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ARAPAHOE COUNTY |
AuroraCOMMANDANT OF CADETS BUILDING, U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY
DeLANEY BARN This may be the only round barn in Colorado today. Round barns and silos were popular in the first decade of the 20th century, largely in the Midwest. The rafters on the interior converge toward the center with an impressive dizzying effect. The barn is an example of new techniques used by dry land farmers on Colorado's plains; it was originally built to be a silo but was later converted for use as a barn. GULLY HOMESTEAD This house, moved to its present site in 1983, has been restored to its earliest known date of construction - 1871. The dwelling is associated with Aurora's agricultural beginnings. Thomas Gully, an Irish immigrant, ran a ranching operation out of his home, as did his descendants until the 1950s. The house was a center for community activity, serving as a polling place for local school district elections. MELVIN SCHOOL A frame schoolhouse built in 1922, Melvin now stands three miles from its original location. Its exterior white clapboard and square belfry reflect the school's time and purpose. The belfry was recreated using photo documentation. Most of the interior has also been authentically restored; one classroom demonstrates the furnishings of a 1920s rural schoolhouse, while a second is now a museum and library. The property is associated with the Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. SEVENTEEN MILE HOUSE The Seventeen Mile House, a squared log, one-story structure covered with clapboard, typifies early construction in a western frontier community. It served as a stopping place for gold-seekers and settlers traveling along the Smoky Hill Trail into the Rocky Mountains. The trail stop is one of the last two remaining mile houses along the immigrant trail. Mary Hightower, the earliest known owner of record, moved onto the property in 1866, using a military bounty land warrant originally issued to James Baron in the early 1850s. Adjoining the house is the original stage barn, built by Nelson Doud in the mid to late 1870s, with its high roof and sturdy interlocking wood-pegged beams. WILLIAM SMITH HOUSE William Smith was prominent in the development of Aurora's public schools in the late 19th century and served 50 years as secretary of the school board. Denver architect Joseph Wilson designed the house in the Foursquare style. It remains largely as constructed in 1910. However, the farms that once dominated the surrounding landscape have been replaced by residential neighborhoods. Cherry Hills VillageFOSTER BUELL ESTATE The Foster Buell Estate is an excellent example of Colonial Revival residential architecture as expressed by the prominent Denver architectural firm of brothers William and Arthur Fisher. The landscaping is credited to the celebrated landscape architect, Saco DeBoer. The estate, completed in 1920, served first as the residence of prominent banker and businessman Alexis C. Foster and later became the home of architect Temple Buell. LITTLE ESTATE The 1941 estate, designed by Denver architects Gordon Jamieson and Ewing Stiffler, is a good example of the Tudor Revival style in a residential building. MAYFIELD-MAITLAND ESTATE The 1925 Maitland Estate is a good local example of the Tudor Revival style, designed by two of Colorado's most prominent architects, brothers Merrill and Burnham Hoyt. The estate was the home of Denver business leader James Maitland who operated the Colorado Builders' Supply which, during World War II, he converted into a major munitions manufacturing plant for the U.S. Army. OWEN ESTATE Dating from 1923, the Owen Estate is located on approximately five acres of extensively landscaped grounds. Overall, the feeling is of an English country manor. Designed by Denver architect Merrill H. Hoyt, the large brick Tudor Revival style residence and the associated outbuildings exhibit quality in their design and craftsmanship. EnglewoodARAPAHOE ACRES Arapahoe Acres, built from 1949 to 1957, represents new patterns
of residential development after World War II. The neighborhood
forms an excellent collection of houses displaying the defining
characteristics of the International and Usonian styles of architecture.
Developer, designer and builder Edward Hawkins, a local pioneer
in modern residential development and construction, was primarily
responsible for the overall design of the neighborhood and most
of the individual houses. Architects Eugene Sternberg, a regional
master of mid 20th century modern architecture, and Joseph Dion,
a prominent local modernist architect, also designed houses in the
district. DAVID W. BROWN HOUSE A rare example of the Prairie style in the Denver area, the house was built and occupied by David Brown, a founder of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company. George Williamson, who also designed the Daniels and Fisher tower in downtown Denver, was the architect. A semi-octagonal turret acts as a focal point and intercepts the horizontal roof. The interior's dark wood paneling, spiral staircase, and period chandeliers leave the impression of wealth and position. The house has 6 fireplaces and 18 rooms. CHERRY CREEK SCHOOLHOUSE Constructed in 1874, this wood frame rural schoolhouse served as a school until consolidation forced its closure in 1951. The building is now located on the campus of Cherry Creek High School. ENGLEWOOD DEPOT The 1915 depot is the last remaining wood framed and stuccoed Mission Revival style depot formerly operated by the Santa Fe Railroad in Colorado. The City of Englewood relocated the depot to its present site in 1994. HOPKINS FARM 
The Hopkins House, part of the Hopkins Farm, is an excellent local
example of the high style Classic Cottage subtype. The house exhibits
the various elements defining the high style variant, such as 1½-story
height, multiple dormers, a Palladian style window with classical
columns on the facade dormer, Tuscan porch columns, and bay windows
on two sides. The farm itself is a rare extant example of a 1930s
agricultural complex of a type that has all but disappeared from urban
Arapahoe County. Architect Roland Linder designed the complex that
consists of a large and a small barn, horse stables, and chicken coop
in their original layout. Though the farm was one of many dairy operations
along East Quincy Ave., it is now possibly the last remaining one able
to convey this early farming history of the area. (Photographs 2006) Greenwood VillageCURTIS SCHOOL This 1914 brick schoolhouse served children in the Greenwood Village area until 1967 and now houses a center for the arts. It became the focus of local community life and reflects the era before school district consolidation. The school retains its original brick walls, decorative wooden shingles in the gable ends, and stone trim. The property is associated with the Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. LittletonGENEVA HOME From 1927 until 1973, the home was operated by an international association of hotel workers as a recuperative care facility for its members from throughout the United States. The International Geneva Association was founded in 1877 in Geneva, Switzerland and spread to the United States during the early 20th century. Additions, in 1941, to the wood frame Craftsman style building reflected the need for more space and the evolution in health care practices, while retaining the overall residential appearance of the property. KNIGHT-WOOD HOUSE 
The circa 1925 Knight-Wood House, a one-and-a-half-story, side-gabled
residential building with its associated garage, are excellent local
examples of Craftsman-style architecture. The house displays the
defining characteristics of the style such as the low pitched gabled
roof, overhanging eaves with exposed rafters, gabled dormers, a
front porch with tapered porch supports, and multi-light over single-light
windows. Original interior features include the wood staircase,
oak window and door trim, baseboards, and fireplace mantel. In addition
to the house, the property contains an intact Craftsman-style garage
with its original vehicular doors, an increasingly rare resource. LITTLETON MAIN STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT Beginning in 1890 and extending through the first half of the 20th century, the district's history is associated with the development of politics and government, commerce, and transportation within Littleton's commercial core. Constructed primarily of brick, the one and two-story buildings reflect an eclectic mix of architectural styles ranging from Italianate to Art Moderne. The National Register listed Littleton Town Hall, a 1920 terra cotta clad Italian Renaissance design by noted architect Jules. J.B. Benedict, is located within the district. LITTLETON TOWN HALL Denver architect Jules J.B. Benedict designed this 1920 building to provide space for an assembly hall, town offices, and the fire department. Benedict's work was inspired by the Palazzo della Ragione in Vicenza, Italy. Local expression in detail and materials includes the state flower, the columbine, sculpted into the incised ornamentation on the second story. The property is associated with The Architecture of Jules Jacques Benois Benedict in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. WILLOWCROFT MANOR Originally the home of Joseph Bowles, a rancher and politician who served two terms in the state legislature, the property retains its rural feel amid the rapid development of Littleton. Constructed of sandstone quarried in nearby Castle Rock, the house has the steeply pitched gables and wood ornamentation typical of the Victorian Gothic style during the 1880s. One building on the property served as a speakeasy during Prohibition. A caretaker's house, barn, smokehouse, and shed add to the rustic setting. StrasburgCOMANCHE CROSSING At this site on August 15, 1870, the last spike was driven into the first continuous transcontinental railroad. The completion of railroad bridges over the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers allowed all rail transport over this route. An unpretentious white monument marks the spot which is named for a nearby creek crossed by the railroad. The property is associated with the Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission. Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Baggage-RPO Car No. 624 An important example of an early 20th century railroad car type, the
1914 car was designed specifically to handle the collection and distribution
of mail in regular passenger train service, while also providing space for
passenger baggage handling and express freight. Its layout and design clearly
convey its function. The car is also significant for its role in the important
partnership of railroads and the US government in the delivery of the mail in
the first half of the 20th century. The railroads provided a fast, reliable,
and efficient means of moving mail across the country. Many passenger trains survived
after the 1950s only because of the mail contracts bringing in revenue. |
The Commandant of Cadets Building is the most intact remaining resource
associated with the original site of the U.S. Air Force Academy at Lowry
Air Force Base from 1955 to 1958. Founding of the academy followed the
designation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the military
in 1947 and recognized the importance of air power in the Cold War. The
Air Force is the only branch of the military that had an interim site
for its service academy. The three-year operation
of the Academy