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MESA COUNTY |
CliftonCLIFTON COMMUNITY CENTER AND CHURCH This early Mesa County community center dates from 1920. The stuccoed building has a cross gabled roof, is two-stories in height, and includes a raised basement. Organizers of the church were committed to providing space for a variety of community events. Even though church membership was less than one hundred, the building could seat six hundred people within its main floor and balcony level. KETTLE-JENS HOUSE Constructed in 1905, this 1½ story wood frame Queen Anne style dwelling includes Shingle style detailing. The asymmetrical building includes two porches, several gables, and a tower with a bell cast roof. Other local residences surviving from the period tend to be simple utilitarian structures devoid of architectural detailing. CollbranSTOCKMENS BANK The bank opened in 1929 just before the Great Depression shook America’s financial stability. Though small in size, its simple yet dignified appearance exemplifies the early 20th century commercial and financial development of the Collbran community. De BequeCOLORADO RIVER BRIDGE Extending for 407 feet over the Colorado River, the 1945 steel rigid connected Parker through truss structure features two 200-foot long spans. The bridge was designed by the Colorado Department of Highways, fabricated by Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company, and built by A.S. Horner. One of the first major post World War II bridge projects undertaken by the state, the structure remains intact as a rare surviving example of what was a mainstay structural type utilized for vehicular bridge construction in Colorado. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. DE BEQUE, WALLACE, HOUSE The house was the residence of Wallace A. E. de Beque, a physician who was one of the town’s founders. Constructed in 1889, it is a typical example of a late 19th century wood frame single family dwelling. During his years in residence, de Beque oversaw several additions that nearly doubled its original size. The house appears today much as it did at the time of de Beque’s death in 1930. IOOF HALL / CREST THEATER The two-story building was constructed as a meeting hall by the Odd Fellows in 1900. Beginning in 1918, movies were shown in the first floor space, and the building served as the social and entertainment center for the surrounding area into the early 1930s. The hall is an excellent example of the use of pressed metal as cladding for a wood frame structure. Side walls are clad in a coursed stone pattern, and facade components include engaged columns, stylized floral motifs, and a projecting cornice with a fleur de lis and swag motif. FruitaCIRCLE PARK The 1908 park, a popular gathering place, is geographically important as a highly visible component of the local landscape and focus of the downtown commercial core. Such centrally located public parks are a rare resource in Colorado. COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX 
The complex, which includes the Visitor Center, Canyon Rim Trail, and Bookcliff Shelter, was constructed between 1963 and 1965 as part of the National Park Service’s Mission 66 program and designed to highlight the spectacular surrounding scenery by placing the visitor in the middle. The trail leads up to the fan-like Bookcliff Shelter perched atop Wedding Canyon, providing visitors with an outdoor experience and an excellent view of the vistas and monoliths that comprise the monument. The building is also an excellent representation of the modern architecture that was starting to proliferate in the National Parks- using low, horizontal building profiles to blend with the landscape. FRUITA BRIDGE This three-span, pinned Parker through truss was completed in 1907 and served the main highway south of Fruita until the road was realigned in 1970. Since then, the bridge’s beams and stringers have suffered fire damage, but the truss is still intact. It is one of the few spans left in the state associated with the engineer M. J. Patterson. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. FRUITA ELEMENTARY Built in 1912 to replace an 1887 structure, the Works Progress Administration constructed two wings in 1936. The building functioned as a site for community meetings and events, but served primarily as an elementary school and junior high school annex until the early 1980s. Vacant for a time, this rare local example of the Classical Revival style now serves as a community center. FRUITA MUSEUM The 1938 Fruita Museum, a Works Progress Administration project, is a symbol of the community’s efforts to establish a local museum. The building is architecturally significant as a well-preserved, well-crafted, and virtually unique example of stone construction. The exterior and interior surfaces are comprised of a wide variety of rocks that bear distinctive markings. HARRY AND LILLY PHILLIPS HOUSE Local builder A.B. Mahany, responsible for several ornamental concrete block houses in the area, began constructing this excellent example north of Fruita in 1906. It shares many of the characteristics typical of concrete block construction, but also incorporates some interesting variations, including its beveled corners and bay windows. Listed under Ornamental Concrete Block Buildings in Colorado, 1900 to 1940 Multiple Property Submission. WECKEL HOUSE The 1908 Weckel House is an example of an early 20th century Mesa County farmhouse exhibiting the characteristics of the Edwardian Style. Much of the interior remains as built, and the integrity of the exterior has not been diminished by additions made to the rear of the house. GatewayDRIGGS MANSION The Driggs Mansion is an important geographic landmark in rural Mesa County.
While presently a ruin, enough of the 1918 building remains intact that its unusual
application of indigenous materials is still visible along the Unaweep/Tabeguache
Scenic and Historic Byway. The site is an evocative visual landmark for the local
community as well as passersby. Glade ParkCOATES CREEK SCHOOLHOUSE Built in 1919, the school was located so close to the Colorado/Utah border that children from Utah often attended. It is Mesa County’s only surviving rural schoolhouse of log construction. Listed under Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. PIPE LINE SCHOOL Dating from 1922, Pipe Line School is Glade Park’s only intact example of a wood frame rural schoolhouse. The simple, hipped roof building reflects the commitment of early farming and ranching families to provide adequate educational facilities for their children. Inside, the original folding partitions used to create two classrooms remain in place. The school closed in 1951, but the building remains in use as a community hall. Listed under Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. Grand JunctionCROSS LAND & FRUIT COMPANY The property includes numerous intact buildings and structures associated with early 20th century fruit production in the Grand Valley. Established in 1909 by a group headed by Walter B. Cross of Denver, apples and pears were the primary crop. The design of the large circa 1910 barn was adapted for the handling of large scale fruit processing. While many local orchards averaged ten acres in size, the property encompassed 243 acres. Financial difficulties forced the sale of the land for taxes in 1923. Through a community fundraising campaign, the property was acquired by the Museum of Western Colorado in 1980 for operation as a living history farm. DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD DEPOT Designed by Henry J. Schlack and constructed in 1905 by the William Simpson Construction Company, this two-story brick depot, with terra cotta detailing, features elements of the Italian Renaissance. The depot contributed to the development of the western portion of the D&RGW railroad system as well as to the growth of Grand Junction. Listed under Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission. DEVILS KITCHEN PICNIC SHELTER Constructed in 1941 with Emergency Conservation Works funding, the Rustic style shelter is significant for its association with the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration. Built of locally quarried sandstone, to serve as a comfort station and picnic shelter, it is the only such structure in Colorado National Monument. Because of its size and unusual design, it is atypical when compared with picnic shelters found in other National Park Service properties. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. GRAND JUNCTION COUNTRY CLUB (Redlands Women’s Club) Also known as the Redlands Women’s Club, the building has served as a gathering place for community groups and events for over sixty years. The 1920 clubhouse is an example of the relatively rare Mission style in the Grand Junction area. HANDY CHAPEL Built in 1892 to serve the need for an African American church in Grand Junction, the Handy Chapel has been a source of spiritual and physical comfort to the resident black community and travelers in distress. The company town deeded the lots for the chapel not to a specific congregation but to all black citizens of Grand Junction. HOTEL ST. REGIS The hotel was important to the commercial development of Grand Junction. It served as a headquarters for traveling salesmen, a stopover for railroad tourists, and a center for local social life. A simple example of a 19th century commercial building with Italianate detailing, the St. Regis underwent three phases of construction and renovation, beginning in 1892 and ending in 1924. MARGERY BUILDING A rare local example of a vernacular Victorian commercial block, the circa 1905-1906 building symbolizes Grand Junction’s transition from a frontier town to a stable, small city. Designed and built by architect W. C. Boyer, it is one of downtown’s most prominent structures. NORTH 7TH STREET HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT The district is the most intact historic residential area in the community and includes noted architect Eugene Groves’ 1925 Lowell School. Developed between the 1890s and 1930s, a variety of architectural styles including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Mission are represented. The district reflects a progression of development from modest cottages to elaborate bungalows. The wide tree-lined boulevard, with its grassed median, adds to the ambiance of the five-block district. RIM ROCK DRIVE HISTORIC DISTRICT Constructed between 1931 and 1950, the district is significant for its role in the development of automobile access and tourism in Colorado National Monument and its contribution to the local economy during the Great Depression. The district’s contributing features are representative of National Park Service Rustic style architecture in their use of native building materials. Also significant for its engineering, Rim Rock Drive is considered to be the first modern road within the Monument and includes three stone tunnels blasted through solid rock that conform to the rugged terrain. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. SADDLEHORN CARETAKER’S HOUSE AND GARAGE Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 and 1936, as the first permanent buildings in Colorado National Monument, the caretaker’s house and garage are significant for their association with public relief projects of the Great Depression. Constructed of sandstone blocks quarried locally, the buildings are excellent examples of National Park Service Rustic style architecture and reflect the craftsmanship of both CCC members and local workers, some of whom were reportedly stonemasons of Italian descent. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. SADDLEHORN COMFORT STATION Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937, to accommodate the recreational needs of visitors to Colorado National Monument, the station is significant for its association with CCC and WPA relief programs during the Great Depression. It is a strong example of National Park Service Rustic style architecture. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. SADDLEHORN UTILITY AREA HISTORIC DISTRICT Significant for its association with the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration, the district includes four good examples of National Park Service Rustic style architecture. The structures were constructed of locally quarried sandstone by the CCC with Emergency Conservation Works funding. The 1937 Roads and Trails Shop, 1938 Oil House, and 1941 Open Storage Building functioned as garages, warehouses, storage facilities, and maintenance buildings for the park. Completed in 1942, the Building and Utilities Shop housed the primary administrative offices for Colorado National Monument until 1963, when a Visitor Center was completed. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. SERPENTS TRAIL Constructed between 1912 and 1921, Serpents Trail provided the only automobile access to Colorado National Monument until 1937 when the Fruita Canyon portion of Rim Rock Drive opened. Serpents Trail reflects engineering techniques used in the construction of early automobile roads in difficult terrain and was specifically designed to optimize the scenery of the park. John Otto, the original booster of the park’s scenic wonders and the custodian of Colorado National Monument from 1911 to 1927, designed the original route and was involved in its sporadic construction. The project also provided access to the Glade Park region, and local engineers and citizens contributed to its construction and funding. Serpents Trail now functions as a 1.6 mile foot trail. Listed under Colorado National Monument Multiple Property Submission. U.S. POST OFFICE/WAYNE N. ASPINALL FEDERAL BUILDING / U.S. COURTHOUSE The three-story Italian Renaissance Revival style building was constructed as a post office in 1918. James A. Wetmore served as the supervisory architect. The walls are of Indiana limestone, and the tall first floor windows are set in rounded arches. A 1940 addition extends from the rear of the building. In 1972, Congress renamed the building in honor of Wayne N. Aspinall who had a distinguished career as a U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1949 to 1973. LomaHURLBURT-KNOWLES HOUSE The circa 1896 house was constructed by Frank Knowles for his brother-in-law, George Hurlburt. Hurlburt made his fortune through mining interests in Ouray County. Located at the head of Horsethief Canyon, the large two-story residence is much more sophisticated in appearance than ranch related dwellings typical of the period. Other buildings associated with the ranching operation no longer remain. First floor walls are of locally quarried sandstone. Late Victorian architectural elements include its complex, steeply pitched roof; asymmetrical massing; oriel bays; and intricately patterned wood shingles. LOMA COMMUNITY HALL The building is an intact example of a Works Progress Administration-constructed community hall built in 1938 for use by local participants in the Depression-era resettlement program. MolinaCONVICTS’ BREAD OVEN Dating from 1911, the oven is the only remaining structure marking the existence of a camp for approximately thirty convicts who were involved in road building and maintenance in the area. The oven was built on a solid timber foundation, with cement forming the floor and rounded walls and roof. Measuring approximately seven feet in length and five feet in width, it resembles a typical Mexican adobe oven. PalisadeCRISSEY HOUSE The 1907 Herbert and Edith Crissey House is associated with the first decade of the establishment of the town of Palisade. Herbert Crissey participated in many of the early efforts to establish a viable community in the expanding fruit orchard economy. The house is a wood sided variation of a Classic Cottage incorporating elements of the Craftsman style. GRAND VALLEY DIVERSION DAM Constructed between 1913 and 1916, the dam is a concrete structure 14 feet in height, spanning a distance of 546 feet across the Colorado River. It was built in order to divert river flow into the Government Highline Canal. Still in use, the dam was designed by German engineers who incorporated a set of roller gates to control the flow. It is the largest of only four such dams constructed in the United States. The technical press did not credit the designers at the time of the dam’s completion due to negative sentiments related to World War I. HARLOW GRAVESITE The 1891 grave site is the only surviving property associated with "Judge" John Petal Harlow, an early settler of the Grand Valley area. Harlow planted the first peach trees in the area and was instrumental in developing irrigation practices that would impact the development of the Western Slope. SiltCAYTON RANGER STATION 
The 1910 Cayton Guard Station is associated with federal management and
conservation of natural resources during the early twentieth-century development
of the National Forest system. The building represents the expansion of the federal
government’s control and administration of public lands in the West. The station is
a rare surviving example of a Phase I (Pre-design Phase) Forest Service Administrative
Building. This era of Forest Service construction was based on a forest ranger’s skills
and abilities in the use of available local materials without utilizing standardized
plans. The unusual curve in the Cayton chimney testifies to local design idiosyncrasies.
Originally called the Johnson Springs Ranger Station, the Forest Service renamed the
facility in honor of James G. Cayton in 1940. WhitewaterBLOOMFIELD SITE Located deep in a canyon within traditional Ute territory, the site has the potential to provide information about the connections between known historic cultures and prehistoric occupations. COFFMAN HOUSE 
Constructed in 1890, the two-story wood frame residence is a simple local expression of the Stick style, featuring unusual decorative gable trim and brackets highlighted with cut-out crescents and stars. Home to early settler William Coffman and his family, the house was located off Coffman Road at the western edge of Whitewater, a small town along the Gunnison River. Coffman established extensive orchards and a successful farming operation in the area. In 2000, the house was moved to a site approximately one mile to the northeast in order to prevent its destruction by an expanding gravel mine. LAND’S END ABORIGINAL SITE Located along the Dry Fork drainage of Grand Mesa, adjacent Land’s End Road, the site has the potential to yield important information about aboriginal lifeways within a transitional environmental zone during the Archaic Period. LAND’S END OBSERVATORY The property represents the expansion of the U.S. Forest Service’s mission from basic custodianship to extensive resource management and the recreational development of its lands. Constructed during 1936-37 by the Works Progress Administration, with some assistance from two Civilian Conservation Corps side camps, the Rustic style building is perched on the edge of the south side of Grand Mesa and provides a panoramic view of the surrounding area. RABER COW CAMP The camp was occupied during the summer months from the 1930s until 1966 by the Raber family of Kannah Creek as part of their cattle ranching operation. One of the log cabins on the site was built in 1931 or 1932; the other dates from 1933 or 1934. Both have steeply pitched side gabled roofs and attic space above a single room on the main level. Associated structures include the original corral and cattle chute. |
State Register 9/14/2005, 5ME.765