About the Rochester Hotel and Leland House Bed & Breakfast in Durango Colorado

The newly renovated Leland House was originally an old apartment house built in 1927 by P.W. Pittman, long-time resident of Durango. P.W. "Andy" Pittman was a well know builder in the area - building several bungalows and apartments around town in the 1920's and supervising the construction of the Smiley Junior High School in 1936-37 (currently The Smiley Building on 3^rd Avenue). 

Merle B. Pittman, son of the builder, lived in the Leland House (then known as the Pittman Apartments) in the northwest unit on the first floor until 1939 - when the Pittman's lost the building during the depression.  The bank made it possible for the Pittman's to continue to live here and manage the apartments. In 1947, J. Walter Hill acquired the apartment building. Current owners, Diane Wildfang and her son Kirk Komick, ultimately bought the apartment building from J. Walter Hill's son, Leland Hill and his wife Lola, naming it the Leland House. They didn't realize that Durango already had a Leland Hotel - 100 years ago. It was just down the block on Second Avenue -where the Elk's Lodge is located today.

Diane and Kirk transformed this dated apartment building into an elegant, ten room inn, all with private bathrooms. Each room is named after an historic figure associated with the Leland House; the interior décor is accented with memorabilia and framed written biographies of these important figures. The hallways are lined with historic photos of Durango, telling the story of Durango's Wild West.

The Rochester Hotel, built in 1892, is one of the oldest hotels in Durango. Current owners, Diane Wildfang and Kirk Komick, bought the Rochester Hotel after renovating the Leland House. Originally 33 rooms, the owners remodeled the building and made it into 15 luxurious rooms all with private bathrooms, keeping many of the original antiques and woodwork from the hotel. This renovation marked a turning point for Durango's 2^nd Ave which was home to many used car dealerships and appliance repair shops. The renovation sprouted new interest in 2^nd Ave and many galleries, cafés and shops began to rejuvenate 2^nd Avenue making it a destination of its own.

All the rooms in the Rochester Hotel are themed after western movies that were filmed in and around the Durango area. Each room has a short movie history and information about the filming location. The hallways are filled with the original movie posters, framed in marquee lights, reminding guests of Durango's former nickname, the Hollywood of the Rockies.