Rosemount Mansion (Thatcher Mansion)

Commanding an entire square block on a hillside, Rosemount is a magnificent late Victorian specimen designed by a New Yorker acclaimed for his writings as well as his architecture. The 24,000-square-footmansion, built by entrepreneur John A. Thatcher, is a three-story brick shell faced with rough, rose-colored rhyolite and accented by smooth stone stringcourses. The red Vermont slate roof is hipped, gabled, and detailed with eyebrow dormers, a den-tiled cornice, and columned chimneys serving ten fireplaces. The veranda has golden oak ceilings and is accessible from inside through 10-foot-high sash windows.

In 1967 the mansion was donated to Pueblo for use as a house museum. Many of the furnishings, including furniture designed by the architect, still grace the thirty-seven rooms. Interior marvels include the 9-by-13-foot stained glass window, Kingdoms of Nature, by Charles Booth of New York; bird's-eye maple, oak, and mahogany wood-work; Tiffany lighting; and hand-decorated ceilings. An elaborate intercom system of speaking tubes makes the kitchen the communications center. An elevator (1914) reaches the third floor maids' chambers and a huge walk-in cedar closet. The third floor houses the Andrew McClelland Collection of World Curiosities, ranging from fine paintings to an Egyptian mummy. The carriage house, with six stalls, built to match the house, has been a restaurant since 1981.