The History of Manufacturing at 600 9th Street, The Coors Company, 1886-2022

Monday, September 8, 2025 General Meeting – 7:00pm MT (Hybrid)

Speaker:  Melanie Keerins, Archivist and Historian for the Adolph Coors Company, Golden, Colorado.

Abstract:  From 1886-2022, the site named 600 9th Street was consistently used for manufacturing by Coors. Over time, the site expanded, covering more land and reusing or burying the previous buildings. Final manufacturing at the site ended in 2022. With the demolition of most of the buildings that existed in 2022, there has been an opportunity to uncover artifacts from the entire history of the site. During the demolition of the site, artifacts have been discovered buried under the buildings. Although there wasn’t much time to practice traditional archaeology due to the pace of construction, there has been the opportunity to collect numerous items.

The presentation chronicles the evolution of the CoorsTek site on 9th Street in Golden, Colorado, from its origins as the Colorado Glass Works in 1886 through its transformation into a global leader in advanced ceramics. It traces the site’s industrial journey—from glass bottle production and Herold’s pottery, through Coors Porcelain’s labware and dinnerware, to its role in technical ceramics for defense, aerospace, and computing. We end in the modern era with CoorsTek’s sustainable headquarters development, highlighting the site's enduring legacy of innovation, community integration, and material science excellence.

Bio:  Melanie Keerins is the Archivist and Historian for the Adolph Coors Company, based in Golden, Colorado. She oversees the Coors Family Archive and history, the historic Coors Mansion, the CoorsTek Archive and history, and previously maintained the Coors Brewery Archive and history. She received a Masters of Library and Information Science, Archive and Museum Studies from the University of Denver in 2013.

Her early background is in Archaeology, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Archaeology and Classics from Texas A&M University and coursework in Greek Epigraphy from Royal Holloway University.  She spent several years on digs in Greece and Israel before moving to Colorado in 2005.   With the recent demolition of the historic CoorsTek site, she has been able to combine her archaeological background with her current role, collecting artifacts that showcase the history of manufacturing on the site.

CONTACT US TO ATTEND

Upcoming Activities:

October 3-5, 2025 - CAS Annual Conference & Members Meeting, Auraria Campus, Denver

No October DC-CAS General Meeting due to DC-CAS hosting the CAS Annual Conference

October 18, 2025 - International Archaeology Day, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Morrison

November 10, 2025 - DC-CAS General Meeting (Speaker TBA)

December 2025 - DC-CAS Members Potluck and Presentations Night (Date TBA)