The luxury motor hotel was commissioned by Julius A. Buerger Sr., a partner in the Buerger Brothers Supply Company. A full-service hospitality business that supported tourists, travelers, and local residents by providing lodging and entertainment, the motel featured a signature restaurant and lounge, the Gold Room. The Gold Room had a dining room capable of seating 114 guests, with an additional 48 persons in the cocktail lounge. Its prominence was largely driven by nightly live music and the restaurant’s world-class menu options. After the Fountain Inn and Gold Room closed in 1969, the building continued to serve as a motel and entertainment venue for several decades. 

The Fountain Inn is listed under the Commercial Resources of the East Colfax Avenue Corridor Multiple Property Documentation Submission as a rare, authentic example of a mid-century Modern motel within the East Colfax Avenue commercial corridor between Grant Street and Colorado Boulevard. The building represents local Colorado architect Aubrey B. Brelsford’s interpretation of the International Style, a popular style for commercial buildings constructed during the 1950s and 60s.