The Wheeler-Stallard House: an Interpretative History, 1888-1969
The Wheeler-Stallard House: An Interpretative History, 1888-1969 By Stacey Smith For the Aspen Historical Society Under the Auspices ofthe Roaring Fork Research Fellowship Sponsored by Ruth Whyte December, 1998 Table ofContents I. Introduction , '" 1 n. The Boom Era: 1888-1893 ,,, .. 4 Ill. The Stallard Era: 1905-1945 , 68 IV. Aspen's Rebirth: The Wheeler-Stallard House Mter 1945 95 V. Conclusion 108 Bibliography '" '" 11 0 Appendix A - Dates ofthe Wheeler-Stallard House Appendix B - Family Trees ofHouse Residents Appendix C - Photographs Appendix D- Maps and Floorplans I. Introduction For the last thirty years, the Wheeler-Stallard house has served as the headquarters ofthe Aspen Historical Society and the community's only historical museum Yet, at the same time, much ofthe history ofthe house remains obscure. The house's exact chain ofresidency, its function and appearance over time, even its architect and date ofconstruction were seemingly lost in the passage ofthe last one hundred years. This situation posed a problem when the Society began to contemplate an interior restoration ofthe house-returning the house to its original appearance and interpreting it to future visitors accurately naturally required an expansion ofthe concrete knowledge about the house. Therefore, this study is primarily aimed at filling the gaps in the Wheeler-Stallard house history and suggesting interpretative themes that may be useful in the upcoming restoration. On one level, the history ofthe Wheeler-Stallard house is a story ofindividuals. Jerome Wheeler, the silver magnate who built the house in 1888 but never lived in it, the Stallards who toiled in the house to make ends meet during the post-crash years, Walter Paepcke, the Chicago businessman who made it part ofhis skiing and cultural empire, all left indelible marks upon the house.
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