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Molly Brown House Museum
Rating Details »
Categories: Museums, Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Southwest, Capitol Hill1340 Pennsylvania St
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 832-4092
- Hours:
Tue-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for Molly Brown House Museum
This was a lot of fun on a Sunday afternoon.
We got there at 12:45 for the 1pm tour and just barely got the last 2 tickets available. Unfortunately, a couple of our friends arrived afterwards and were not able to join us for the 1pm tour. So, get there early and get your tickets. We were told that it was unusually busy, but I wouldn't risk it next time.
Because our tour was completely full, there were some rooms that were quite cramped while our guide was telling us stories of the great Margaret Brown and explaining what each room was used for. But, the house was beautiful and had many original artifacts, as well as replications. This house is very well restored and it was great to hear all the stories.
FYI- I would not take kids here. The presentation is not geared toward them, they will get bored and fussy and just create an unpleasant atmosphere for all on your tour. Leave the kids at home, please.
The gift shop is small and has an abundance of gift shoppy crap that has nothing to do with the exhibit, but you can get some very cool postcards, which since you cannot take pictures inside the house, are the only way you can obtain photos of the inside.
Parking is a bit tricky. They have a museum lot, but it was full when we got there. We took the risk and parked in the business parking across the street. The car did not get towed, thank goodness, but I wouldn't recommend that you risk it. Get there early and be prepared to circle the block a few times to find a street parking space.
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This museum is absolutely stunning! My boyfriend and I were taking a walking tour of Denver and this was one of the stops near the end of the day. We decided we wanted to kill some time so we decided to actually tour the museum. Boy, what a good decision! Admission is $8 (quite reasonable) and every person goes on a guided tour with a museum employee. Tours depart every half hour, so you'll only need to wait a bit to actually get in to see the house. Unfortunately, no picture taking in the house so keep that in mind!
The house itself is absolutely lovely. The house has been beautifully preserved and the Denver Historical Society has made every attempt to present the house as it would have been when Margaret Brown lived in it. Though not everything is original, the Historical Society used several old photographs to bring the rooms back to life. Everything inside is amazingly preserved and completely beautiful. Old Victorian homes always manage to stun me with their beauty, anyway, but this really was an amazing space. Kudos to the Historical Society for really keeping such a great place alive.
The tour itself was excellent. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and explained everything there was to know about Margaret Brown, from her childhood, to her marriage, to her wealth, to her experience on the Titanic. It really was a great, comprehensive tour and our guide was prepared for tons of questions (ranging from the inane to the complex). She really had a great working knowledge of Margaret Brown and obviously knew what she was talking about. I highly recommend taking the tour if you're in the area. It really is a beautiful house and Margaret Brown was a great woman worth learning about.
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Gosh, I really hate to be a wet blanket, but this place just wasn't that interesting. There are lots of historic homes and public buildings to be toured in Colorado. If I were to rank the ones I've visited, and now that I've been here I think that's all of them, this one would be near the bottom of the list.
First the good: The house is beautifully restored to the period when Mrs. Brown lived there. But, according to our guide, less than 25 percent of the contents were actually owned by her. Our guide was extraordinarily knowledgeable and a delight to listen to. The price for the tour is a very nominal $8.00 each.
The bad? For starters, access and parking. After finding the house we started searching for a parking spot. After about 30 minutes of ever widening circles we finally found a lot with a few empty spaces near Colfax and Grant. Six bucks to park and a four or five block walk to the house. Not bad on a beautiful summer morning, but it would have been a deal breaker had the weather been bad.
The real problem though is the size of the groups they move through the house. This is a house of modest size, with small rooms and tight hallways and stairways. There were 18 people in our group, and that was, by more than half, too many to be able to see and study the place. Groups no larger than 6 or 8 would be more appropriate.
Won't be going back, and if I have an out of town guest who really wants to see it, I'll drop 'em off and go have coffee until they're done.
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Love the Molly Brown House. My most recent visit was in Oct 2008. I attended the Halloween Event they have here, Victorian Horrors. It was so much fun! It's a guided tour through the house, with actors in full period costumes reading and/or reciting various works of poetry and prose. Last year's performances included "The Strange Orchid" by H.G. Wells and "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.
It's recommend you purchase tickets in advance (you can do so online or by calling them) in order to reserve your spot. I believe they do this during the entire month of Oct. There were many children there and the stories weren't too scary. If I were to go again I would educate my nephew a little more on the authors and their backgrounds. I was saddened to find out my 13 year nephew didn't know anything about Mr. Wells or Mr. Poe.
Ms. Brown was an awesome lady! The Molly Brown House is one of Denver's architectural treasures still left standing. Everyone should see it at least once. History Buffs will have an exceptional time here.
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The Molly Brown house is a gem of a historic house tour. The tour guide is always incredibly knowledgeable and even though I've been on this tour at least 3 times (possibly 4) I always end up coming away with something new to like about Molly Brown. I'm not a Titanic buff, but enjoy seeing the way people lived in the same place at a different time. The rooms are eerily set up and looks like The Browns might be home at any minute.
I enjoyed the Holiday Tea Party here. It was a work party where we all exchanged ornaments and bonded. We were not the only group doing so. For this purpose, it worked quite well. The food was terribly authentic or spectacular but the venue gave it an air of elegance. The gift shop has a few fun touristy buys for visitors to Denver and always gives me a chuckle to wander through it.
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First of all, if you do not know who's Ms. Brown, think of the movie "Titanic" with Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet. Then, think of Kathy Bates in the movie... ah! Bingo! That is Molly Brown... Also known as the "Unsinkable" Ms. Brown.
The first thing you learn about her even before you enter the museum...
Her actual name is Margaret Brown, not Molly Brown as Hollywood portrays her in the movies or plays. She never went by Molly... ever... it was either Margaret or Ms. Brown.So then, why the name "Molly"? It was given to her when making the musical and movies as the name "Margaret" did not rhyme well... yeap! The Hollywood machine changed someone's entire personality for the sake of movie and music making...
Without giving too much of the tour away, here is how Ms. Brown ended being one of the few survivors of Titanic:
With her children grown and separated from her husband, Ms. Brown, who knew more than 5 languages and traveled all over the world, was in Egypt when she received a message that her only grandchild was gravely ill. As fast as she could, she made it to London. The next available cruise to the United States was the Titanic. Ms. Brown bought a first class ticket and off she went... to become one of Titanic's most famous survivor.
By the way, did you know that she refused to get on a lifeboat? She was helping the crew of Titanic organize people to get in the lifeboats, passing all of her mink coats to other people to keep warm. It was two of Titanic's crew-members who literally grabbed her off her feet and, as lifeboat #6 was being lowered into the water, they threw her into the lifeboat, a few feet down, where she could not make her way back into the Titanic. She was willing to die while helping others... the kind of woman she was! If that would have happened, we would not have Ms. Brown or this museum today.
With her experience, she lobbied the US Congress and the Senate to make into law that every cruiseship must have a lifevest and a seat on a lifeboat for every single passenger onboard, regardless of class. The creation of this law is why, on your first day of a cruise, everyone must learn how to don their vests and where is the meeting point to board the lifeboats. This law also extends to airplanes and any mode of mass transportation. Wonder why you need to watch the safety video or the flight attendants showing you how to don your vest and/or how to use your seat cushion as a flotation device? Say thank you to Ms. Brown.
There is a lot more to be said about this fantastic woman who was a pioneer of women's rights, lobbied and created the bases for what we know today as the "Juvenile Court System" and fought for rights of miners and domestic workers, among many other accomplishments... but I will leave that to the Museum and tour guides.
The house, which was turned into apartments after Ms. Brown's passing, was bought by the State of Colorado for $80,000 in the early 90's. After much research, they found Ms. Brown's personal pictures of the house, which were used as the frame for what the place looks like today. In addition, researchers were able to order copies of the original carpeting designs and wallpapers. Most of the furniture, including the beds, piano, books, art and pictures among many others belonged to Ms. Brown .
When on the second floor, look at the list of items that Ms. Brown lost in the Titanic. The total loss was close to $30,000; with $20,000 of that on a necklace. Yikes!
The one-hour tour will teach you about her entire life story, accomplishments and lifestyle. The cost is $7.00. At the end, there is a movie you can watch at your leisure, interactive computer games and artifacts. The gift shop, where you will buy the tickets for the tour, is in the carriage house, located behind the main house.
One word of advise: Colorado Tourism Board needs to to a better job at adding signs to get to Molly Brown's House Museum. Even though there are plenty of signs on the 16th Street Mall leading you to the Civic Center, DAM and Capitol Square, there are no signs to guide you to the Museum. Hint, hint!!
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If you have ever seen the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown you would probably enjoy this tour.
My mother-in-law was dissappointed that the place wasn't as grand as the movie, but I reminded her it was just a movie.
I love to see how people dressed and lived in different times, its cool to see it up close.
I love going on tours and visiting places like this when I have company in town.
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Hey for an old stuffy Victorian house, this was pretty cool. Molly Brown was not your typical turn of the century chick and her personality shows through her choices of decoration. It is interesting to see what rags to riches does to a person's tastes. To be honest I was primarily interested in how the kitchen was designed as I live in a home from the same period and the windows stretch below modern counter height. The house did give me a few ideas and it is definitely worth taking out of town visitors here.
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I'm only going to review the Holiday Tea the Molly Brown House offers (included in the tea was an abbreviated tour).
I'm a huge fan of Margaret Brown. Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the real writer of the Little House series) and Margaret Brown both stand as two of my personal heroes, so living just a mile away from this amazing woman's house is just incredible to me.
For the Christmas season, my friend and I took our mothers - both visiting from out-of-town - to the holiday tea at the Molly Brown house.
The house itself was done up for the holidays, and really put you in the Christmas spirit.
The tea, however, was lacking. It is not even remotely close to being the Victorian High Tea it bills itself as. You even have to serve yourself. The offerings were delicious, but the ambiance was not (you sit in uncomfortable chairs with a tiny stand in front of you in one of the most boring rooms in the house). They also rush you to hurry up and finish before the next party is bussed in.
Not really what we had in mind.
But to take in tea in the Molly Brown house was a neat experience. I wouldn't, however, do it agian.
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So, its the day after decision 2008. I thought it only fitting to review a landmark owned by an advocate for the women's right to vote. Did you know that she ran for a seat in the Senate 3 times, even before women had the right to vote? A forward thinker and outspoken beauty, the Unsinkable Molly Brown...
Her house, is amazing, full of treasures from around the globe, though most are not her own, the house, now a museum does a great job of replicating how it would have looked like if Margaret was still kickin'.
For a few $$, this is a great thing to do if ever you are in downtown Denver. I love houses with a past, and to see one so richly furnished, and kept in great condition, is an honor. Its unassuming exterior is a great disguise for the decadance and opulence inside.
It made me a bit sad to find out that you couldn't take pictures inside the house, due to the delicate nature of the genuine artifacts scattered throughout. There is so much to take in your eye doesn't quite know where to start. But, take your time - its worth it.
The guide was chalk full of facts about her life. What most people know about the woman, is only a small part of the life most people only dream about living. We find out about how one Margaret Tobin became unsinkable.
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While I enjoyed seeing the famous Molly Brown's house on my very first trip to Denver, I must say that I was disappointed. The house is lovely, but very small in terms of grand mansions of its time. And, if it wasn't for the banner indicating the house of Molly Brown we would have missed it. The house is amid a very rundown part of old Denver. I am sure at one time back in Molly's time, Pennsylvania Avenue was filled with grand mansions. But now the area looks like any big city landscape.
Also, we kept envisioning the house like it is depicted in the movie musical starring Debbie Reynolds. In the movie the house is outstandingly grand.
Regardless of our disappointment, it still is a charming spot to visit. The real life Molly Brown is much more complex and interesting than in the movie. In many ways Molly Brown was ahead of her times. See web link for more info.
http://mollybrown.org/
Other places to visit in Denver are The Brown's Palace...(no relation to Molly, but I was told she did visit there) See web link:
http://www.brownpalace...
And, the Rosemont House in Pueblo...outside of Denver see link:
http://www.rosemount.o...
And then The Broadmoor, wow! It is really something to see. Check web site at: http://www.broadmoor.com/
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Don't expect to fill an entire day with a visit here, but it's well worth the $6.50 admission to tour the Unsinkable Molly Brown's home on Pennsylvania.
Built in 1886 and purchased by the Browns in 1894, this fine mansion was quite luckily saved from destruction in the 60s and 70s, and today it is surrounded by large apartment buildings.
You're sure to learn something about Molly during the guided tour of the house, but just as interesting are the architecture and Victorian stylings that have been painstakingly recreated.
Of course, there's also information about the Titanic and the history of mining and Denver.
Whether you're into Titanic lore, antiques, fascinating historical women or Colorado history, you'll find something interesting here.
And just in case you don't fall into any of those categories, they also have a fun gift store which you'll probably enjoy browsing!
Highly recommended for Denverites and visitors alike. Check their website for hours, which change seasonally.
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Did you know Molly Brown was a pioneer of women's rights, helped change the criminal justice system in Colorado, and worked on Broadway? You will certainly learn something about this amazing woman on a tour of her home on Pennsylvania Street. Sometimes it's difficult for me to get excited about the tiny details in museums like this (it's hard to take it all in), but our guide was completely enthralling - notably her stories about the Molly & the Titanic. You will certainly enjoy checking out this reconstructed home that at different times was a boarding house, home for "wayward" girls, and a gentleman's rooming house.
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This was a fun tour and the house is amazing. Be sure to schedule something else to do down in that area because the tour isnt that long. Theres lots of walking tours in and around the capitol hill area which is what we did.
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So sad, it was closed when we stopped by, but the frontage was great on its own - as was the general neighborhood. Great walking area, with lots of wonderful old architecture. So glad that it wasn't torn down!
