Peter Gottesleben was born on Dec. 31, 1834, in the Rhine Province, Germany. Today, 190 years later, his legacy endures in the Teller House lobby in Central City, where an impressive eight-foot George A. Jones Walnut Parlor Clock stands. The clock, inscribed with “Hense Gottesleben,” tells a rich historical and roman- tic story.
The “Hense” refers to Peter’s brother-in-law. After im- migrating to Quincy, Ill., and living there for two years, Peter and his wife, Elizabeth Hense, traveled to Denver in 1857 by covered wagon pulled by an ox team. Upon ar- rival, they opened a jewelry store on Larimer Street near the original May Company building that was constructed by Frank Kirchhof, another German immigrant who was influential in Denver’s early development. He built landmark structures like the Albany and Oxford Hotels and founded the Kirchhof Lumber Company, amassing considerable wealth.
While there is no direct evidence that Gottesleben and Kirchhof knew each other, they likely crossed paths through church or Denver’s growing business networks. Their connection is further underscored by Kirchhof pur- chasing the walnut parlor clock in the mid to late 1860s from Hense Gottesleben’s jewelry store on Larimer Street. The clock was likely a centerpiece in Kirchhof’s opulent home.
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