ranklin Avery came from New York to Northern Colorado in 1870. After laying out Fort Collins’ wide streets and beginning his banking career, he and new wife Sara began building their “cottage” for $3000. As they added three children to their family, they also added to the house several times, notably the Queen Anne tower on the east side
Read MoreThe house at 1508 Buckeye was originally built in 1920 at 1325 S College Ave. by Attorney MH Shaw. Southern Antebellum architecture was a style preferred by Shaw’s wife, and nod to the family’s roots in Jackson, Mississippi; so he had a lovely two story classical revival house constructed, with full-height Doric columns. This house presented quite the impressive facade on South College Ave at the time.
Read MoreAnother mid-century mashup – this time it’s a Tri-level! Although most people thing think of tri-levels as quintessential to the 1960s and 70s, like Ranch-style houses, the design originated in the 1930s. Architects and planners sought solutions for compact housing on smaller plots of land, incorporating the garage into the footprint of the house. The Tri-level style took off after World War II, with entire subdivisions designed with this form of housing.
Read MoreThe beautiful home of the Grays is a wonderful example of a Mid-Century Mashup, part 1962 and part 2020s! While the home has had several dramatic remodels, the original bones of the classic Colonial Ranch style are still evident. Built in 1962, probably by the Townsend family. There were only a few owners until 1994, when the current owners purchased it.
Read MoreThis wonderful mid-century Classic Ranch house was designed and built for Waldo and Pearl Riffenburgh in their later years. Waldo was a local attorney, and while he and Pearl never had children, Waldo served as a member, and president, of the local school board for many years. Nearby Riffenburgh Elementary School is named in his honor.
Read MoreWelcome to the 1960s in 2022 style! This lovely home started as a humble ranch house, popularized in the 1960s but actually conceived in the 1930s. Architects and Planners sought house designs that were compact, efficient and conformed to FHA guidelines. Ranch houses are characterized by low ceilings, a mix of materials on the exterior: brick and wood are common; sheltered entrances; asymmetrical designs; and attached garages
Read MoreAs the days of summer begin to fade, autumn arrives at the 1883 Fort Collins Water Works. Music at the Water Works series, featuring Liz Barnez. Fundraiser for Poudre Landmarks Foundation.
Read MoreThe Hoffman House is a Craftsman style home, built about 1924. It has a low-angled roof, simple front gable and exposed rafter tails, details associated with the Craftsman style. The Arts and Crafts movement began in England in the late 19th century, as a reaction to the manufactured and overblown Victorian houses and décor. In the United States, the movement influenced a new style of houses with a handcrafted feel, simpler designs, and a more open layout.
Read MoreOn the 16th September, 1908, the following advertisement was placed in The Weekly Courier newspaper, “5 ROOM HOUSE FOR SALE. Modern except heat Must be sold at once. Call at 801 Peterson Street”. The people of Fort Collins in these early days were a hardy bunch and the lack of modern heating must not have been a deterrent to John Cope, who purchased the home in February of 1909. However, it was John’s widow, Roberta, who predominantly resided here, after John’s passing in 1913, with Roberta remaining until 1918 or 1919. This was a lengthy stay, compared to the rapid succession of many of this home’s early inhabitants.
Read MoreThe Addie R. Debolt residence was designated a Historic Landmark Property in 1998 and named for one of the property’s earliest owners. Interestingly, it seems while Addie purchased this lot in 1903, she never resided here. In fact, as best can be determined from contemporaneous records, there was not a home on this site during Addie’s lifetime
Read More618 W Mountain Ave. was built by Assistant District Attorney Newton Crose in 1906-07, for his new wife, Louisa (Mettie) Avery, youngest daughter of Franklin and Sarah Avery. Mettie was active in social and educational groups such as the Kanatenah, which in February of 1910 held their monthly meeting in the house. In 1914, Newton was shot and killed by the mentally unstable husband of a client, and Mettie moved back in with her parents at 328 W Mountain Ave.
Read MoreThe Moore House at 117 N McKinley Street is a charming Craftsman bungalow. The Craftsman style was a reaction to the elaborate and manufactured Victorian houses. Homes in the Craftsman style were typically one story, with low pitched roofs, and exposed rafter tails. Inside, the emphasis was on wood floors, hand-carved details, and a more casual living space.
Read MoreA Lutheran congregation of Germans from Russia built the graceful church at the corner of Whedbee and Olive in 1914, following up in 1931 with this parsonage house, which probably replaced a smaller structure. Among the early ministers who resided here was Conrad Becker in the 1920s and 1930s. After a dispute over modifications to the original German service Becker led the “modernizing” faction elsewhere
Read MoreIn 1880, the Fort Collins Board of Trustees began deliberating about the town’s need for a better water-delivery system and selected this location as the site for its pumping station. Until this plant was built, water for household and commercial use was delivered by the water wagon, dipped from nearby irrigation canals, or pumped from shallow wells. After several devastating downtown fires, area voters agreed on a plan to build the Water Works in 1882.
Read MoreFranklin Avery came from New York to Northern Colorado in 1870. Fort Collins has him to thank for our wide streets; he took advantage of the open spaces when he surveyed the town in 1873. Avery later founded First National Bank and was instrumental in developing water projects that enabled agriculture to flourish in northern Colorado.
In 1879, he and his wife Sara built a family home on the corner of Mountain Avenue and Meldrum Street and raised their children, Edgar, Ethel, and Louise, there.
Read MoreBack in the late 1940s, when an in ux of World War II veterans began coming to the college on the GI Bill, housing was in short supply. While repurposed Quonset huts helped house families, single men had no place to live on campus. So in 1948, Braiden Hall was built as the 1st men’s dormitory, and therein lies a tale.
Read More“Who in Fort Collins hasn’t heard the story of the hungry sign painter who, in exchange for a pork chop lunch, renamed “Uneeda Lunch” to Silver Grill, and painted the name on the front window? That must have made for a busy afternoon, but it is also interesting to note that the building which currently houses the Silver Grill has had more businesses in its history than any other building in Fort Collins.”
Explore the Silver Grill and 20 other historic Fort Collins Properties on the self-guided and socially distanced 36th Annual Historic Homes Tour: Street Stories! Booklets available very soon from Poudre Landmarks Foundation, find out more at
poudrelandmarks.org/historic-homes-tour
"Perhaps more history of Fort Collins abides in the
walls and bones of the Northern Hotel than in
any other downtown structure. Step into its elegant lobby with the wide, sweeping staircase and
hear the echoes of history." - Barbara Fleming
Explore the Northern Hotel and 20 other historic Fort Collins Properties on the self-guided and socially distanced 36th Annual Historic Homes Tour: Street Stories! Booklets available very soon from Poudre Landmarks Foundation, find out more at
poudrelandmarks.org/historic-homes-tour
Bethany Langston, a Children's Librarian with our friends at Denver G.A.T.E., sent us this amazing collection of resources on how to research the history of a house! These resources are the same or comparable to the ones our Historic Homes Tour Committee researchers use when preparing materials for the annual HHT. Stay tuned for exciting announcements about this year's tour, and check out the guide at homeadvisor.com !
In 1957, President Eisenhower created the American Interstate Highway System, and the Prussman’s trailer almost certainly got it’s wings on those newly minted routes! The Flying cloud has been restored inside and out for tailgating and small parties, and is decorated with an eye to the era it came from.
Read MoreThe mission of the Poudre Landmarks Foundation is to preserve, restore, protect, and interpret the architectural and cultural heritage of the Fort Collins area and envisions a community that understands, appreciates, and values its past. PLF manages two historic properties owned by the City of Fort Collins: The 1879 Avery House and the 1883 Water Works.
Poudre Landmarks Foundation envisions a community that understands, appreciates, and values its past. Poudre Landmarks’ mission is to preserve, restore, protect, and interpret the architectural and cultural heritage of the Fort Collins area.
