Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Sidewinder



If buildings could talk, the Globe Hall at 4485 Logan Street in Globeville would surely have some tales to tell. In January, 1894, the building was home to the Golobvich and Slogar Saloon where a group of men gathered to form Sveti Jakov, St. Jacob’s Croatian-Slovenian Benefit Society, an ethnic fraternal insurance organization.
St. Jacob’s was a somewhat secret society for men only, and a password was required to gain entrance to a lodge meeting. The first year the password was “Sloboda” and the next year it was changed to “Hrvatska.” In April 1906, the women of Globeville, mostly wives of St. Jacob’s members, formed St. Ann’s Lodge 143, which merged with the men’s group in December, 1926.
Later, the tavern was called the 16 to One Exchange and was managed by the politically powerful Max Malich, known in Globeville as "the King of the Slavs." The site was home to weddings, funerals, meetings of the town council, and, during the bitter labor battles of 1903, the Mill and Smeltermen’s Union. Meetings to organize Holy Rosary Parish, as well as Mass and confession, were held there until the church was completed in 1920. After World War II, members of the Globeville Veteran’s Association gathered in the tavern for support and camaraderie.
Stop by the Sidewinder, enjoy a beer, watch the Denver Broncos and toast the former patrons of this historic place.
Top photo Mary Lou Egan
Bottom photo, funeral of Martin Kapsh in 1895, courtesy of Alma Mandarich.

2 comments:

Melissa Elgersma said...

MaryLou came and did a presentation to 3rd graders at Garden Place (one of the local Globeville elementary schools). Our students were enraptured. MaryLou did an amazing job of getting our students excited about the history of our neighborhood, instilling a sense of connectedness to the history of immigrants in our neighborhood, and firing up the students curiosity about where they live. She is a local treasure!

Mary Lou Egan said...

Thank you for inviting me MS E - it was fun to meet with the children and teachers at Garden Place. I am so impressed with the affection and individual attention shown to these students by all the staff. I enjoyed the day - thank you again for the invitation.