Brighton Historic Resources Survey: Phase I SURVEY REPORT June 2014 Deon Wolfenbarger Three Gables Preservation Nederland, Colorado Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Brighton, Colorado Historic Resource Survey: Phase I 2013-2014 Survey Report May 2014 Prepared for: City of Brighton Brighton Historic Preservation Commission Prepared by: Deon Wolfenbarger Three Gables Preservation Nederland, CO Funded by: History Colorado Certified Local Government Grant CO-13-012 i Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I The activity that is the subject of this material has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Historic Preservation Act, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior for the State Historical Society of Colorado. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior or the Society, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the Society. This program receives Federal funds from the National Park Service; Regulations of the U.S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental Federally-assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N. W., Washington, D.C. 20240. ii Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Area .................................................................................................................................... 1 Research Design and Methods ....................................................................................................... 4 Survey Objectives, Scope of Work ...................................................................................... 4 OAHP File Search ................................................................................................................ 4 Property Selection ................................................................................................................ 4 Methodology: Selective Intensive-level Survey ................................................................... 5 Public meetings/Outreach .................................................................................................... 8 Project participants/Acknowledgements .............................................................................. 8 Expected Results .................................................................................................................. 9 Historic Contexts .......................................................................................................................... 10 Historical overview of Brighton ......................................................................................... 10 Context 1: Creation of Colorado, 1859 – 1876 ................................................................... 17 Context 2: Late 19th Century Boom and Bust, 1876 – 1900 .............................................. 18 Context 3: Economic Recovery and Growth, 1900-1929 ................................................... 19 Context 4: The Great Depression, Federal Relief Programs, and the Second World War, 1929 - 1945 .......................................................................................................................... 23 Context 5: The New West: Expansion and Modern Development, 1945 – 2011 ............... 25 Survey Results .............................................................................................................................. 28 Potentially eligible to the National Register of Historic Places ......................................... 30 Potentially eligible to the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties .......................... 32 Potentially eligible as City of Brighton landmarks ............................................................. 33 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 35 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 37 Survey Logs ................................................................................................................................. 39 iii Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I iv Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Introduction The purpose of Phase 1 of Brighton’s historic resources survey was to research, record and evaluate a selective list of historic properties. These properties were identified in the 2012 Historic Resources Survey Plan: City of Brighton, Colorado as having the highest priority for recordation and evaluation. This selective list of historic resources was evaluated for eligibility for listing on the state and National Register of Historic Places. If designated, the properties may be eligible for monetary incentives for their preservation in the form of grant funds or rehabilitation tax credits. The survey project also provided recommendations for local landmark designation, which in addition to offering financial incentives, is a planning mechanism that can protect historic resources from demolition. The survey will also provide information that may assist the City of Brighton in other preservation planning efforts, such as the development of educational programs and heritage tourism projects. Finally, the historic information gathered during the survey phase will add to the knowledge of the historic contexts and property types developed in the Historic Resources Survey Plan. Funding was provided through a Colorado Certified Local Government grant, with matching funds from the City of Brighton. The City selected Deon Wolfenbarger of Three Gables preservation to conduct a selective intensive-level historic resources survey of eleven properties in Brighton. Wolfenbarger conducted field work and research between December 2013 and April 2014. A draft survey report was presented to the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission in April 2014 for discussion and additional comments. The results of the intensive level survey are presented in this report, and include recommendations of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and local historic designation. Project Area The general project area is within the City of Brighton, Adams County, Colorado and its anticipated growth area (Figure 1). Brighton is located northwest of Denver, just outside of the metropolitan statistical area. The eleven properties selected for this survey project are within an area bounded by E. Baseline Road on the north, Chamber Road on the east, E. 144th Street on the south, and the South Platte River on the west. The total area surveyed was 64.48 acres. The surveyed properties are located within Township 1 North of the Brighton USGS Quadrangle Map (Figure 2) in the 6th Principal Meridian as follows: • Range 66 West, Sections 6, 7 and 18 • Range 67 West, Section 13 1 Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Figure 1. Project study area is marked by the heavy dashed lines. Source: City of Brighton Geographic Information Systems. 2 Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Figure 2. Location Map. Project study area is marked by the heavy dashed lines. Source: A portion of the digital U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle map: Brighton, CO (2013). 3 Three Gables Preservation Brighton, Colorado Historic Resources Survey: Phase I Research Design and Methods Survey Objectives, Scope of Work Phase 1 of the Brighton Historic Resources Survey began in December 2013 and was completed in May 2014. The project was a selective intensive-level survey of eleven properties that were approved by the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission in December 2013. The properties were described, researched, photographed, mapped and evaluated in order to determine if any were historically or architecturally significant properties. This was accomplished by assessing the individual merit of each property for possible National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Colorado Register of Historic Places (SRHP), and/or City of Brighton local landmark designation. Colorado Historical Society Architectural Inventory forms were completed for each of the eleven properties. The project also includes this Survey Report which presents the project findings, including evaluations of the surveyed properties. The properties were then placed within the related historic contexts for Brighton. A survey map identifying the project area is also included. Finally, the report provides preservation planning recommendations for these properties. The Historic Resources Survey Plan: City of Brighton, Colorado (July 16, 2012) recommended three categories of survey priorities: Priority One to be undertaken over