The Maxwell House

The Maxwell House

A Traditional Form of American Architecture

by Fred Edison

American generations in the late 19th century lived through what author Mark Twain characterized as the ‘Gilded Age’ an era where a few businessmen and industrialists gained enormous wealth while the majority of citizens lived in poverty.  By 1893 the American economy had plunged into the worst depression of the century.  Out West silver mines shuttered to a close on the heels of Congress’ repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.  Castle Rock’s signature rhyolite mining industry also suffered during the 1890s but not before the construction of the County Courthouse in the vacant block along the west side of Wilcox Street.  In local politics western suffragettes from Wyoming and Colorado won the right to vote in state elections and local rancher Elias Ammons started his political career at the State Capitol.  The gold rush at Cripple Creek radiated into the West Creek area of southwestern Douglas County adding a little more glitter to the gild of the age.  The Pike Forest Reserve was created, the Douglas County Fair made its inaugural debut and dozens of one-room schools along with the grand Cantril School were built in this western enclave along the Front Range.

In the southeastern outskirts of Castle Rock several stately homes went under construction during the 1890s.  The Castle Rock Record Journal recognized the buildings in their December 10th, 1897 newspaper:

“The southern and eastern part of town seem to be the popular location for residence.  With Judge Triplett’s new house, Mrs. Maxwell’s to be built at once, and Mr. Hambitzer’s renovation of the old Matthews place, that quarter of town will present an entirely new appearance by spring.”

Two of these houses along Lewis Street remain today as representatives of a unique form of western architecture known as American Foursquare also regionally referred to as the Denver Square or Seattle Box.  Portions of the style, the square shape, low hipped roof and large overhangs, can be traced to elements of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s one story-simple square Prairie Homes built for wealthier clients back East.  However, many architectural historians place the Foursquare’s origin within an earlier genre called Colonial Revival.  Along with the boxy shape, the typical Foursquare features two stories with an attic and full basement, front porch, a square-pyramid shaped roof with a single dormer at the center.  The interior of these Castle Rock homes originally had high 10-foot ceilings to give a desired illusion of more space.

George A. Triplett served Castle Rock as its first Clerk/Recorder and a one-term mayor.  His love of horses and horse racing directly led to the development of the Douglas County Fair.  Dr. William J. Maxwell worked as one of the community’s early physicians until his death from consumption (tuberculosis) at the age of 34.  The Maxwell House was built in 1897 the year the doctor died.  Unfortunately Dr. Maxwell didn’t get to witness the completion of the Four Square structure but his wife Alice and their three children did when they became residents at the 15 Lewis Street home in 1898.

The southern reaches of Lewis Street in Castle Rock represented one of the first wealthy neighborhoods in town.  The thoroughfare was originally platted as Main Street and served as an early entrance into the Douglas County Fairgrounds.  Women have owned the Maxwell House for the majority of years since Alice Maxwell sold the property during World War I.  In recent times it operated as one of Castle Rock’s rare bed and breakfasts and now currently serves as a private residence.  Combined with the few remaining, one hundred year old, Foursquare homes the Maxwell House continues to help define Castle Rocks’ unique Craig and Gould Historic District.

(Sources for this article include:  Douglas County History Research Center’s county timeline; Historic Craig and Gould Walking Tour Brochures; and Architecture Coach: The American Foursquare by Jackie Craven.)

The Ball House

The Superintendent's House
The Ball House – 705 Fourth Street
By Julie Denton

(Julie is a member of the Town of Castle Rock’s Historic Preservation Board)

Like many of the historic gems that reside in Castle Rock, the Ball house is one that has a unique history and importance to our town. Presumed to have been built in 1892, the lower level of this one and a half story home is constructed of a material well known to the town of Castle Rock: rhyolite.  The second story consists of wooden shingles in a pattern that resembles fish scales.  Built in a style known as vernacular masonry, the house has been nearly unchanged from its original construction.

Originally from Massachusetts, Frank D. Ball moved to Colorado in 1876 to accompany his father, who was a Civil War Soldier; doctors prescribed fresh air as a treatment for a lung condition he had developed after the war.  Though his father’s health improved in Colorado, upon returning to the east he was taken ill and died, leaving Frank, his mother and sister. Not wanting to be a financial burden to his family, Frank decided to remain in Colorado. He became a teacher, initially at the Garber Creek School District and boarded with a family in the Plum Creek area. He met his wife a short time later and they married in 1883.

When Frank D. Ball became the Superintendent of Douglas County Schools in 1895, his wife, Caroline Curtis Ball, moved their family from Sedalia to Castle Rock. By election, Frank held the position of Superintendent until 1905.  It is said that Ball was the finest superintendent the state of Colorado had ever seen.  During his tenure, he helped draft the Model Consolidation High School law which gave Douglas County, and more specifically Castle Rock, the first “traditional” high school; this school remains today, known as Douglas County High School.  Ball served other roles for the town and county including town recorder, county assessor, and Mayor of Castle Rock.

Upon Mr. Ball’s sudden and unexpected death in 1907, due to what we believe was heart failure, Mrs. Caroline Curtis Ball decided to remain in the house they had bought in Castle Rock.  Mrs. Ball immigrated with her family from Wales and settled in the Plum Creek area around the age of ten.  She and Mr. Ball raised 5 children: Olivia, Flora, Daniel, Ruth and Frank. She remained living in the F.D. Ball house until her death in 1955.

The impact F.D. Ball had on not only Douglas County, but on Castle Rock is phenomenal; his politics and personality helped to form what he once described as, “the prettiest little town in the state [– Castle Rock.]”  Let us continue to live up to that standard.

Sources included: Douglas County History Research Center's file on F.D. Ball, Historic Craig and Gould Walking Tour Brochures,  Walk With Our Pioneers by Alice M.Thompson, Our Heritage: People of Douglas County by Jean S. Wilson.

Upton Treat Smith House

Upton Treat Smith House - 403 Cantril Street

By Annette Gray

111 years ago saw the completion of Civil War veteran Upton Treat Smith’s house at 403 Cantril Street, Castle Rock. However, Treat, as he was known, had been a Douglas County resident since 1869.

Smith was born in Monroe, Maine in 1843 and he enlisted in the Union Army when he was 17. He served in the 6th Maine Infantry from 1861 to 1864, where he participated in several battles of the Civil War, including Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Following his discharge, Treat attended a business college in New York.

While working in New York City, Smith met a man who owned some mines in Colorado and decided to accompany him on an inspection trip. They traveled by train to Cheyenne and then took a stage to Central City, where they arrived in March 1869. Although Smith spent several months prospecting, he soon realized he was not going to strike it rich and left the mountains.

Smith used his military service to homestead 160 acres on West Plum Creek and, with the help of his brother, constructed what he called a “three-room cottage.” He then decided it was time to get married. However, his “girl with the calico dress” was back East and he didn’t have the money to make the trip. Fortunately, the Douglas County Commissioners hired Smith to escort a mentally ill man back to his mother in Boston. After delivery, Smith went on to Monroe, where he married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sarah Grout on November 8, 1872. They immediately returned to Douglas County.

Treat and Lizzie raised four children on the ranch: Hattie, Edwin, Guy and Roger. The family called the ranch a dairy ranch and Treat claimed to have made and sold butter to every grocery store in Denver. In addition to ranching, Treat served in a variety of official roles in Douglas County. Elected county treasurer in 1897, he served as treasurer for seven years. By 1900, Treat and Lizzie had made the decision to move to Castle Rock. It would have been easier for him to carry out his duties as treasurer in town. In addition, the move allowed the two youngest sons, who were 13 and 11 years old, to attend school in town.

The Castle Rock Journal reported on the construction of the Upton Treat Smith House in 1900. After his decision to move, Treat purchased three lots on Cantril Street in March. Work on the house began immediately, and in August, his sons Guy and Roger were finishing work in the interior. Treat and Lizzie had probably moved into their new home by December of 1900. Constructed of Castle Rock rhyolite, the 1½ story house featured a steep-pitched gable roof, tall narrow double-hung windows and a porch with decorative brackets. Local craftsmen constructed a stone fence and a carriage shed that adjoined the barn in the rear.

Following his years as treasurer, Treat became active in banking. He was a president of the First National Bank of Douglas County and the privately-owned People’s Bank in Castle Rock, as well as a director of the State Bank of Castle Rock. The family was very close and the small home was the site of “many happy homecomings.” It would have been crowded during the times when Hattie and her six children would come to stay for weeks at a time. Treat had lived in the house for twenty-five years when he died on July 7, 1925. Lizzie continued to live in their home until her death ten years later on April 7, 1935.

The Upton Treat Smith House became a Castle Rock landmark in 1994.

Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodge - 300 Wilcox Street
By Judy Hostetler
(Photo courtesy of Castle Rock Historical Society)

Castle Rock’s original business district was located on Perry and Front Streets due to their proximity to the Railroad.  New businesses began to sprout up around Courthouse Square in the early 1900’s as the Town began to grow, and several important buildings were constructed with Castle Rock rhyolite, which was quarried locally and sold throughout Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.  In 1904, the First National Bank of Douglas County entered into a land trade with the Methodist Episcopal Church that involved moving the church building from Third and Wilcox to Third and Perry, so the Bank could construct a new building at the Church’s previous location.  This was the Town’s first church, constructed in 1887.  The church building was moved again in 1922 to make room for the current church at that location, and the original building eventually burned.  First National was the first “real” bank in Douglas County.  Originally called Douglas County Bank, it received its State charter in 1902 and was the only bank in Castle Rock to survive the crash of 1929.  This bank was originally located in the Cantril Courthouse at the corner of Fourth and Wilcox.  The Courthouse building later housed the Castle Rock local newspaper and is now located further east on Fourth Street.  Castle Rock was beginning to develop a new business district around the Square, and the bank building became an important anchor, located across the street from the Courthouse.

The Bank chose a two-story Richardson/Romanesque style for the building and constructed it with rhyolite from the local Santa Fe Quarry, which was the last Castle Rock quarry to close its doors just two years after the bank was built.  The original building had a cupola on top with the name of the bank on it and the construction year on a corner sign just below the roofline.  The Bank operated at this location until 1933 when President Roosevelt closed all the banks during the Great Depression.  Philip Miller served on a committee that attempted to reorganize the Bank so that it could re-open.  Mr. Miller started The Bank of Douglas County in 1939 and is considered by many to be Castle Rock’s greatest benefactor.  Unfortunately, the reorganization committee was unsuccessful, and the Bank’s assets were liquidated in 1937.

The local chapter of Freemasons had been holding their meetings in the building since the Bank opened, and they purchased it in 1937, establishing Douglas Lodge No. 153 A.F. and A.M.  Mr. Miller was an active Mason at this Lodge for seventy years!  Over time, the building has become a gathering place for various organizations and has received both local and national historic designation.  The cupola has been removed, the sign has faded and the building is sorely in need of repair, but most of the historic features have remained intact.

In 1920, the Bank constructed two brick buildings on the Third Street side of the property, one of which housed the Post Office for forty years and the Town’s first telephone exchange.  The Masons purchased these buildings as part of the original Bank property acquired from the Church.  The building on the alley was sold in 1943, but the Masons still own and lease the building where Bogey’s West music store has been located for many years.

The Masonic Lodge building represents over one hundred years of rich Douglas County history.  It is an important icon in Downtown Castle Rock, displaying Castle Rock’s unique building stone in a style that makes citizens and visitors alike stand up and take notice.  It is important to the banking history of our county and has provided a meeting place for the Masons for over a hundred years, as well as a gathering place for citizens from all walks of life.  This author has fond memories of taking small, freezing children inside its doors to find warmth and hot chocolate during Starlighting ceremonies.  This is a building that is truly worth preserving for the use and enjoyment of future generations that will become active forces in our community.

Judy Hostetler, Staff Liaison
Castle Rock Historic Preservation Board

Sources:

Castle Rock Historic Buildings Inventory, 1985
Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Nos. 5DA2658 and 5DA2659
Town of Castle Rock Historic Preservation Plan
Philip Simon Miller - Butcher, Banker and Benefactor, by Debbie Buboltz-Bodle
Douglas County, A Historical Journey, by Josephine Lowell Marr
Fading Past, the Story of Douglas County, Colorado by Susan Consola Appleby

The Saunders House

The Saunders’ House and the Historic 200 Block of Perry Street
(by Fred Edison)

Few buildings in Castle Rock can claim a history going back to the 1870s.  The wood frame structure at 203 Perry Street, known today as the Saunders’ House, holds such a pedigree.  George Lord, then local school superintendent, purchased two lots at auction on a portion of Jeremiah Gould’s original homestead in 1874.  Within the next several months a pioneer house went up on the property.  Originally the front door and porch faced Second Street.

For the next seven decades the 1½ story home accommodated many owners.  Wilbur F. Waller, editor of the newspaper, owned the building in the 1880s and moved his Founder’s home down the hill and attached it to the northeast corner of George Lord’s former building.  Over the next seventy years 203 Perry’s Chain of Title read like a ‘Who’s Who of Castle Rock.’  The owners in succession were Mary Russell, William Whitney and Wallace Holcomb (hardware store owners), Charles Woodhouse (pioneer brick manufacturer), Ada Ritchey and then George Leonard (plumber).  Mr. Leonard used his skills and the help of a local carpenter, Ben Saunders, Sr., to completely remodel the home’s interior during the Roaring Twenties.  In 1950 a pair of long time residents began their lives in the home at the corner of Second and Perry.  Generations later the house still carries their name.

That year, Ben Saunders, Jr., a successful carpenter like his father, and his wife Elizabeth ‘Bette’ Saunders purchased 203 Perry.  Both were born in 1914, attended DCHS (on Wilcox St.) and lived in Douglas County their entire lives.  Ben grew up in Sedalia, after graduation he served in the Navy during WWII and then returned home to pursue a building and trade career; most notably the construction of Safeway Stores around the West.  Bette grew up in Cherry Valley a frontier community with unpaved roads, working farms and ranches, horse drawn sleighs, Model T’s, one-room schools, no electricity or radio or TV.  Her father, David Gilbert, was mayor of Castle Rock and a County Commissioner in the 1940s.  When Bette began dating Ben she was working as a telegraph operator at the D&RG depot.  They married in 1945 and Bette earned a living as a seamstress.  Both became active community members, Ben as a volunteer fireman and Bette participating in the Red Cross and local historical society.   Their home at 203 Perry Street provided the Saunders a picture window view of the tiny Post-war community.  At the time of Ben’s death in 1987 the town was beginning a phenomenal growth spurt.  Bette passed away in 2006 bearing witness to Castle Rock’s shift from a tiny hamlet of 400 into a small city with over 35,000 residents.

Today the Saunders’ House anchors the west side of the 200 block of Perry Street one of the last historic blocks in town, if not the last, to have its original buildings still intact.  Just to the north, stands 207 Perry and what many consider the oldest house in town built by storied pioneer Samuel Dyer, son of famed Methodist Circuit Rider Father John L. Dyer. To the north the 1887 Owens House at 213 Perry Street once welcomed affluent travelers many seeking respite from the maladies of Tuberculosis.  Finally at the corner of 3rd and Perry resides the Covenant Church, once the Methodist Episcopal Church, opened in 1922.

All four buildings are places that matter and currently sit on center stage in the Development and Preservation Debate.  Each building by itself represents an important piece of Castle Rock’s history.  However when taken together, left standing in their original locations, they take on a more significant meaning.   They stand as sentinels to a Castle Rock established by the Saunders’ and the rest of their generation.

(Sources used for this article include the Colorado Cultural Resource Survey from the State Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation; the Biography Files in the Douglas County History Research Center; and the Town of Castle Rock’s Historic Downtown Walking Tour brochure) 

The City Hotel

By Victoria Gonzalez and Ryan Dyke
(DCHS students in the Fall 2010 Colorado History Class)

It was 1871 when the Harris brothers, John and Thomas made their dream become a reality. They helped build a town called New Memphis once located two miles northwest of present-day Castle Rock near the site of today’s outlet mall.  It became known as the Independence Colony and here the City Hotel got its start.

New Memphis had a switching station connecting it to the recently built Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.  Here the brothers built a two-story hotel and named it the Harris Hotel.  When Castle Rock won the special election in 1874 to become the county seat the brothers saw the handwriting on the wall and soon moved their hotel and other buildings to the new town.  They placed the hotel on the 400 block of Perry Street a short walking distance from Castle Rock’s recently built train depot.  At this location, it would be convenient for travelers and also somewhat removed from obtrusive noise.

At the new location the brothers changed the hotel’s name to the Castle Rock House.  Then in 1879 the Harris’ faced competition just a few blocks south on Perry Street when the Owen’s House opened. Castle Rock proved to be a good location.  Thomas Harris eventually became the town’s second mayor and led Castle Rock until his untimely death in 1884 when he was gored by a run away steer rambling down Perry Street.

On his deathbed, Thomas Harris transferred ownership of his hotel to his wife, Mary.  She ran the operation for a brief time.  By 1890 the hotel’s fourth owner, Philip Crawshaw, renamed the building the City Hotel.  For over a century, despite many owners, the name remains unchanged.

The building currently stands empty, a silent reminder of Castle Rocks’ pioneer days.  The structure pre-dates Colorado statehood, one of a dwindling few across the state.  For the sake of the towns’ collective memory this place matters. Just the fact that the City Hotel stands in downtown Castle Rock keeps our rapidly growing community connected to its forgotten past.

Sources for this article include Robert Lowenberg’s landmark book Castle Rock: A Grass Roots History and Susan Appleby’s Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado published in 2001.