Historic Buildings Survey Littleton, Colorado 2000-2001
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C L HISTORIC BUILDINGS SURVEY LITTLETON, COLORADO 2000-2001 Survey Report I- I-95' Front Range Research Associates, Inc. Denver, Colorado HISTORIC BUILDINGS SURVEY LITTLETON, COLORADO 2000-2001 Survey Report Prepared for: City of Littleton 2255 West Berry Avenue Littleton, Colorado 80120 (303) 795-3950 Prepared by: R. Laurie Simmons, MA., and Thomas H. Simmons, M.A. Front Range Research Associates, Inc. 3635 West 46th Avenue Denver, Colorado 80211-1101 (303) 477-7597 17 October 2001 Partially funded by a Colorado State Historical Fund Grant, Number 2000-01-069 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface iv 1. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY. 1 II. INTRODUCTION 2 III. ACKNOWLEGEMENTS 6 IV. PROJECT AREA AND PHYSICAL SETTING 7 V. METHODOLOGY 10 VI. RESEARCH DESIGN 16 VII. HISTORIC CONTEXT 17 VIII. RESULTS 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY 86 APPENDICES 90 1. Platted Subdivisions in Littleton, 1871-2000 91 2. Littleton Annexations, 1890-2000 97 3. Representation of Architects in Littleton 100 4. City of Littleton Surveyed Historic Resources, by Street Address, 2000-01 102 5. City of Littleton Surveyed Historic Resources by State ID Number, 2000-01 118 COVER: Edward and Maggie Spackman stand in front of their house at 5666 South Crocker in a photograph taken about 1910. SOURCE: Littleton Historical Museum, photographic collection. City of Littleton Historic Buildings Survey, 2000-01 Page iii PREFACE This report summarizes the findings of a historic buildings survey of 604 properties in Littleton, Colorado, completed in 2001. The report presents a management summary, an introduction, acknowledgments, a description of the project area and physical setting, the methodology for the project, a research design, a historic context, and the results of the survey. The survey evaluated each property in terms of its individual eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places and identified groups of resources which appeared to constitute potential National Register districts. The resources were also evaluated in terms of their eligibility to the State Register of Historic Places. In addition, properties that may be eligible to be designated as Littleton landmarks were also identified, as well as potential local historic districts. It is important to remember that a survey of historic buildings is only a starting point for the identification of significant resources. A survey is designed to document resources at a given point in time and to provide basic information about historical background and significance. However, historic buildings change physically over time and should be periodically re- evaluated in terms of historic integrity. In addition, new information comes to I ,* and new interpretations of the significance of resources evolve over time. This new information should be added to the documentation undertaken in this study and should be continuously supplemented in future years. Evaluations of the significance of specific resources and districts should also be re-examined periodically. For example, certain types of resources, such as agricultural buildings, may become more rare over time and thus acquire additional significance. The results of this survey are not frozen in time, but are intended to serve as the beginning of process of ongoing examination and evaluation. The National Register of Historic Places generally requires that a building reach fifty years of age before it is considered to possess historic significance, unless it has exceptional significance. Littleton landmark criteria require that a building achieve forty years of age unless it has exceptional significance. As some of the newer buildings documented in this study were not yet forty years of age when the project was completed, they should be re- examined for eligibility when they reach the necessary age. City of Littleton Historic Buildings Survey, 2000-01 Page iv I. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Littleton, Colorado, a city with a population of 40,340 in 2000, is located about ten miles southwest of downtown Denver. The city traces its roots to agricultural settlements along the South Platte River in the 1860s. The 1867 construction of the Rough and Ready Flour Mill stimulated the creation of a farm service and supply center that was enhanced by the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1871 and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe a decade later. The town incorporated in 1890. Littleton, which was selected county seat in 1904, attracted a number of early manufacturing enterprises, including factories that produced mining drills and compressors, canned vegetables, farm implements, dairy products, motor vehicles, and fire extinguishers. At the same time, Littleton continued as a service center for the surrounding community, which remained predominantly agricultural until after World War II. The period following the war brought enormous population growth and expansion of the city boundaries, as new residents acquired jobs with large industries that established plants in and near the city. It is within this context that Littleton's architectural heritage emerged. Front Range Research Associates, Inc., Denver, Colorado, conducted this historic buildings survey for the City of Littleton, Colorado. The purpose of the project was to study the development history of the city and to document selected historic resources within the city limits. The survey area included approximately 505 acres within the city limits of Littleton. The scope of work for the project included the initial examination of the development and expansion of the city to determine the location of unsurveyed historic resources. In consultation with the City of Littleton's Historical Preservation Board, historic properties included in the intensive survey were to be identified. Resources were to be recorded on Colorado Historical Society Historic Building Inventory Record forms, with architectural descriptions, historical background summaries, and black and white photographs. Surveyed resources were to be evaluated in terms of National Register, State Register, and local landmark eligibility, and potential historic districts were also to be identified. Six hundred four historic properties were documented and evaluated as a result of the project. The project identified eleven resources eligible to the National Register of Historic Places, as well as one potential National Register historic district. Sixteen resources were evaluated as potentially eligible to the State Register. Fifty-two resources were identified that were potentially eligible to become local landmarks and one local landmark district and one potential district requiring further survey work were also identified. City of Littleton Historic Buildings Survey, 2000-2001 Page 1 II. INTRODUCTION General Description Preservation issues concerning Littleton's historic buildings have been studied and discussed for more than two decades. Beginning in 1975, the Littleton Historical Museum sponsored a series of internships which resulted in the completion of studies on a variety of topics relating to the downtown area. The Second Century Fund (SCF) was created in 1991 with the vision of restoring Downtown Littleton and began working with property owners to obtain local landmark status and apply for State Historical Fund grants for individual buildings. In May 1997, the Littleton City Council created a Historic Preservation Board to carry forward the preservation goals of the community. Littleton also became a Certified Local Government, thereby becoming eligible for federal grant funds and participation in the state preservation tax credit program. Several years of study and consensus building culminated in the survey of historic resources in and around Downtown Littleton in 1996-1997 and a National Register designation for the Littleton Main Street Historic District in 1998. Two other individual properties (Geneva Home and the Littleton Town Hall) are listed in the National Register.' The 2000-2001 survey project was the first comprehensive survey of all areas of potential historic significance in the city's history. The potential survey area included the entire city excluding the previously documented resources in Downtown Littleton. The data resulting from this survey will assist preservation planning within the city and will contribute to Littleton's on-going historic preservation efforts. The survey information identified areas of historic resources within the city and resulted in the documentation of those resources, as well as the completion of a development history for the city. The survey and history will provide one basis through which the citizens of Littleton are made aware of the historic and architectural heritage of areas outside Downtown Littleton. Partial funding for the survey was a State Historical Fund grant to the City of Littleton (number 2000-01-069), administered by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Colorado Historical Society. The City of Littleton provided matching funds for the project. Survey Area and Requirements The purpose of the 2000-01 survey of historic buildings in Littleton was to record and evaluate approximately 600 historic properties within the city limits of Littleton outside the Downtown core of the city, an area of approximately 5.25 square miles. One component of the project was a study of the development history of Littleton that would identify concentrations of historic resources as well as provide an overview of the growth of the city. The development history Willowcroft Manor, also listed in the National