Do You Know This Building?
Answers: Horses were used to excavate the basement of this building, which was constructed along the Main Street of Kit Carson in 1915. The brick storefront with flat roof and stepped parapet wall typifies early 20th century commercial design. The building served as a formal and informal meeting place for the community, providing recreational facilities, and housing a variety of commercial establishments. The Kit Carson State Bank acquired the building sometime in 1921 when a depression hit eastern Colorado and the original owner relinquished the property. The basement contained pool tables while the main level was used for community functions such as roller-skating, school cantatas, and showing silent moving pictures. In 1935, a new owner, Roy H. “Colonel” Price, bought the building from the bank and set up a barbershop with the pool tables in the basement. When it became legal to serve liquor in 1936, the “Colonel” moved the pool tables and barbershop upstairs and established both a beer bar and a take-out liquor store. The basement was then used for community activities that formerly had taken place upstairs. Price continued to operate the building until 1952, when it closed for several years. From 1955 to 1970, the building re-opened as just a pool hall and recreation parlor. In 1971, the building permanently closed and was used only for storage. In 1992, the Kit Carson Chamber of Commerce purchased the building
from the Price family. The Kit Carson Pool Hall and Recreation Parlor
was listed in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
the following year. The building was the recipient of a State Historical
Fund Grant for interior rehabilitation work. It once again serves
as a community meeting place.
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