Date Tivoli Historical Events Goldseekers crossed the plains in ox-drawn wagons in the spring and summer of 1859. It didn't take long for the more enterprising to realize they could make fortunes in the gold region, but not by panning gold. In November 1859, German-born entrepreneurs Fred Z. Salomon and Charles Tascher founded the Rocky Mountain Brewery, Colorado's first brewery, on today's 11th and Larimer.  Salomon and Tascher had parted ways after only four months, and Salomon went into business with Charles Endlich and John Good. In April 1861, Salomon sold the Rocky Mountain Brewery to Endlich and Good. John Good became the sole owner of the Rocky Mountain Brewery in 1864 following the death of Endlich. John Good and his wife Rosalia built up a modest capital to invest in Denver. In 1866, German-born Moritz Sigi opened a brewery on today's 10th Street between Larimer and Market. He called it Sigi's Brewery. For five years-between 1866 and 1871-he and Good were competitors in the brewery business. In 1870, Sigi changed the name of his brewery to the Colorado Brewery and began construction of the first of the historical buildings that comprise the Tivoli Student Union today. Sigi's Brewery became the meeting place for the Turnverein, a German gymnastics society which would become Colorado's oldest active ethnic organization. In 1870, Sigi also sank Denver's first artesian well, which would provide water for brewing beer into the 20th Century. In July 1871, John Good sold the Rocky Mountain Brewery to Philip Zang, a fellow German immigrant, who had worked for him as Master Brewer. Zang renamed the business the Zang Brewing Company, later becoming a major competitor of the Tivoli. A tragic accident claimed the life of Moritz Sigi at age 47. While riding his coach through the streets of Denver in 1875 his horses were frightened and his coach overturned.  Sigi's death did not mark the end of the brewery at 10th and Larimer. In 1879, Max Melshimer used a $250,000 loan from John Good and took over the brewery buildings. Melshimer called the new business the Milwaukee Brewery. In the following years Melsheimer built the corner store, the tower building and the Turn Halle Opera House, which was designed by prominent Denver architect Harold W. Baerresen in 1882. Near the tower building were stables, a blacksmith shop, and Empire Bottling Company, which had become part of Melsheimer's operation. After the death of his wife in 1882, misfortune followed Max Melshimer to 1900 when he was unable to pay the principal and interest on the $250,000 loan and John Good foreclosed on the Milwaukee Brewery. After foreclosure, Good renamed the brewery the Tivoli for the famous amusement park in Copenhagen. He liked to point out that Tivoli spelled backwards read " I lov it." In 1901, Good consolidated the Tivoli with the Union Brewery, founded by his friend, William Burghardt, who had come to Denver from Germany in 1878. By joining the Tivoli, he was able to expand his brewery without building a larger plant. John Good became president and tresurer of the new company, now called the Tivoli-Union Brewery, Burghardt was secretary. In 1918, when John Good died, he left his son John Edward Good, trustee of his estate. The younger Good became president of Tivoli-Union Brewery. John E. Good kept the Tivoli alive even during Prohibition by manufacturing "Dash", a cereal beer. In 1927, fifty-six year old John E. Good surprised many people by marrying a woman from New York City, LoRaine. Four years later, in 1931, John E. died of a heart attack while on a fishing trip. Since all his siblings were dead, LoRaine was left in control of the Good fortune, including the Tivoli-Union Brewery. William Burghardt took on the role of president.  In 1935, LoRaine remarried. Her second husband, Raymond Royce Kent, was an actor and producer with whom LoRaine later moved to Palm Beach, Florida in 1936. A change came for the Tivoli in 1937 when Burghardt died and LoRaine took control of the company. She turned over the operation to managers, who brought Carlos Fuermann from New York as Master Brewer. His job was to help put the brewery back on its feet after Prohibition. Sometime after, the red-brick brewery took on a new look-with its first coat of white paint and deep blue trim. By the early 1950's, the Tivoli-Union was producing 150,000 barrels of beer annually. In 1950, Arthur Schnell became Master Brewer and oversaw the Tivoli brewing process. Tivoli beer was sold from Wyoming to Texas and from Missouri to California. In 1964, Loraine Good died at age 74. The final chapter of the Good family saga occurred in 1965, when the Tivoli was sold to the Occhiatio brothers, Carl and Joseph. As their first major move, the Occhiatos introduced a new product, "Denver Beer," in cans and packages featuring Denver's skyline and the snow-capped peaks beyond. In 1966, disaster hit the Tivoli. For the first time in the history of the brewery, workers went on strike because of wage disputes. The strike lasted six weeks, and the Tivoli Union Brewing Company, which lost half of its accounts, estimated at $750,000, never fully recovered. In 1969, the Tivoli had only fifty employees, compared to 100 four years earlier. The Occhiato brothers announced early in the year that the business was up for sale and if it were not sold, it would be shut down. On April 25, 1969, the doors of the Tivoli Union Brewing Company closed. For a decade after the doors of the Tivoli closed, nobody knew what fate held in store for the buildings that had been a Denver landmark for almost a century. The Occhiato brothers had sold the property to Sid Hollister who had optimistic plans for the Tivoli. Since the Tivoli sits on the edge of the Auraria campus, Hollister envisioned a Student Union. In 1973, Tivoli was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, protecting not only the historic buildings but also the major brewing equipment. That same year, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority bought the dilapidated Tivoli with the help of federal funds, stating the building would be used for educational purposes. The Tivoli was then transferred to the Auraria Higher Education Center. It didn't take long to realize that renovating the old buildings was a job too costly for the state. The project was turned over to private developers.  The Auraria Higher Education Center searched for a developer. Trizec Corporation, Ltd. won the contract. Trizec chose the architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum and developed plans for "Tivoli Denver" that included shops, entertainment facilities, and restaurants. The historic Tivoli buildings-Sigi's Hall, Melsheimer's corner store, tower building, Turn Halle, and adjoining buildings-were restored, as well as other buildings constructed after the turn of the century. The year 1985 marked a new beginning for the Tivoli. Musicians and actors again performed on the stage of the Turn Halle. The two-story copper kettles that held both Milwaukee beer and Tivoli beer were focal points of a restaurant. The old buildings were tied together by the new plaza under a three-story atrium. Cost for renovation: $27 million. In 1991, Auraria students voted to buy back the remaining term of the 62-year lease and re-develop the Tivoli as a combination student union/retail center. In 1992, Auraria took possession of the building, bonds were issued, and renovation planning began. The Tivoli closed, once again, on January 31, 1992 at 7:30 PM. After the Tivoli was renovated, it reopened in 1994 as a Student Union for the Auraria campus. Students, as well as the local community, can enjoy shops, full-service restaurants, a food court and beautiful conference and meeting space in an historical setting. The Tivoli Student Union is the focus for cultural, social, leisure, recreational and organized co-curricular activities of the campus. In addition, the Tivoli Student Union provides a variety of facilities, services, programs, and activities which are designed to meet the needs and interests of students, faculty, staff, alumni, as well as the community.