Estes Park's historic Park Theater Mall destroyed by fire

How tragic!!! We were in Estes a couple weeks ago and always shop in the mall. Love Estes and will visit alot more. Thoughts and prayers go out to the entire community for such a great loss and to all the personnel that have helped or assisted in the loss.

This is a tragedy. I watched the updates on 9news and thank you to all of the witnesses and other people who called in to give us an perception of what was happening. However, don't we have a public information officer that is on staff for the town to do just that?? It could have been their time to shine, and missed that opportunity which could have given credibility to all of the various reports from people.

Sad, especially for all of the shop owners. I wish them the best.

But what about the theater? Is it gone, too?

This is a tragic loss for the business owners and the whole community. Fortunately it appears there have been no serious injuries.

Very sad because of the lose of the businesses, but also the lose of some very large pictures showing an overview of Estes Park around 1973, before the flood, and 2003(?), after the flood. Also, I will miss the fortuneteller who worked in a small cubbyhole in the mall. I planned to take my grandchildren to her when they were a little older. It's all gone now. However, thanks for the Estes Park VFD and other departments from as far away as Loveland for keeping the fire from spreading to other buldings.

Tragic! It was always fun to walk through the mall and window shop. This article metnions some residential apartments that were housed within the mall building. Does anyone know how many there were and if anyone was in them?

As a former resident who dearly loved living in this beauti- ful mountain community, I was amazed at the complete and accurate coverage of this fire. I was also very glad to read that there were no direct casualties. It reaffirmed my belief that this is a wonderful community in which to live. Good Luck to a quick recovery for those involved and a long distance thank you to the dedicated members of the Estes Park Fire Department and those of the surrounding communities who also helped.

My thoughts are with the folks in Estes, my favorite place in the world. Take heart, take care. The flood couldn't beat you and this won't either.

I can't say it better than Susan did. My family has ties to Estes going back to the 1930s, and my husband and I come up from Loveland almost every weekend. This fire makes me so sad, but I know the people of Estes will rebuild and thrive.

We are greatly saddend by this news. Our heart has been in Estes Park for many many years. We were just there 2 weeks ago. We visit at least annually and always shop for gifts in the pottery shop and Christmas store. We wish all the shop owners well and hope they can recover.

All of Estes Park will be in my prayers, I grew up there, and I fully understand the loss of all businesses, historic photos, and the community feeling it. Thank You all Volunteer Fire Fighters of Estes Park for doing an excellent job, and for allowing us all to enjoy the Historic Theater still. You all did an AWESOME job.
Thank You!

two friends own stores near there .. can anybody in Estes email me with any information about the condition of the Hiking Hut, and also Moosely T's ???
my email address is eaglepremier@aol.com
thanks

Another former resident chiming in ...
We were in town on Sunday. What a wonderful day. How things can change so quickly.
Estes is known for the wind blowing much of the time. Pretty lucky it wasn't on Monday, or else the entire downtown district might have been destroyed.
As others have said, it's one of our favorite places to visit, and I'm glad I'm able to say I lived there for a little while.
There's much more to Estes Park than the downtown area, but we just wonder what downtown will look like in the future.
Best of luck to all affected.
P.S.-- Excellent coverage T-G staff!!!

Kudos to the folks who got the info out and the photos. Does anyone know the status of the little popcorn shop next door to the mall called the Caramel Crisp Shop? Many trips to EP over the years, and always had to have some of the awesome caramel corn and cheesecorn treats. One of the fire photos shows it located imediatley adjacent to the burning mall. Praying for minimul damage to it and all the cool shops surrounding.

We can't begin to tell you how sad we are for the town and most specifically for the folks who made their living at the mall, especially in these difficult economic times. We have spent many an afternoon strolling through the shops or enjoying a coffee there. We can only tell you to that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Things will get better. What a blessing that no one was physically injured in the blaze. Like a phoenix, those directly affected will rise and be even stronger.

I remember coming to Estes Park in the 50's with my parents, Jim and Inge Mitchell, and my brother Rick. The mall was a stable back then and folks rode horses down Main St. It's a shame to see an old part of history go up in flames. Thank God everyone is safe.

I was so sorry to hear about, and watch, the loss of the mall. My family has lived in Estes for 63 years and the mall has been a part of all our lives in some way. My Grandfather helped restore it, my dad used to catch the bus to go to Hidden Valley there in the 50's, and I spent many happy times as a little kid in The Music Box and Mt. Classics (thankfully moved recently). I never grew up here, but having the connection to Estes, and to the mall, and the fact that I now live here make it all the more personal. My loving wishes go out to Norm, Paul, Vera, and all the other business owners, as well as the property owners. Estes has truly lost a major part of this town's history.

As a resident of this town, it was hard to watch such a historic place burn down. The firefighters did a great job keeping the fire from spreading, and am thankful for that. As an employee of a shop directly across from 14ers, I am so sad for Paul and how hard he worked in that shop -- from sunrise to sunset!! The caramel crisp is still there but closed due to smoke/water damage...as well as Trendz and Moosely T's. The Hiking Hut is sadly gone as well as Wynbriar (beautiful nature/art store)...as well as the shops in the Mall. I wish the best for all of the owners....this town WILL SURVIVE!!

Joyce from Missouri wrote:

How tragic!!! We were in Estes a couple weeks ago and always shop in the mall. Love Estes and will visit alot more. Thoughts and prayers go out to the entire community for such a great loss and to all the personnel that have helped or assisted in the loss.

I agree its so sad i cried when i heard of this.I was devastated.I lived in Loveland for 3yrs.went to Estes to go to those shops every weekend.I had to move to Indiana due to my 1st grandchild being born.I miss it terribly.want to go visit again so bad.