Built Into the Old Town, Not Around It
Most of what you'll see from Gregory Street is original brick. Almost everything behind it is new. That's the short version of how Imperial Peak came together.
A Mining Camp That Kept Reinventing Itself
Black Hawk started as a mill town in 1859, processing ore hauled down from the gold strikes up the gulch. By the 1870s it had brick storefronts, a rail spur, and a population that outnumbered Denver's on a good year. The gold ran thin by the early 1900s, and for most of the 20th century Gregory Street was a quiet stretch of half-occupied buildings and a handful of holdouts.
That changed in November 1991, when Colorado voters approved limited-stakes gaming for three mountain towns — Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. Investment followed fast. Old storefronts that had sat empty for decades got new foundations, new floors stacked on top, and new reasons for people to drive up from Denver on a Friday night.
Building Imperial Peak
We opened in 1999, taking over four adjoining lots on Gregory Street that had been vacant since the 1970s. Rather than clear the block, the ownership group kept the original facades and built the resort up and back from them — nine guest floors, a 41,000-square-foot gaming floor, four kitchens, and a spa, all wrapped around the bones of a 19th century commercial row. It's slower and more expensive than building from a flat lot, but it's the reason our lobby still has a section of exposed brick wall nobody wanted to cover.
Today Imperial Peak runs 176 rooms and suites, a full casino floor open around the clock, and a dining lineup that goes from a 24-hour diner counter to a reservation-only steakhouse. We're a family business first — the gaming floor is one part of a much bigger stay.
The Building Tells You Where You Are
We didn't sand every rough edge off this block when we built the resort, and guests tend to notice.
The Lobby Brick Wall
A 40-foot section of the original 1868 storefront wall runs behind the front desk, left exposed on purpose during the build.
Gregory Street Itself
Our front doors open directly onto the same narrow street grid laid out by the original mill town, not a modern casino driveway.
The Name
Imperial Peak isn't a mountain you'll find on a map — it's a nod to the Imperial Lode, one of the original claims staked in the gulch in 1859.
Come See the Building for Yourself
Photos only capture so much of an old storefront with a modern resort built up from it.