Photo Description
The Gold Coin Club was rebuilt after the great fire of 1899 at a cost of $50,000 by the Woods family, founders of the City of Victor and developers of the Gold Coin Mine (located across the street). It is a rare example of a social club built exclusively for the miners by the mine owners. Patterned after the New York Athletic Club, the Gold Coin Club contained a ballroom, gymnasium, bowling alleys, pool and game room, a 700-volume library, dining rooms and space for a 25-piece band which played at most Victor community events. The second tier of the porch was originally open and reportedly once served as a balcony from which President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to a crowd.
The glory years lasted only briefly. Labor strikes in 1903-1904 devastated the financial empire of the Woods family and forced closure of the Gold Coin Club. In 1904 the building was sold to Dr, C.E. Eliot who operated it as the Red Cross Hospital for a decade. In the mid-1900's Dr. A.C. Denman used the building as a residence and office. Later, this vast structure housed a restaurant and a theater.
