant.
Barney Ford Building - #32

1514 Blake Street

Architectural Style: Nineteenth-Century Commercial

Built: 1863, 1892

Architects: Unknown

Cost: $9,000 (Original Structure)

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Street address: 1514 Blake Street Denver, CO USA 80202 County / Borough / Parish: Denver Year listed: 1976 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Ethnic Heritage - Black; Social History Periods of significance: 1850-1874 Historic function: Restaurant; Specialty store Current function: Restaurant Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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