Aspen City Hall
Encyclopedia
Aspen City Hall, known in the past as Armory Hall, Fraternal Hall, is located at the intersection of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen
, Colorado, United States. It is a brick building dating to the 1890s. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
It was built to serve both as headquarters for the local militia
and as a community gathering place. It served a variety of community-related functions, eventually becoming city hall in the mid-20th century. Later in the century, as the city grew again into an affluent resort community, it had to move some of its departments to other office space and renovate the city hall extensively, particularly inside.
) and another listed property, the Pitkin County Courthouse
. The terrain is level and the surrounding neighborhood heavily developed and urban, with mostly commercial buildings of one or two stories. They are an even mix of buildings from the same era as the armory and sympathetic contemporary structures, mostly of brick. An unnamed alley to the north allows passage through the middle of the block
to South Hunter Street. Tall mature trees screen the building from the streets and alley.
The building itself is a two-and-a-half-story rectangular four-by-five-bay
structure of red brick in common bond on a stone foundation
. It is topped by a shingled roof, flat in the middle and steeply pitched
on the sides, down to broad overhanging bracketed
eaves on the north and south sides. Three hipped roof
dormers, with narrow double windows, pierce the roof on either side.
On the west (front) facade
, fenestration
consists of one-over-one double-hung sash window
s on the first story, with the centrally located main entrance recessed. The stories above have slight segmental arched windows. Brick pilaster
s, echoed by similar quoin
s at the corners, rise to the roofline, where corbel
s support a cornice
below a parapet
along the flat section. On the north and south sides are four double segmental arch windows, similar to those on the upper stories, separated by brick pilasters. The interior has been extensively renovated since construction.
, at a cost of $15,000 ($ in contemporary dollars). At that time Aspen was a fast-growing mining town that had not existed 15 years earlier. It was intended to be both a staging area for the local militia
and a community meeting place. Hence its original names of Armory Hall and Fraternal Hall.
As Aspen's population dwindled after the boom in the early decades of the 20th century, it continued to serve various community-related functions such as dances and concerts, and was at one point a roller rink
. These helped it escape the neglect and demolition which plagued many other buildings from the boom era. In 1956 it became city hall, following the demolition of the old building on Durant Avenue, and has served that function ever since.
In the early 1990s the interior was extensively renovated to serve the needs of a modern city, once again having grown as a result of its popularity as a ski resort and upscale mountain residence. Within another decade the city had outgrown the space, and had to establish satellite offices around the city. A $100,000 grant from the Colorado State Historical Foundation paid for repairs to the roof and brickwork. In 2008 the city spent over half a million dollars to remodel the interior. It added new electronics and furniture in the council chambers, and renovating the offices of five departments that stayed in the building while others moved to newer space.
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, Colorado, United States. It is a brick building dating to the 1890s. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
It was built to serve both as headquarters for the local militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
and as a community gathering place. It served a variety of community-related functions, eventually becoming city hall in the mid-20th century. Later in the century, as the city grew again into an affluent resort community, it had to move some of its departments to other office space and renovate the city hall extensively, particularly inside.
Building
The building is located on the northeast corner of the intersection, opposite the Hyman–Brand Building, also listed on the Register. The intersection is one block south of Main Street (Colorado State Highway 82Colorado State Highway 82
State Highway 82 is an 85.29 mile long state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado.-Route description:SH 82 provides the principal transportation artery of the Roaring Fork Valley on the Colorado Western Slope, running from Interstate 70 at Glenwood Springs southeast past Carbondale, Basalt...
) and another listed property, the Pitkin County Courthouse
Pitkin County Courthouse
The Pitkin County Courthouse is located on East Main Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a large brick building erected in the late 19th century that serves as offices not just of Pitkin County's courts but its other governmental agencies, and the Aspen police...
. The terrain is level and the surrounding neighborhood heavily developed and urban, with mostly commercial buildings of one or two stories. They are an even mix of buildings from the same era as the armory and sympathetic contemporary structures, mostly of brick. An unnamed alley to the north allows passage through the middle of the block
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
to South Hunter Street. Tall mature trees screen the building from the streets and alley.
The building itself is a two-and-a-half-story rectangular four-by-five-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
structure of red brick in common bond on a stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
. It is topped by a shingled roof, flat in the middle and steeply pitched
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
on the sides, down to broad overhanging bracketed
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
eaves on the north and south sides. Three hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
dormers, with narrow double windows, pierce the roof on either side.
On the west (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, fenestration
Building envelope
The building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. Another emerging term is "Building Enclosure". It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment and facilitate its climate control...
consists of one-over-one double-hung sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s on the first story, with the centrally located main entrance recessed. The stories above have slight segmental arched windows. Brick pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, echoed by similar quoin
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
s at the corners, rise to the roofline, where corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s support a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
below a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
along the flat section. On the north and south sides are four double segmental arch windows, similar to those on the upper stories, separated by brick pilasters. The interior has been extensively renovated since construction.
History
The building was constructed in three months in 1892, near the end of the Colorado Silver BoomColorado Silver Boom
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state of Colorado in the late 19th century. The boom started in 1879 with the discovery of silver at Leadville...
, at a cost of $15,000 ($ in contemporary dollars). At that time Aspen was a fast-growing mining town that had not existed 15 years earlier. It was intended to be both a staging area for the local militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
and a community meeting place. Hence its original names of Armory Hall and Fraternal Hall.
As Aspen's population dwindled after the boom in the early decades of the 20th century, it continued to serve various community-related functions such as dances and concerts, and was at one point a roller rink
Roller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
. These helped it escape the neglect and demolition which plagued many other buildings from the boom era. In 1956 it became city hall, following the demolition of the old building on Durant Avenue, and has served that function ever since.
In the early 1990s the interior was extensively renovated to serve the needs of a modern city, once again having grown as a result of its popularity as a ski resort and upscale mountain residence. Within another decade the city had outgrown the space, and had to establish satellite offices around the city. A $100,000 grant from the Colorado State Historical Foundation paid for repairs to the roof and brickwork. In 2008 the city spent over half a million dollars to remodel the interior. It added new electronics and furniture in the council chambers, and renovating the offices of five departments that stayed in the building while others moved to newer space.