Community Planning and Development Landmark Preservation

201 West Colfax, Dept. 205 Denver, CO 80202 p: 720.865.2709 f: 720.865.3050 www.denvergov.org/preservation

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT MEMO REPORT OF FINDINGS FOR CERTIFICATE OF DEMOLITION ELIGIBILITY

March 18, 2021

Address: 3245 Eliot St Legal Description: POTTER HIGHLANDS B31 BEG NE SE COR B31 TH S 183.21FT W225.59FT N 182.59FT E 226FT TO POS Current Building Name: Habitat for Humanity Construction Date: 1955 Source of Information: Denver Assessor’s Office; Sanborn Insurance Maps from 1904, 1904 (corrected to 1925), 1929-30, 1929 (corrected to 1937), 1929 (corrected to 1951), 1929 (corrected to 1956), 1929 (corrected to 1958), 1929 (corrected to 1961), 1962 (corrected to 1967); Denver City Directories; Federal Census Records 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Denver householder’s Directory and Street Avenue Guide 1924-1950; Denver building permits 1915- 1955.

Architectural Architectural Style: International style Architect/Builder: Eugene Sternberg Source of Information: The Denver Post. “Teamster Chief Here for Dedicated Rites” January 23, 1956. Eugene Sternberg Architectural Records. Western History Department WH1003 Historical Original owner: Teamsters Union Original use(s): Union Hall Current use(s): Office building Historical background: The building located at 3245 Eliot Street was constructed in 1955 and served as the union hall for the Denver Teamsters Union. Unlike the rest of the Potter Highlands neighborhood, Block 31 of the Potter Highlands subdivision was not fully developed as a residential block, but instead featured a mix of commercial and residential buildings. Much of the land was owned by the care facility directly to the east, the Oakes home (now The Gardens at St. Elizabeth’s) and later owned by the Poor Sisters of St Francis. It was sold to the Teamsters Building Association in 1953. The building was designed by noted Denver architect Eugene Sternberg in the International style. At the time of the building’s dedication, the Denver Post described the building: “on the ground floor are four meetings halls… a conference room; a snack bar; and a three-room apartment for a caretaker. The second floor has 26 offices, including space for nine Teamsters locals, a research department and an insurance or welfare department.” The dedication of the building was an important event, attended by the president of the AFL-CIO, Dave Beck, as well as local politicians including the Lieutenant Governor of and Denver Mayor Will Nicholson, in addition to many union officials. The Teamsters owned the building until 2009, when it was sold to an LLC. The current owner, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, purchased the property in 2010.

Source of Information: Denver Assessor’s Office; Sanborn Insurance Maps from 1904, 1904 (corrected to 1925), 1929-30, 1929 (corrected to 1937), 1929 (corrected to 1951), 1929 (corrected to 1956), 1929 (corrected to 1958), 1929 (corrected to 1961), 1962 (corrected to 1967); Denver City Directories; Federal Census Records 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Denver householder’s Directory and Street Avenue Guide 1924-1950; Denver building permits 1915- 1955. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Teamsters Union". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Teamsters-Union. Accessed 18 March 2021. The Denver Post. “Teamster Chief Here for Dedicated Rites” January 23, 1956. Eugene Sternberg Architectural Records. Western History Department WH1003

Designation Eligibility Assessment

Landmark Designation Criteria: A structure or district may be designated for preservation if, due to its significance, it meets the criteria listed in subsections (1), (2), and (3) below

(1) The structure or district maintains it integrity;

(2) The structure or district is more than 30 years old, or is of exceptional importance; and

(3) The structure or district meets at least 3 of the following 10 criteria:

☐It has a direct association with a significant historic event or with the historical development of the city, state, or nation;

☒It has direct and substantial association with a recognized person or group of persons who had influence on society;

☒It embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style or type;

☒It is a significant example of the work of a recognized architect or master builder;

☐It contains elements of design, engineering, materials, craftsmanship, or artistic merit which represent a significant innovation or technical achievement;

☐It represents an established and familiar feature of the neighborhood, community or contemporary city, due to its prominent location or physical characteristics;

☐It promotes understanding and appreciation of the urban environment by means of distinctive physical characteristics or rarity;

☐It represents an era of culture or heritage that allows an understanding of how the site was used by past generations;

☐It is a physical attribute of a neighborhood, community, or the city that is a source of pride or cultural understanding;

☐It is associated with social movements, institutions, or patterns of growth or change that contributed significantly to the culture of the neighborhood, community, city, state, or nation.

Integrity: If a structure maintains its integrity, it may be designated for preservation.

☒ Has integrity ☐Does not have integrity

Does the structure have potential for designation? ☒Has potential for designation ☐Does not have potential for designation

(Significance and Integrity Analysis)

The building at 3245 Eliot St has potential significance under criterion B for its direct association with the Teamsters Union between 1955 and 2009. During this time, the Teamsters union was the largest union in the , with a membership of over 1 million in 1955. However, the period from 1955-2009 was also marked by controversy and accusations of corruption at the national leadership of the Teamsters Union – controversy that extended to the local Denver chapter. The Teamsters Union was started in 1903 as a union for delivery drivers. The Teamsters Union grew to become the largest private-sector labor union in the United States by 1940, representing members in the delivery, truck, and aviation fields among others. Teamsters, responsible for the transportation of goods throughout the country, could use a strike as a powerful bargaining tool; if the Teamsters Union went on strike, the country’s supply chain would be crippled. Denver Teamsters took part in various strike efforts, including a 1945 milk delivery driver strike. During World War II, the union agreed to halt strike actions as the country was in a state of emergency. By 1950, the Teamsters had a membership exceeding 1 million. Between 1950 and 1970, the union wielded significant power, negotiating nationwide freight hauling agreements as a centralized organization. Accompanying this period of strength, however, was a systematic culture of corruption, including the collusion with organized crime and the manipulation of the union’s vast pension funds. In 1957, the Teamsters Union was expelled from the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Between 1957 and 1988, three presidents of the Teamsters, Dave Beck, Jimmy Hoffa, and Roy Williams, were convicted of crimes related to corruption, conspiracy, and racketeering. Denver has a long history of a Teamsters union – newspaper articles from 1902 discuss possible strikes from the Denver Teamsters union, before the union was affiliated with a national union. A year later, in 1903, a local branch of the Teamsters National Branch was founded, with assistance from Chicago union organizers. Between 1903 and 1945, the union gained significant power both at the local and national levels. Post WWII, the union continued to grow, with the Denver chapter boasting a membership of 10,000. In 1954, the Teamsters Union sold their headquarters at 1354 Bannock St to the City of Denver. They commissioned Eugene Sternberg to design a new headquarters at 3245 Eliot Street – which they purchased from the Poor Sisters of St Francis. The building was completed in 1955 and dedicated in January 1956. Dedication of the Denver Teamsters’ union headquarters came shortly after the construction and dedication of the national union headquarters in Washington DC – both architectural expressions of the Teamsters union’s growing strength in membership and political power. The Denver chapters of Teamsters were not untouched by the controversies that surrounded the national Teamsters union. In 1956, local Teamster leaders were ousted after complaints of rigged elections. However, the Teamsters Union remained a strong force in the city, despite the controversies. Today, the Teamsters union maintains many local chapters throughout the region.

The building at 3245 Eliot St is also potentially significant as it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of the International Style. The International Style is a style of architecture born out of the movement, which was popular in Europe starting in the 1920s. The Getty Institute characterizes the International style as one which maintains “an emphasis on volume over mass, the use of lightweight, mass-produced, industrial materials, rejection of all ornament and color, repetitive modular forms, and the use of flat surfaces, typically alternating with areas of glass." The building at 3245 Eliot Street embodies the International style through its rectangular massing with a flat roof, ribbon windows, and stacked brick banding. Although some changes have been made to the exterior of the building, it still retains its integrity of design.

The Union Hall is also potentially significant as a significant example of the work of architect Eugene Sternberg. Sternberg was an influential Colorado architect, designing over 400 building projects and multiple subdivisions. Born in Hungary in 1915, he earned his first architectural degree in . During World War II, he attended the University of ’s Bartlett School of Architecture, where he received his Masters in architecture and urban planning. After graduation, Sternberg taught architecture at Cambridge University and the . In the early 1940s, Sternberg and his partner Barbara Edwards moved to the United States. After a brief tenure as a professor at , Sternberg was hired by the as an Associate Professor of Architecture for the newly created School of Architecture and Planning. From 1947 until his retirement in 1979, Sternberg reigned as an influential character in Colorado’s architectural field. Sternberg is best known for his application of modernist architectural styles expressed in uniquely Colorado materials. Many of his projects can be classified as social architecture and include senior and public housing projects, hospitals, medical clinics, public schools, community colleges, community centers, churches, and labor unions. He designed the communities of and South Dahlia Lane, in addition to buildings such as Denver General Hospital (now Denver Health), Arapahoe Community College, and a number of buildings in downtown Littleton. The Teamsters Union Hall is an excellent surviving example of Sternberg’s early work – which is rare in Denver. Designed and constructed in 1955, it is a good example of the International style. Additionally, the building uses a deep red brick – a material synonymous with Denver building construction. Thus, Sternberg masterfully melded international design styles with vernacular building materials to create this community-oriented building.

The building, although it has undergone changes over the course of its history, maintains its integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The building is located in the Potter Highlands neighborhood of Denver, and is located in a primarily residential neighborhood. It is set back slightly from the street and maintains a large side lawn to the north, with the entrance located facing Eliot Street. It maintains integrity of design and workmanship as the design of the building remains the same in overall character, while it maintains its use of brick and glass materials. Finally, it maintains its sense of association and feeling, as its primary use as a community-oriented union hall can still be understood today.