SPOTTED SIGNS: WILLIAM CROW JEWELERS

The other day I was driving down Champa downtown in Denver, and something caught my eye a few stories up one of the older buildings. The University building is one of the older buildings in the area, constructed in 1910. It lies on the corner of 16th Street and Champa. Many are aware of the huge smokestack attached to the back which was painted to look like a pencil about 8 years ago…

Looking up at the third story windows of the building, I noticed some beautiful gold-leaf signs and letters, which displayed “William Crow Jewelers.” Curiously, I wandered in and up to the third floor, and to my surprise I found a hidden gem of perfect signage. William Crow Jewelers was a family owned business which opened in 1924 and ran for 95 years. In 1947, Larry Kaiser began working for the business as a watchmaker, and ended up owning the business in 1970. Larry’s son, Jon, took over it afterwards and was the final owner. The business closed in 2019 after existing in the same building for 95 years. Spectacular.

What lied inside was a complete surprise. 23kt Gold Leaf signage. Perfect water gilds, done by an absolute pro (or two). I suspect these gilds were done by two different people, at least Jon Kaisers name, as the letter shapes are slightly different. My intuition tells me these may have been done or redone in the 1970s. There’s not many old Gold signs left in Denver anymore. I know there’s at least a few hidden gems left, but I haven’t found all of them yet. There are a lot of fancy transom window gilds in the historic neighborhoods surrounding Colfax.

Enjoy the photos: