Denver City Railway Company Building - Denver, CO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The plaque reads:

Denver City Railway Building
1883
Originally built as stables for the Denver City Railway Company in 1883, this building was the birthplace of Denver's Public Transportation system. Horse drawn trolleys, soon replaced by one of America's most extensive cable car networks, created the first Denver suburbs by allowing people of moderate means to "escape the city" and move to the quiet residential neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Highlands, and Curtis Park. The first line of the Denver Horse Railroad Company, as it was originally called, ran up Larimer from 6th to 16th Street then out Champa Street to Curtis Park. The Welton Street Line, developed later, was purported to be the world's longest cable car line. In 1892, the building was purchased from the City Railway Company and its facade was changed by Baerreson Bros. Architects. In 1902, Hendrie and Bolthoff Manufacturing Company bought the stables for $100,000 in a sale contested by both Zang and Schlitz Brewers. One of the pioneer manufacturers of mining machinery, the company was founded in Central City, Colorado by Charles Hendrie. Hendrie and Bolthoff claimed to be the world's largest manufacturer of mining equipment while in this edifice. His son, Edward Beard Hendrie, incorporated the Denver Branch of the company in 1878, sold the Central City operation, and took on a partner in Henry Bolthoff, a loyal employee of his father since the age of 12 who could neither read nor write. In 1903, Edward Hendrie bought Baron Walter Von Richthofen's castle in Montclair. Hendrie & Bolthoff manufacturing remained here until 1971, 22 years before its renovation into residential loft and retail space.

From the LoDo website:
This building is the original site of one of the transportation companies that helped to shape the city of Denver. The Denver City Railway Company constructed the first horsecar line in the city in 1871 along the 1600 Block of Larimer Street. In 1882 this building was constructed as their main car barn. By the end of 1883 there were 15 1/2 miles of track, 45 cars, 200 horses, and 100 employees. The growth of the horsecar lines spurred the spread of the working population to the suburbs and promoted the growth of residential neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Highlands, and Curtis Park.

The first floor housed the waiting room, offices, and the storage area for the horsecars. The stables were on the second and third floors; the fourth floor was used for hay and grain storage. Six large barn doors lined the street front along 17th Street where the large windows are today. The stone-faced piers and cast-iron pilasters separating the bays remain from the original 1882 construction.

By 1892 the horse-drawn cars were replaced with electric and cable-car systems and the building was sold to a Mr. Sheridan, who renovated the 17th Street facade for various retail and commercial uses.

In 1902 the building was purchased by Hendrie and Boltoff Manufacturing and Supply Company, one of the largest Colorado suppliers of heavy mining equipment sold throughout the United States. The company remained at this location for seventy years, using the large floor areas as showrooms, offices, storage, and manufacturing.

The building's most recent incarnation is loft-type living spaces with shops and restaurants on the ground floor.

Street address: 1635 17th St., 1734-1736 Wynkoop St. Denver, CO USA 80202 County / Borough / Parish: Denver Year listed: 1984 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Industry/Processing/Extraction, Transportation Current function: Commerce/Trade Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/28/2013 2spacecadets visited it