Entry No. 187 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
House With the Eye Museum
In 1879, carpenter Eugene Robitaille worked a stained-glass all-seeing eye into his gable, and Leadville spent a century insisting it was cursing the State Street brothels two blocks downhill (it wasn't; he was just devout). Inside the nine rooms: an 1890s horse-drawn hearse, the noose from an 1886 public hanging, Baby Doe Tabor's lace-up shoe, a Prohibition still, and a 1925 electric player piano. The house sat sealed for 24 years before reopening, and the old guest register has Debbie Reynolds' signature in it.
The story
In 1879, Canadian master carpenter Eugene Robitaille built a red wooden house at 127 West 4th Street, right in the thick of Leadville’s silver rush. High in the front gable, he set a bright blue stained-glass window depicting the all-seeing Eye of God. Local gossip took off immediately: town residents spent a century claiming Robitaille installed the eye to curse the rowdy brothels on State Street two blocks downhill. In truth—and you didn't hear it from us—Robitaille was simply a devout believer following a Victorian architectural trend of adding ornate stained glass to home facades. He moved next door a year later, using the house as his carpentry office and model home.
After Robitaille died in 1935, the house eventually became a private museum run by news reporter Mary Cassidy and her husband George. When Mary died in 1987, the building was locked up and sat sealed for 24 years, preserving decades of donated Leadville oddities inside. When it finally reopened in 2012, visitors stepped back into nine rooms filled not with Robitaille's personal belongings, but with the unvarnished history handed over by local families across generations.
Walk the nine rooms today and you will find a strange timeline of the town's high-altitude past. There is an 1890s Studebaker horse-drawn hearse tucked into the carriage room—reserved specifically for deceased women and children—alongside a glass case containing single-use nooses from an 1886 public hanging. Mixed in with the heavy history are everyday relics like Baby Doe Tabor's lace-up shoe, a Prohibition-era whiskey still, a 1925 electric player piano, and a yellowed guest register bearing the signatures of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.
What it's like
Spot the blue eye from the West 4th Street sidewalk before stepping onto the porch. Inside, volunteer docents let you explore the nine rooms at your own pace, but be sure to ask why the gray 1890s Studebaker hearse in the carriage room was reserved exclusively for women and children. The house sits at 10,152 feet above sea level, so take the steep interior stairs slowly if you just drove up from the Front Range. Street parking on West 4th is easy, but double-check operating days before making the drive—the house is volunteer-run and opens only during the warmer summer months.
The move: Spot the eye from the sidewalk first, then tour the nine rooms and ask the docent why the gray hearse was reserved for women and children.
📍 Before you go It is a tiny volunteer-run house museum that operates seasonally in the warm months and is closed part of the week, so confirm it is open before making the drive. The house sits two blocks off Harrison Avenue, Leadville's main drag, with easy street parking on West 4th. Leadville is above 10,000 feet, so take the interior stairs slowly if you are coming up from the Front Range. Pair it with a walk down Harrison or the Healy House to round out the trip.
- 📍 Leadville
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 127 W 4th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Legendary Silver Dollar Saloon — Located just one block away on Harrison Avenue, you can walk directly from inspecting execution nooses to ordering a drink at the 1879 bar where Doc Holliday played cards.
- Interlaken Resort Ruins & Dexter Cabin — A 12-mile drive south to Twin Lakes lets you contrast the House's packed room collection with the abandoned 1880s lakeside resort grounds developed by mining mogul James Dexter.
- Minturn Saloon — The back bar inside this historic saloon was hauled out of an 1800s Leadville brothel—the exact sort of red-light business the Eye was long rumored to be cursing.
Good to know
Why is there a giant eye window on the gable?
Built in 1879 by master carpenter Eugene Robitaille, the window depicts the All-Seeing Eye of God. Leadville residents long insisted Robitaille installed it to place a curse on the State Street brothels two blocks downhill, but he was actually just a devout Christian following a popular Victorian trend of adding stained glass to home fronts.
Did the artifacts inside belong to the architect?
No. None of the items on display belonged to Eugene Robitaille. When the building was converted into a museum, Leadville residents donated their own family heirlooms, mining gear, and town relics to populate the collection.
What oddities are on display inside?
Exhibits inside the nine rooms include an 1890s Studebaker horse-drawn hearse, nooses from an 1886 public hanging, Baby Doe Tabor's lace-up shoe, a Prohibition whiskey still, a 1925 electric player piano, and a guest book signed by Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.
When is the House With the Eye open to visitors?
The museum is volunteer-run and operates seasonally during the warm summer months, typically between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Hours can be variable, so confirm current opening schedule before making the trip up to Leadville.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · coloradocentralmagazine.com · leadville.com · 9news.com
last checked: 2026-06-11