Donated by The Denver Building Trades Union in 1919, the Guard Houses reflect the Mission Revival architectural style of other Fitzsimons Army Medical Center structures built in the early 20th century. The Guard Houses command the corner of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street once admitting entrance to an evolving military medical institution which treated active and veteran military men and women from 1918 until its closure in 1999. The Guard Houses gained landmark status in 1999 as part of Fitzsimons’ historic past. 

Fitzsimons Army Medical Center opened October 1918 as the U.S. Army General Hospital No.21 in Aurora, Colorado under the commanding officer Colonel William Harlow. No. 21 treated tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases suffered by military personnel’s exposure and gassing during World War I. The Guard Houses arrived the following year to commemorate those who served and died in World War I. Two army officers occupied the structures granting entrance to the Hospital. One of the early Army Guards at No. 21 was Michael M. Ackman. Born Micha Mattha Psikurich June 16, 1897, in Ribnick, Croatia, Ackman immigrated to Kansas City and settled in Aurora to work two years as a guard in the Fitzsimons Guard Houses. Ackman’s notability continued after his military service where he worked 46 years as a civil engineer at Fitzsimons.  

Architecture  

With stucco exterior walls and shaped parapets, the Guard Houses reflect the Mission Revival architectural style. The wide overhanging eaves hold red clay roof tiles, and arched doorways and deep window openings once welcomed military personnel to Fitzsimons Army Medical Center.

1. https://www.nps.gov/articles/mission-revival-architecture.htm 

Michael M. Ackman  

Michael M. Ackman’s (Mike Ackman) dedication to Fitzsimons Army Medical Center provides a narrative of fortitude and resilience comparable to the maturation of the hospital itself. Mike Ackman’s permanent position arose from an incident that cost him his leg. While working on a coal car in the mid-1920s the pick handle used to release the coal car’s brakes, broke smashing three of Ackman’s toes. The injury resulted in gangrene and seven amputations, with the last laying below his knee. Fitted for a wooden prosthetic leg and given the option of a lifetime job at Fitzsimons or a settlement, Ackman chose the lifetime job and showed up everyday for 46 years with his wooden leg. 

1. Aurora Historical Society. March 1980 Vol. 5, No. 2. Aurora, CO 
2. “Vet’s Life Goes on Despite Loss of Leg.” The Stethoscope, September 29, 1961. 
3. “Fitzsimons’ historic past, redevelopment clash several buildings’ fate up to Aurora council.” The Denver Post, July 5, 1999.  
4. A Guide to Aurora Historic Preservation Landmarks. May 28, 2020. (36) https://issuu.com/aurorahistoricsites/docs/historic_landmarks_brochure_web 
5. Mike Ackman, interview by Natalie Brown, July 13, 2021. Aurora History Museum.