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GUNNISON COUNTY
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Crested ButteCF&I SUPERINTENDENT’S HOUSE 
Originally located on Big Mine Hill, this large wood frame dwelling served as the residence for the superintendent of Colorado Fuel & Iron Company’s mining and coke oven operations in the Crested Butte area from 1883 until 1952. Moved to its present location in 1971, its design is representative of Colorado Fuel & Iron superintendent’s housing in company towns throughout the state. Built by the company, they were the most substantial and architecturally sophisticated residences in the community. CRESTED BUTTE DENVER & RIO GRANDE RAILROAD DEPOT  Constructed in 1883, this combination passenger and freight depot remained in use until the 1954 abandonment of the Crested Butte narrow gauge branch line of the D&RG. The Queen Anne style architectural details on the well maintained wood frame building remain intact. After serving as a residence for several years, it was donated to the Crested Butte Society in 1973 and continues to house office space for community groups. Listed under Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission. CRESTED BUTTE HISTORIC DISTRICT Settlers looking for precious metals were in the area as early as 1874. As the number of mining camps grew, Crested Butte thrived as a supply center, and the town was incorporated in 1880. As the gold and silver played out, the mining of nearby high quality bituminous coal supported the economy. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and its predecessors developed coal mines and coke ovens, making the Crested Butte area the state’s leading mountain coal operation by 1882. While English, American, and Northern European settlers arrived first, by 1900, Croatian, Italian, and Slavic miners made up the overwhelming majority of the labor force. Buildings in the district primarily date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wood served as the most prevalent building material, and numerous well preserved false front commercial properties remain in use. Dwellings generally reflect simple design, small scale, and limited ornamentation. An interesting variety of secondary buildings remains intact along many of the alleys. Since the major coal mines shut down in 1952, Crested Butte has become a tourist center for sightseers in the summer and skiers in the winter. CrystalCRYSTAL MILL Constructed in 1892 for use as a powerhouse, the wooden Crystal Mill sits on a dramatic rock outcrop above the Crystal River near the town of Marble. It consists of three sections: the compressor house, the gear house, and the penstock. The mill generated power for mining operations of the Sheep Mountain Mining and Tunnel Company until after 1917. The Crystal Mill is reportedly one of the most photographed sites in Colorado and has appeared in many publications. TAYS HOUSE The 1889 Tays House was built during the early settlement of the Crystal River Valley and the town of Crystal. It is a well-preserved and essentially undisturbed example of a late 19th century miner’s residence. DoylevilleDOYLEVILLE SCHOOLHOUSE The Doyleville School filled the educational needs of the community from 1920 to 1962 and also was the focus of much of the area’s social activity. GunnisonCHANCE GULCH SITE The Chance Gulch site is important for its prehistoric archaeology pertaining to economics, industry, settlement, and social history. Excavations during the summers of 1999 to 2002 and subsequent analysis of site assemblages revealed a multi-component prehistoric campsite where late Paleoindian, Middle Archaic, and late prehistoric peoples (possibly even Fremont) exploited nearby resources such as springs, stone quarries, plants, and animals. CURECANTI ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT The district consists of over 60 sites, of a wide variety. Major quarries exist in three locations, and many sites contain hearths and roasting pits. The district is particularly significant for its length of human occupation, which is estimated at 12,000 years. EDGERTON HOUSE The 1881 hotel/boarding house is associated with the early commercial development of West Gunnison and is a good local example of large scale balloon frame construction. The privy and lunch counter building remaining on the site contribute to the property’s significance. FISHER-ZUGELDER HOUSE & SMITH COTTAGE Both dwellings were completed in June of 1881. They were built by David Fisher, a local sandstone quarry owner who incorporated sandstone in the design of the house and the cottage. Fisher hired Frederick Zugelder, a well-respected stonemason and stonecutter to construct the buildings, which served as prototypes for subsequent stone construction in Gunnison. They are among the few remaining structures dating from the early period of Gunnison’s development. GUNNISON HARDWARE (Gunnison Arts Council) Local master stonemason Frederick Zugelder built the store in 1882. Originally known as the Mechling Block, the building served for nearly a decade as the freight office of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, becoming the Gunnison Hardware in 1898. Built with the distinctive characteristics of the Italianate style, the building incorporates both local materials, particularly the locally quarried stone, with architectural embellishments brought in by the recently arrived railroad. GUNNISON MUNICIPAL BUILDING The 1931 building has functioned since its opening as Gunnison’s primary municipal facility. Architecturally, the structure is a good local example of the Art Deco style as executed by Denver architects Mountjoy and Frewen. The stuccoed concrete exterior is accented with cast concrete Art Deco detailing. GUNNISON RIVER BRIDGE I Designed in 1926 to cross the Gunnison River by the Colorado Department of Highways, the 125- foot long steel rigid connected Pratt through truss was fabricated by American Bridge Company. Completed in 1927 by Lambie-Bate Construction Company, the essentially unaltered bridge, along with the nearby Gunnison River Bridge II, survives as one of the last remaining examples of what was a common bridge type. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. GUNNISON RIVER BRIDGE II Designed in 1926 to cross the Gunnison River the Colorado Department of Highways, the 125- foot long steel rigid connected Pratt through truss was fabricated by American Bridge Company. Completed in 1927 by Lambie-Bate Construction Company, the essentially unaltered bridge, along with the nearby Gunnison River Bridge I, survives as one of the last remaining examples of what was a common bridge type. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. HAYSTACK CAVE Formed by a volcanic vent, the tube-shaped cave is within the Sapinero Mesa Tuff. Caves do not normally develop in this type of rock. The cave is an important Pleistocene fossil site. MURRAY HOUSE The 1902 wood frame Murray House is significant as one of Gunnison’s finest examples of the Queen Anne style. The property’s complex floor plan, roof structure, and architectural detailing are typical of the style. LESLIE J. SAVAGE LIBRARY The library is an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style as executed by Temple Hoyne Buell, a prominent Denver architect, developer, and philanthropist. The library was constructed in 1939 on the campus of the State Normal School for Western State College (now Western State College) with the aid of Public Works Administration funds. In 1964, a newer three-story building was attached to the northeast corner of the original library by way of a one-story corridor. TENDERFOOT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE Located within the Upper Gunnison Basin, this multi-component prehistoric site has the potential to yield important information related to site function, chronology and seasonality of use, and subsistence and settlement patterns. WEBSTER BUILDING The 1882 building was one of the first permanent masonry commercial structures in Gunnison’s downtown district. It was constructed by Milo Matteson to house a retail store, operating under the name of Shilling and Company. In 1889, Matteson sold the building to Herman Webster, who ran a business there until his death in 1920. Active in local politics, Webster served as councilman, mayor, and director of the First National Bank. The first floor was used as a retail facility, while the second floor originally served as living space for the proprietor and eventually was converted to hotel rooms. The third floor served as a social hall for various events.
Constructed in 1881 and in use almost continuously to the present
day, the building has housed a number of businesses ranging from
the bakery to a lunch room, law offices and notions store, as well
as a restaurant for over 80 years. As the oldest intact commercial
building in town, it forms a tangible link to Gunnison’s early
mining camp days and community’s extended commercial history. MarbleHAXBY HOUSE Constructed during the 1905-1917 building boom, the house is associated with the settlement of the town and the development of the local marble industry. It is significant as a well-preserved example of the town’s settlement-era architecture. Listed under Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado and Vicinity Multiple Property Submission. MARBLE CITY STATE BANK BUILDING Constructed in 1909, the first floor retail space of this simple vernacular, front gabled roof building originally housed a millinery shop. The Marble City State Bank operated in the building from 1912 to 1918, and the concrete vault and safe remain in place. It is the only known building in Marble that utilized stacked timbers in the construction of its walls. MARBLE HIGH SCHOOL The 1910 building features many Craftsman-style elements, including its overhanging eaves, "elephantine" porch piers of marble, and nine-over-single paned windows. The school was built in response to a population increase related to the founding of the Colorado Yule Marble Company. After 1917, the company cut operations, and the population of Marble dwindled considerably. By the 1920s, both elementary and high school classes were taught in the building, and the school closed in 1941. For a time, the Marble Historical Society owned the building and used it to house a museum. During the 1990s, it was reopened as the Marble Charter School. Listed under Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado and Vicinity Multiple Property Submission. MARBLE MILL SITE / COLORADO YULE MARBLE CO. Constructed sometime between 1896 and 1905, the mill produced marble that was used in the construction of the Lincoln Memorial and in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as a host of significant buildings in Oregon, California, and Colorado. The plant consisted of departments for sawing, polishing, and carving. Most of the facility was constructed of marble. The mill survived a series of disasters, including a snow slide in 1912 and a fire in 1925. It eventually closed in 1941 due to market issues and transportation costs. By the late 1970s, the mill was in ruins. Efforts to re-open the quarry commenced after 1989. MARBLE TOWN HALL Built circa 1908, the Marble Town Hall is significant for its Dutch Colonial Revival architectural features, and for its role in the development of the town of Marble. As many as ninety-one cottages were built in Marble in response to the housing shortage created by the establishment of the Colorado-Yule Marble Company in1905. The Marble Town Hall originally functioned as a company cottage. In the 1960s, it was relocated to a new site in Marble and adapted into a town hall. The building is one of Marble’s best examples of company cottage architecture and in the late 1980s was one of only three large company cottages still in existence. Listed under Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado and Vicinity Multiple Property Submission. WILLIAM D. PARRY HOUSE Constructed in 1891, this house was built by William D. Parry, who along with William Wood, was responsible for founding the town of Marble. Considered an example of Marble’s settlement-era architecture, the William D. Parry House is a vernacular wood frame building with some ornamentation. The house remained in Parry’s family until 1950. After that, Mary and Paul Ganley purchased the home. Listed under Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado and Vicinity Multiple Property Submission. ST. PAUL’S CHURCH Originally known as St. John’s Episcopal Chapel, the church was built in Aspen in 1886 by the Episcopal Missions of Western Colorado. In 1908, it was relocated to Marble and was renamed St. Paul’s Church. Two rooms were added to the rear of the building, and a belfry was added in 1911. The church is Marble’s only example of Gothic architecture and is an example of early religious structures of late 19th century mining communities in Colorado. Once the local marble quarries and mill shut down in 1941, the church closed. In 1974, the present congregation received permission to move into the church in exchange for maintaining the building, which they purchased in 1985. Listed under Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado and Vicinity Multiple Property Submission. PitkinALPINE TUNNEL HISTORIC DISTRICT The Alpine Tunnel Historic District includes approximately 13 miles of the former Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad railbed across the Continental Divide from Hancock to Quartz, as well as the Alpine Tunnel itself. Constructed in 1880-1881, the district illustrates the engineering and operational challenges faced by the Colorado mountain railroads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Listed under Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission. BON TON HOTEL (Pitkin Hotel) The hotel is a strong example of the commercial buildings constructed in small mining towns at the turn of the century. Constructed in 1904, the vernacular masonry building features elements of the commercial style, including a recessed entrance, clerestory windows, and a transom window above the door. The hotel has undergone some exterior and interior alterations since its construction. In 1981, a new owner began operating under the name "Pitkin Hotel." PITKIN SCHOOLHOUSE From 1924 until 1962, the wood frame building was the only school
serving Pitkin and the surrounding area. Built in 1900, the Pitkin Town Hall is significant for its role in the history of Pitkin and for its architectural features. The building was designed/built by F. G. Zugelder, a prominent stonemason, and William Ender. In 1908, the town hall was enlarged. As of 1992 it had been in continuous use, providing the setting for town meetings and community activities. It stands on an elevated location above the town and represents turn-of-the-century vernacular architecture and design typical of Colorado’s small mountain towns. SapineroRIMROCK SCHOOL Rimrock School is located in a still rural setting south of US Hwy. 50, near the Curecanti National Recreation Area and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The school ceased to function as an educational facility in May of 1946, but its secondary use as a community center continued for several years. In addition to the circa 1920 wood frame schoolhouse, two outhouses remain on the approximately one acre site. Listed under Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. SpencerSPENCER SCHOOL Located between Gunnison and Lake City, the 1902 Spencer School complex includes a well, shed, privies, and teacher’s cabin. The school was important to the educational and social history of the area and is southwestern Gunnison County’s best surviving example of a typical one-room rural schoolhouse. Taylor ParkSTAR MINE The Italian Mountain region was active from 1879 through World War II. By 1905, the Star was the leading silver and lead mine in the area. In fact, the mine operated almost continuously from 1890 to 1971, one of the longest runs of any mine in the county. The Star Mine is also notable for its intact mining buildings. The buildings and mine works are noted as one of the best in the county at the turn of the twentieth century. These are the same workings active in 1905, when the Star was at its peak. |
VIENNA BAKERY / JOHNSON RESTAURANT
Taylor Park vicinity