Carbondale, Colorado Historic Commercial Core Walking Tour
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Description
Historic buildings located in Carbondale, Colorado's, Downtown Core
1. 199 Main Street
Ottowa Tanney was the original owner of most of the property that is now occupied by the Town of Carbondale; she was also reported to be the first white woman to arrive in the Carbondale area. Mrs. Tanney purportedly ran the Stage Station out of this building, serving meals to travelers along the stage line to Aspen. However, for this building to have been part of the ranch and serve the stage line, it would have had to have been constructed prior to 1883. If, in fact, this location served as the stage station, it was also the site of the original Satank Post Office. Ottowa Tanney sold a large portion of the ranch property to John Calnan for the purpose of establishing a townsite in early 1887, but it appears that Mr. Calnan sold lot 13 to Charles Reese and Esther K. Mitchell months before the Carbondale Town and Land Company was established in September 1887.
2. 202 Main Street
The Carbondale Improvement Company bought the property from the Carbondale Town and Land Company in 1890. By 1894, Channing Sweet started buying tax liens on the property and eventually took over ownership of the property. In 1902 he sold lots 1&2 to Henry Best (Besh?), who in turn sold to the Carbondale Creamery (S. D. Weant, president) in 1907 for $160. The Creamery was acquired through various liens by A. M. Mansfield (female) and operated at this location until 1917 when the operation was sold to A. R. Craig and E. E. Clark. They continued the operation as Farmer’s Creamery of Colorado. The 1917 sale described the following improvements: one tin horse tower boiler, one scoop shovel and boiler tools, one steam engine with belts and shafts with connectors and churn, one Friday butter printer, one Babcock steam turbine, one large galvanized iron water tank, one large, galvanized iron wash tank, 550 gal tank for milk, one skim milk (illegible) and whip, scales, steamer churn, platform scale, rotary buttermilk pump and all personal property connected to the creamery. In 1918 the operation was sold to C. E. Smoke.
3. 259 Main Street
This is a simple wood frame house with a small front gable and a long gable side wing. The building sits within the property lines in a more traditionally residential manner than the other adjacent commercial building on the north side of Main Street. This property was purchased from the Carbondale Town and Land Company by the Carbondale Improvement Company in 1891 and the building was constructed in approximately 1908.
4. 26 S. 3rd Street
The present-day property consists of four lots; all the lots were purchased in 1888 from the Carbondale Town & Land Company by different individuals. The original buildings – Dinkel’s store housing the Bank of Carbondale and the Williams Hotel (which appeared frequently in early newspapers but was gone by the time the 1912 Sanborn map was made) – both burned down in the fire of 1891. The current building, designed in the Late Victorian architectural style, was constructed on lots 11 and 12 in approximately 1904. This building is thought to be one of the first blacksmith shops in Carbondale. Some sources place Hugh O. Pattison (b. 1864 in Indiana) as the operator of the blacksmith shop; he was listed in the 1900 census working as a blacksmith. The 1973 interview with Cleone Oliver mentioned Benjamin F. Baker (b. 1856 in New York) operating out of the shop owned by W. M. Dinkel Company and thought Pattison’s shop was on the corner of 4th and Main, one block west. Benjamin Baker appeared in the 1910 census as a blacksmith.
5. 64 and 66 N. 3rd Street
Originally known as the Mt. Sopris Hotel, this is a two-story front gabled wood building in the Late Victorian architectural style; a large addition is referred to in 1901 newspaper article. A two-story gable form appears adjacent to the main gable form in an 1890 photograph of the town center, and the 1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows the main two-story volume and a series of three one story additions on the south side -- some parts of which appear to remain, although the footprint is slightly different.
6. 97 N. 3rd Street
This building is the original Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot; built in 1887 it reflects the Late Victorian style. It was originally located next to the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad tracks but was moved approximately 100 yards out of the railroad right-of-way to its current location in 1969. It is a long, horizontally proportioned wood frame building with a primary gable roof form. The ridge of the gable runs generally east and west, and the roof plane is thin with large overhangs, which are supported by simple brackets.
7. Odd Fellows Lodge No. 75/Seven Stars Rebekah Lodge No. 91
This is the second building owned by the Odd Fellows Lodge No. 75. The original building was dedicated on July 4, 1888, but burned 17 years later to the day, on July 4, 1905. Construction on this second building started almost immediately and opened less than a year later. The simple rectangular plan and the symmetrical layout of the principal façade are characteristic of the Late Victorian style in a commercial setting. There is a high level of detail on the façade that includes contrasting brick and stone decorative elements such as rounded arches, segmental arches, hood molds, corbelling, and quoins; it is the only building along Carbondale’s Main Street that incorporates this set of architectural details. The use of masonry at this period of development in Carbondale expressed a desire for permanence on the part of the builders and was a substantial commitment to the community. The building is intact in its original form, materials, and details; the exterior stair on the west side appears in an early photograph of the building, though the current configuration and finishes are slightly different.
8. 303 Main Street
Known as "Dad Long's Store," this building was built in approximately 1888 and is a tall one-story brick building with a rectangular plan designed in the late 19th and early 20th century Commercial style. The recessed entry, large display windows and decorative brick corbels were typical of commercial architecture of the day and are seen in many of Carbondale’s Main Street buildings. The iron rosettes on the east wall indicate where steel rods were inserted to hold high walls in place and keep them from buckling. The building front is contiguous to the sidewalk and the east side is open to the adjacent side street. The west side shared a party wall with the previous building, but the modern building next door is now higher. The addition of the awning, possible storefront window replacement and the paint on the brick wall has had a minimal impact on the integrity and the building generally retains its original form.
9. 335, 343, and 351 Main Street
Built in approximately 1893 along the north side of Main Street, these three buildings have similar storefronts and share party walls. The rectangular masonry buildings have flat roofs, corbelled cornices and large storefront windows and echo the late 19th and early 20th Century American Movements Commercial design that is prevalent in Carbondale’s historic commercial district. The buildings are significant for their position in the commercial development of Carbondale and its masonry construction indicates a long-term commitment to the community on the part of the builders.
10. 348 Main Street
Built sometime between 1899 and 1908, this is a rectangular masonry building with a flat roof that shares a party wall with the adjoining building to the west. Originally designed in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements, Commercial Style, recent modifications have removed a considerable amount of character defining features. This building is significant for its position in the commercial development of Carbondale. The building served for a significant period as a saloon and social gathering place for the community. Price Wickliffe’s saloon was referred to often in the local newspaper of the period and the saloon seemed to have survived through Needham’s ownership at the least. The building is a good example of the 19th century commercial style with its corbelled cornice, simple rectangular plan form, and large storefront windows. Its masonry construction indicates a long-term commitment to the community on the part of the builders. This building is one of several buildings on Main Street that represent this style of architecture.
11. 358 Main Street
Built in 1908, this is a tall one-story brick building with a generally rectangular plan. Like most of the buildings along Main Street, its design is typical of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements Commercial Style with a corbelled cornice, simple rectangular form, and large storefront windows; its masonry construction indicates a long-term commitment to the community on the part of the builders. In the early 1900’s this building housed Leonhardy’s Saloon and featured a bar with elaborate woodwork. In the fall of 1909, one year after this building was built, Carbondale’s first Potato Days celebration was held at the corner of 4th and Main.
12. 389 Main Street
Built in 1889, this is a tall one-story brick building with a generally rectangular plan and flat roof. Like most of the buildings along Main Street, its design is typical of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements Commercial Style. The bottle-glass storefront was once the headquarters for the Potato Growers Association, formed in 1923. The first carload of potatoes was shipped out of the valley 30 years earlier, and by 1912 the Carbondale area was a leading producer of spuds for the hotel and dining car trade. Pings Store was owned by William Pings, a German businessman who once managed the creamery. It was a dry goods store for many years, well into World War II. The building was divided into several commercial spaces, one housing a drug store – note the coal chute on the 4th Street side.
13. 36 N. 4th Street
Constructed in 1888, this long rectangular building is designed in the False Front Commercial style popular in early western towns; the building is a brick version of the typically wood frame form. It originally housed the livery stable and when trains arrived at the depot, a two-seated buggy (called a “hack”) would be driven over to pick up the passengers and carry them the short (often muddy or dirty) distance to Main Street. This building served as a livery stable from its construction until the emergence of the automobile replaced the horse completely around 1920; around that time, it was converted to a mechanic’s shop.
14. 38 N. 4th Street
Built in 1918, this rectangular building was designed in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movement, Commercial Style. Several alterations have occurred over the years including the alteration or addition of window openings and the application of stucco sometime before 1983; these alterations have changed the appearance of the building from its original architectural pattern and material. The Carbondale Town & Land Company sold the lots to Charles E. Perpau in 1887 and he subsequently sold the lots to Frank E. Sweet in 1888. In 1889 Sweet sold the property to William Kopfer and in 1893 Kopfer split off the south 25’ of the lots, which became 36 N. Fourth, but retained the northerly 75’ of the lots. Several other people owned this property including R. L. Sherwood, Cyrene Needham, and J. W. Watkins; it isn’t clear what the lot was used for until the building was built in 1918.
15. 55 N. 4th Street
Built in 1898, this long rectangular building is characteristic of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movement, Commercial Style with a simple symmetrical façade and large storefront. This building housed Jim Sheridan’s Saloon, purportedly with a brothel upstairs. The building was subsequently purchased by the Badgetts, a family of Italian immigrants, and run as a tavern until Prohibition, after which it was then converted into a meat market and grocery store.
16. 403 Main Stret
Known as the Dinkel Building, this prominent building located on the northwest corner of Main and 4th Street was built in three sections: the 1892 Corner Building, the 1908 central section, and the 1913 one story section; each section has a different window pattern and decorative elements. The eastern portion originally served as Dinkel’s mercantile general store, bank, and hotel, and was partially repositioned into the Crystal Theatre in the 1940s. The single-story building on the west end of the property served as Dinkel’s potato brokerage house. Carbondale was known nationally for its potatoes, and the original freight elevator that was used in Dinkel’s building to transport potatoes down to the cellar for storage still exists today. The building is currently undergoing exterior restoration and interior renovations.
17. 511 Garfield Avenue
Built in roughly 1906, this building was used as a granary and was associated with a rail spur that connected it to the main valley railroad. The architecture of the building is distinctive and expressive of its function -- the long linear form and simple repetitive openings are characteristic of the warehouse use and the functional relationship to the rail spur. It was used for many years as a granary under the name of Robinson and White Granary; unfortunately, no ads for the granary were found in local newspapers of the time. The granary housed and sold potatoes along with seed, feed, and other grains. The Colorado Milling & Elevator Company sold the property to Freeman S. James sometime after 1936. Joan Lane owned the property before 1996 and converted the building into two residences in 1976. Nancy Clough, the current owner, related that Joan Lane was a proponent of affordable housing and rented one side of the building to her from 1980 until she purchased the property in 1996. Ms. Clough then converted the building back into a single-family residence.
