Born in Baltimore in 1874, Gans was seventeen when he fought his first professional match in one of the city's athletic clubs. He won boxing's lightweight title in 1902 after knocking out his opponent in the first round. Gans held the title until 1908.

Gans purchased the hotel with the winnings from what was considered his greatest fight. In September 1906, Gans and Oscar "Battling" Nelson went 42 rounds in a match held in the tiny mining town of Goldfield, Nevada. The fight ended with Nelson disqualified for personal fouls. With his winnings, Gans purchased the three-story hotel at East Lexington and Colvin and named it after the west Nevada town.

The Goldfield Hotel opened on October 29, 1907 with a gala celebration and crowds overflowing onto Colvin Street (then Chestnut Street). Future jazz great Eubie Blake got his start as a piano player at the hotel's club. The Goldfield's grandeur and success inspired boxing's heavyweight champion Jack Johnson to open a club in New York, which later became Harlem's Cotton Club.

Gans died at the age of 35 in 1910. He is buried in southwest Baltimore's Mount Auburn Cemetery. The Goldfield Hotel, later used as a grocery store and apartments, was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the post office complex at the site today.

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