Guide Line Review
Lakewood FAM Review
We started off at about 8 am and headed East on Colfax to the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD). RMCAD is located in what was originally the Jewish Consumptives' relief Society (JCRS) hospital that was built to rehabilitate people with tuberculosis. The campus is quite large, covering 17 acres now. We were greeted by Shelley Fladry, Project Manager of Campus Operations and Gregg Kildow of Intervention Community Corrections Services (ICCS) that uses the New York building as a half-way corrections house that serves several judicial districts in Colorado. ICCS is a non-profit. Classes can be shared – either online or in lectures. Currently there are 700 students. There is no student housing on campus though the Concordia apartment complex nearby houses some students.
One of our first stops on the campus was the synagogue, designed by Fisher and Fisher, and one of 67 of their projects. Of these, 50 are listed on the National Register for Historic Preservation.
Most of the buildings were constructed in the early 1900s (1904-1924). The synagogue is of Moorish design (the only Moorish design that Fisher and Fisher did) and was used by many denominations over the years. Many of JCRS’s patients were Eastern European Jews. At one time most of the exterior windows had iron bars – a preventive stratagem. The Ku Klux Klan traveled West Colfax and Jews and Catholics were also their targets so the windows were barred to discourage vandalism.
At one time there were six kitchens - kosher, and other dietary restrictions need separate kitchens, JCRS took in patients at any stage of tuberculosis while National Jewish rehabilitated those not quite so ill. Many Jewish women’s auxiliaries raised the money to build the buildings, i.e., the Texas building was sponsored by Texas Jewish women's auxiliaries.
JCTS’s first fund raiser netted $1.17 but they persevered. As patients’ health improved – aided by the Vitamin D obtained by sitting in the Colorado sun – they were moved into buildings called tents. There are photos showing 12-15 tents sitting on the lawn between the buildings. There is one preserved to show this part of the treatment, built in 1904.
The furniture was added in 2007 but is representative of what would have been n each tent. About 70-80% of the patients recovered. Many of those that did not are buried in Golden Hill Cemetery (at Simms and White Acres Road). It has been abandoned for years though much of it is intact.
We moved on to the Rude (pronounced Rud-E) Gallery, built in 1919. It originally housed administrative offices and now is used as live model illustration space. This building is in the process of being renovated.
The Steele family was a sponsor of the Texas Building, originally the Women’s Hospital, and is now used as class space for illustration.
The next building we visited was The Rotunda, built in 1908. It has great light and many long windows and an outside deck where patients wee able to soak up the sunshine and get their Vitamin D to help in their recovery. Currently this building is used as exhibition space.
Next was the Mary Harris Auditorium – the interior: seats, stage lights, etc. is all original. At one time people such as Bob Hope and Eddie Cantor performed here. All student gatherings are held here. One of the more notable is the annual Paper Fashion Show with clothes made entirely from paper.
The Neusteter Building was originally the occupational therapy building. Now it is used as the print shop, jewelry and ceramics are also created here. The Neusteter family was a well-known high-end women’s apparel retailer for many years. Their store was on 16th in the same block as The Denver Dry Goods store at California.
The New York Building (1922) was originally the Men’s Hospital. It is used by Jefferson County now as a half-way house and is fenced off from the rest of the campus. The main entrance is on the East side away from the rest of the campus.
The Diamond Building was built in 1963 for cancer research. It is currently unused.
The Tri-Boro building houses the library, student learning center and classrooms now. In 1936 it housed the kosher kitchen. There are several photos in the library showing the original campus though the legends for some of the photos are missing.
The Robinson Building (1925) was the general store and post office. It is used for administrative offices now.
The Spivak Building (1902) was originally administrative offices and is now used as studio space. Thirteen students each year are awarded the use of a studio in this building. The Spivak family started JCRS.
There are many architectural styles represented on campus – very eclectic.
We moved on west along Colfax to the 40 West Arts District on Teller Street where Executive Director Bill Marino welcomed us. Bill gave us a brief history of the current location – it was an abandoned warehouse and had been unused for years. After more than 1,000 volunteer labor hours it is an art gallery and a theatre. The current art show is Vintage Colfax presenting arts/photos of early Colfax Avenue, the longest business street in the US, over 40 miles long. The theatre is called The Edge and houses a professional theatre troupe that puts on 7-8 productions each year. Each production runs 4-5 weekends and Bill invited us to attend. The theatre seats about 100 (maybe fewer) so attendees are in the center of the action on stage. Currently The Beauty Queen of Leenane is playing. The 4th Wednesday of each month 40 West has a social and is open later than usual (this is a tie-in with Denver’s First Friday events).
Bill also told us about the $100 million West Colfax development plan. 40 West is just a couple of blocks from the W line of light rail which opened in April 2013. He also said there are 18 galleries, 19 pieces of public art within the nearby neighborhood. 40 West is a 501C3 non-profit and has more than 200 artists as members. Thirty thousand people have visited 40 West over the past two years and over $50,000 has been made for the artists. The arts district runs from Lamar and Wadsworth along Colfax to 14th. The Business Improvement District runs from Sheridan to Welch, north to 20th and south to Wadsworth. The historical survey of commercial buildings in this Business Improvement District lists over 500 buildings.
There are three websites connected to 40 West - 40 West Arts, West Colfax Community Association, and LWCBID. Learn more at www.WestColfax.org.
Our next stop was the Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, owned by Andy Sprenger. Andy started his journey with coffee as a barista and ten years later opened Sweet Bloom. Andy buys coffee from all over the world in relatively small quantities. His inventory specializes in special coffees and flavors. He buys coffee from Ethiopia; their south central region grows yurga coffee. He also buys from Indonesia which historically had great impact on spreading the popularity of coffee. Heirloom coffees that have been grown in the same area for many, many years come from Ethiopia. Andy also has Rwanda coffee – which he will roast and send to a client in Hong Kong. He buys Brazilian coffee from Terra Farms – they emphasize quality control. Guatemala coffee that is green will become old and must be used within a year. Andy orders new coffee just as he uses the last of the previous order. Andy will roast a small batch to check for the qualities of the coffee – its flower flavor, etc. Flavor is regulated by how it is roasted – the roasting process takes a total of about 11-13 minutes. A lighter roast can bring out a better flavor. The "first crack" is a roasting period of 7-8 minutes; the "second crack" is an additional 2-3 minutes. Every other Saturday he has a coffee tasting and public "cupping". He can set up a group tasting and there is space to stop at the curb for a coach. Andy also has artwork on the walls (currently done by his nephew Caleb Sprenger) and plans to have more art showings in the near future.
We walked around the corner literally to Liquid Metal Coatings, a company that can metal coat anything. They do custom range hoods as an example and we were shown several items that were actually paper on wood that were bronze finished. The finishes can be polished with steel wool to brighten them. It was amazing to see the possibilities. The metal granules are mixed with resin and sprayed cold, no heat used. They can also powder coat any metal. Costs are generally $125-$150 per sq ft. Who knew????
Our next stop was Rockley’s Music store. This is a family-owned business that has been around since 1946. Started by the grandparents and they sold music, musical instruments, radios, and appliances. They moved to the current location in 1955. In the 1960s they were the largest distributor of records and they started their acoustic guitar department. In the 1970s they added a print music department – you can get sheet music to almost any song you want. In the 1980s, Leanne’s husband (the grandson, a graduate of UNC with dual performance degrees came into the business). They did organ installs for churches and added the electronics department. They dded an electric guitar section as well. In 2012 they added performance classes and have 155 students currently. Leanne’s degree is in flute performance and started there in 1990 as a teacher.
The Rockley Family Foundation provides the use of instruments and instruction to underprivileged children. They host recitals for piano teachers and their students in the piano showroom. Rockley’s is the oldest retail business in Lakewood.
We then drove through the Glen subdivision – developed from the 1920s through the 1950s.
It was planned for the returning WWI vets that precipitated a building and baby boom. In order to build in this subdivision your house value had to be more than $4,000. Many landscape areas done by Solo de Boer are listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There are no sidewalks and the residents don’t reall want them – they feel that they would be separated from the community feel with the advent of sidewalks.
Our destination was the studio of Lonnie Hanzon and his partner Terry Hitzell. Lonnie is a nationally known display artist. He has designed and constructed many of the Christmas trees for the Neiman Marcus main store in Houston, Texas. They tell him what they want and he makes it. In the side yard is the framework for a spun sugar tree from several years ago. Anything that is used in constructing these exotic trees is not reused on another tree. Lonnie has 350 pieced of blown glass that were used in last year’s tree. Lonnie also does light shows at the Houston Zoo – last year 214,000 people visited. He did the same for Hudson Gardens in Littleton for several years but then moved the show to Houston. Lonnie is planning a three-day masters seminar for September 2014 that will include one day of idols and heroes, one on reliquaries and one on crowns. Lonnie is also working on an installation for the light rail station at Union Station which should be installed during the summer of 2014. Lonnie worked at Disneyworld and also did “The Evolution of the Ball” at Coors Field and he has installations at Red Rocks Community College and Fiddlers Green. Lonnie showed us some new technology called augmented reality. This is an I-pad technology that combines looking at a piece of art and then having a portion of it become 3-D and you can look at any portion of the 3-D item. It was pretty cool.
We went past Dave’s Chuckwagon Diner (1957). It is original and on the National Register of Historic Places. These diners were shipped out premade and this is the furthest west they went. The neon signs are historic too.
Trivia: Lou Blonger an old-time crook and con-man lived in this neighborhood. He was a “fixer” – bribed City officials. Ultimately he was jailed for tax evasion.
We passed "landmarks" like Guido's Nickel Bar which has been at the same location for many years. Vitamin Cottages were started here in the 1960s and are now located in Kansas and Texas.
Our lunch was at the Lakewood Grill - great food and service. The tables have 1940s pinup calendar girl pictures on each table. There are several pool tables and a bar in the adjoining portion of the restaurant. Our lunch was comp’d by the City of Lakewood and 40 West paid the tip.
We walked across the street from The Lakewood Grill to Wings Aloft – a delightful store with handmade bird houses – each one was unique. They also had bird baths and decorative yard items (pink flamingos). Also in this building is The Everything Gallery where we could purchase handmade soaps, jewelry and other decorative items for your home.
Then we were off to the Lakewood Heritage Center on Wadsworth. William Loveland started Lakewood (Loveland ski area and Loveland are named for him). He ran a railroad and platted houses in Lakewood. His home here is still standing.
We drove past the Belmar Mansion (the neighborhood is called Belmar) which was May Bonfils Stanton's home. May was one of Frederick Bonfils’ (The Denver Post) two daughters. May left an estate worth $167 million. May Bonfils Stanton’s estate was 720 acres; some of the original out buildings are still there and in use. May dies in 1962 and the estate was given to the Archdiocese of Denver. The archdiocese sold it to Craddock who tore down the mansion. The City of
Lakewood bought it in 1973. The museum emphasizes the 20th century. The home was demolished and that location is now the Iron Gate Office Complex, named for the iron gate – still there - from the mansion. There are a few other items from the mansion remaining. Belmar Park consists of 120 acres; 15 acres houses the historical center and the rest is a minimum maintenance area.
The Lakewood Visitor Center (2003) houses a room with model railroads, an emporium and a room with other Lakewood historic items - such as Leanne Rockley's flute collection.
One of the original buildings was the agricultural hub and auction house. May sold Black Angus cattle and Suffolk sheep and ranched here from 1933 to 1970. The calving barn is also original. In Jerry’s barn there is a 1928 Model T pickup truck; a 1927 John Deere (Wheatland model with wide front wheels to go between the rows) tractor; a 1941 Case electric start tractor; a 1936 Case (Wheatland model) tractor and a 1951 Gibson tractor (blacksmith put it together) tractor.
We visited an 1872 farmhouse (147 years old). Owned by the Streets who were Jewish and came from the Kiev, Ukraine area. The house is decorated in 1918-1921 style. The ground floor has three rooms - kitchen, living room and spare room. The house was heated by a small pot-bellied stove in the living room. There was an ice box in the kitchen as well as a pump (no running water) and a windmill for real water. They had 120 acres and raised dairy cattle and wheat. Streer had a Harley! There was an 8-party line phone in the pantry.
Across the way is an 1878 house – Halleck Brothers construction. Originally a carriage house. The house was to be razed and was moved to Ohio and Wadsworth. Then sold to Mrs. Morris. It is decorated in 1930s depression style. In 1951 May bought it and moved it to Yale and Vance and moved to this location in 1972. This house has a full bathroom and has had a couple of additions as well.
The schoolhouse (1867) was originally the Methodist Episcopal Church and had one room. It ws located at 58th and Indiana. In 1919 the second room ws added and the building moved.
John C. Vivian, an early governor of Colorado, lived in the neighborhood and took the trolley to work downtown – from a special stop primarily built for him to be able to commute on the trolley which is now located here. It was the Wide Acres stop for the Interurban car #25 and the stop shelter is now here.
We went into the Valentine Diner – 1948 – made in Wichita, Kansas
and prefabricated. Originally it was located at 9200 East Colfax.
It originally cost $3,300 and came fully furnished – all you had to
provide was the food. It arrived completely assembled and you
just had to hook up the plumbing and utilities. There were two
slots on the wall and you made weekly payments – if you missed
too many payments, you might come to work and find an empty
lot – could be repossessed in a couple of hours. You might make
$1,500 - $2,000/year. This unit seats 8. Larger units could seat
up to 40 people. Five of these diners still exist in Colorado.
Next door is the beauty salon – located at Federal and Alameda in 1948. The exterior is Art Deco on top and Art Moderne on the bottom. Originally it was the Snow White Laundry and a big SW is still on the floor. In the 1950s and 1960s it was a 5¢-10¢ store. Gil started a barber shop. Ethel tried nurses’ training but couldn’t succeed. So, she became a beautician. She married Gil and they split the shop – half barber shop, half beauty shop. Gil died in 1996 and the city forced Ethel to move it or lose it. It came to the Lakewood Heritage Center in 1998. It still has all Ethel’s beautician tools, some from the 1940s.
Next is the Estes Motel which is being remodeled and restored. There are two units each with a bathroom with sink and toilet – no shower – and a carport.
Background on Bonfils: In 1895 Bonfils bought the Denver Post, having no experience in journalism. He paid $12,500 (roughly $365,000 in today’s dollars). Bonfils and his partner Tammen did outlandish things and had public fist fights. They printed a derogatory story about a lawyer, Mr. Anderson and there were shots fired. Anderson sued, won and Bonfils and Tammen were each fined $500 ($12,500 today). One of their reporters, Polly Pry tried to get Alferd Packer (cannibal) out of jail. In 1901 The Rocky Mountain News stated that if you did not advertise in the Post, Bonfils would make trouble for you. Bonfils sued. He died in 1933 having been estranged from May for many years. May sued the estate and won. May later married Charles Stanton and he died in 1976.
We drove past Lakewood Country Club - the clubhouse was the fourth in the state. We also passed Lakewood Brick which produces 20 million bricks/year. They have at lease 50 styles of brick at any given time. They were able to make about 7 million bricks/year with the old style kiln. The new continuous kilns allow them to produce 20 million bricks/year.
We passed the William Loveland house. Loveland started Loveland and then moved to Golden.
He ran railroads and had a lot of money. He tried to create a subdivision around the railroad line that he owned that passed through this area. The 1893 Depression failed him. Loveland also proposed the first tunnel through the mountains.
We returned to the Orchid Wine Cave where we enjoyed a wine tasting and conversation. The Orchid buys their wine from small craft wineries that make between 2,000 - 12,000 cases of wine each year. Ten to 15% of their wines are organic. The decor is interesting and the proprietors charming. There is ample parking behind the shop.
We were each gifted with a copy of Robert and Kristen’s book about Early Lakewood – and Robert signed each copy.
A good time was had by all. Who knew that Lakewood and West Colfax had so many interesting places to visit.
--- Nancy Brueggeman
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Lakewood ART-Culture-Heritage
Lakewood ART-Culture-Heritage FAM
Thursday, March 13, 2014
FAM Coordinator: Winston Walker E-Mail: wkwalker@ix.netcom.com
7:30 a.m. - Meet at the Orchid Wine Cave and Holistic Center, (in the hidden Victorian Wight-Starweather house), 8642 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, CO, (east of the Grow Store).
7:45 a.m. - Board the bus at the Orchid Wine Cave and Holistic Center, (in the hidden Victorian Wight-Starweather house), 8642 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, CO, (east of the Grow Store).
7:55 a.m. - In transit to the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, (RMCAD)
8:05 a.m. - Tour (1 hour – 15 minutes) the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, (RMCAD).
Guided tour led by RMCAD staff member, Amber Atkins, Director of Outreach along with historic insights provided Robert and Kristen Autobee.
9:20 a.m. - Board the Bus at RMCAD, (10 minute boarding).
9:30 a.m. - In transit to sweet bloom coffee roasters.
9:35 a.m. - Start walking tour at sweet bloom coffee roasters, 1619 Reed Street, Lakewood, CO 80214.
9:50 a.m. - Tour Liquid Metal Coatings, LLC., 7015 W 16th Ave, Lakewood, CO 80214.
10:05 a.m. - Board the Bus at Liquid Metal Coatings, LLC. Optional visit to the A&E Fine Woodworking shop west of Liquid Metal Coating, LLC.
10:15 a.m. - In transit or walk to 40 West Arts Gallery / The Edge Theater.
10:20 a.m. - 40 West Arts Gallery / The Edge Theater – 30 minutes, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood. Bill Marino, Executive Director of Lakewood West Colfax Business Improvement District will talk about the vision for West Colfax renewal.
10:50 a.m. - Board the Bus at 40 West Arts Gallery / The Edge Theater.
11:00 a.m. - In transit to the Rockley Music Center.
11:05 a.m. - Tour the Rockley Music Center, 8555 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood. Liane Rockley - owner will take us on a tour of the music center and studios, (the oldest continuing business on West Colfax).
11:20 a.m. - Board the Bus at Rockely Music Center, (10 minutes to board).
11:30 a.m. - In Transit to the Glens.
11:35 a.m. - Tour Hanzon Studios in the Glens - 25 minutes. The Glens is loosely bounded by W. 20th Ave. & W. Colfax and Garrison St/Glenmoor Drive & Estes St/Glen Bar Dr./Glen Ayr Drive.
Visit the Lonnie Hanzon Studios during the historic Glens bus tour, 1585 Glen Bar Drive, Lakewood, CO 80215.
12:00 a.m. - Board the Bus for drive through the Glens, (10 minutes to board), Robert and Kristen Autobee will narrate tour through the Glens.
12:10 p.m. - Narrated bus tour through the Glens, (short 5 minute tour)..
12:20 p.m. - Brief drive by the historic Dave’s Chuck Wagon Diner, 9495 W. Colfax Ave, Lakewood.
12:25 p.m. - Arrive at the Lakewood Grill.
12:30 p.m. - The 1 hour- 15 minute group lunch at the Lakewood Bar & Grill, 8100 W Colfax Ave., Lakewood.
12:45 p.m. - Optional walk across the street to visit the Everything Gallery and Wings Aloft bird shop, 1492 Ammons Street.
1:45 p.m. - Board the Bus at Lakewood Bar & Grill, (10 minutes to board).
1:55 p.m. - In transit to the Lakewood Heritage Center, (15 minutes), Brief stop at Belmar gate at Irongate.
2:10 p.m. - Tour, (1 hour – 15 minutes), the Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St., Lakewood. Caitlin “Katy” Lewis, Museum Curator, and staff will take the group on a tour of the museum and historic buildings on the property.
3:25 p.m. - Board the Bus at Lakewood Heritage Center, (10 minute boarding).
3:35 p.m. - In transit to the Orchid Wine Cave and Holistic Center, (in the hidden Victorian Wight-Starweather house), with historic narrative by Bob & Kristen Autobee during the drive by the Lakewood Country Club, the Sons of Norway Trollheim Lodge, the Lakewood Brick and Tile Company, the Big Bunny Motel, the Loveland House and JCRS shopping center.
4:00 p.m. - Return to the Orchid Wine Cave and Holistic Center. Optional tour of the hidden Victorian house with the current holistic center and Orchid Wine Cave Manager, Heather Allen and Owner, Don Jelniker. Wine tasting will be offered for those interested in staying at the wine cave a bit longer. The mayor of Lakewood, Bob Murphy, is scheduled to drop by to greet the RMGA members.
4:35 p.m. - End of Lakewood Art-Cultural-Heritage FAM tour, (ie., wine tasting).