Hanchett Building - Idaho Springs Downtown Commercial District - Idaho Springs, CO - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

The plaque reads:

THE HANCHETT BUILDING
1431 - 1435 Miner Street

Silas Hanchett was an astute businessman who moved from New York to the gold fields of California during the Gold Rush of the 1850s, returned to New York during the 1870s, and again moved West, where he established a general store in Empire, Colorado, in 1880 that sold everything "from nutmegs to wagons". He served as county commissioner from 1879 to 1882. Hanchett became the manager of the Lamartime Mine. For several hundred dollars, he bought a share of the mine, and within months it was producing hundreds of thousands of dollars of high-grade ore. The mine made Hanchett a rich man. In 1890, while constructing a family home at 1003 Colorado Boulevard, he also began work on the Hanchett Building at 1431-1435 Miner Street. Silas Hanchett turned over his business responsibilities to his son, Lafayette, in 1890. Silas Hanchett's retirement was short. He died in 1894.

The building has the large display windows and recessed doorway typical of the time period. Cast iron pilasters, patterned sill plates and a shallow entablature (narrow trim band) separate lower and upper facades. The upper story is notable for its semicicular stained glass window tops (lunettes) capped by brick arches with radiating voussiors (wedge shaped stones). The elaborate boxed cornice of metal and wood has elements of French detailing. Either end of the cornice has small peaked decorations to tie in with the center pediment. The building is representative of late Victorian construction in Idaho Springs. The larger scale and ornate detailing portray the sense of permanence and success within an established community.


The building now houses The Wild Grape, a huge knick-knack, gift, unique item store. One could easily spend several hours browsing both floors of their varied inventory.

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Idaho Springs Downtown Commercial District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link] Address: 1435 Miner Street Idaho Springs, CO 80452 USA How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   04/09/2014 Greasepot visited it