National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
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NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: ___First Unitarian Society of Denver_____________________________ Other names/site number: ___Plymouth Congregational Church / 5DV.16713_________ Name of related multiple property listing: ____N/A_______________________________________________________ (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Location Street & number: __1400 Lafayette Street_______________________________________ City or town: __Denver___ State: __CO______ County: _Denver____ Not For Publication: n/a Vicinity: n/a ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this x nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _x__ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide _x__local Applicable National Register Criteria: _x__A ___B _x__C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Date __ History Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation______________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 First Unitarian Society of Denver Denver, Colorado Name of Property County and State ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: X Public – Local Public – State Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) X District Site Structure Object 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 First Unitarian Society of Denver Denver, Colorado Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____1________ _____________ buildings _____________ _____________ sites _____________ _____________ structures _____________ _____________ objects _____1________ _____0_________ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ___0______ ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _RELIGION/religious facility__________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _ RELIGION/religious facility __________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 First Unitarian Society of Denver Denver, Colorado Name of Property County and State _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) _LATE VICTORIAN/Richardsonian Romanesque__________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: __STONE______________________ Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph The First Unitarian Society of Denver (FUSD) church building is a large, stone edifice of rough- cut rhyolite in the Richardsonian Romanesque style located at the northeast corner of Lafayette Street and 14th Avenue within the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. Begun in 1893 by the architects Balcomb & Rice and completed in 1899 following the design of the prominent Denver architectural firm of Varian & Sterner, the church was first home to the Plymouth Congregational Church. Since 1958, the building has been home to FUSD, and as such, was where the first religious ceremony for a same-sex wedding in Colorado was held in 1975. _____________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The First Unitarian church is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Denver, built with rough-sawn, ashlar-cut rhyolite stone, a locally available and popular Colorado building material in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The church has a Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 First Unitarian Society of Denver Denver, Colorado Name of Property County and State rectangular footprint and features a cruciform layout by virtue of its hip on cross-gable at the intersection of the north-south long gable and the east-west short gable. The entire roof has brown asphalt shingle roofing, which is believed to have been installed in the last fifteen years. The church has two stories with a full basement, resulting in almost 24,000 square feet in total. The two-story sanctuary at the north within the hipped roof and east-west gable takes up approximately half of the second-floor volume. The building is constructed with rhyolite stone load-bearing walls and an interior floor and roof structure of combined wood and steel. The Richardsonian Romanesque detailing reflected throughout the exterior of the building includes complex rooflines, deeply-set windows and doors within semi-circular arches with stone voussoirs, original arched wood doors, and ornamental stone posts and carved finials at gable corners. A devastating fire in December 1985 resulted in extensive remodeling on the interior and some replacement of original wood windows, as noted in the detailed description below. Setting At the corner of Lafayette Street and 14th Avenue, the building has two street façades, with main access from the west side facing Lafayette by a set of double stairs and a ramp. The building takes up most of its site, resulting in minimal site elements other than trees planted in the strip between the street and sidewalk, and some street furniture. A metal sign box with removable lettering stands at the far southwest corner of the lot and is used to announce sermon topics and events. In 2007, an elevator tower addition was added at the southeast corner of the lot along the alleyway to accommodate handicapped accessibility to all levels in the building. West-facing Façade (Main Entrance on Lafayette Street) The approximate north half of the west-facing façade features the large hipped roof (hip on gable) sanctuary with the gable end of the east-west cross gable projecting from it. This gable end features four tall windows divided into three groups, with the center two making up the middle bay. These windows consist of four vertically stacked single-light wood sashes, with the top and second-from-bottom being operable. Above these windows are three arched stained glass windows; the center one is larger and encompasses the width of the center two vertical windows below. Heavy stone sills project from below the arched and rectangular windows. Above the arched stained-glass