Bowles–Cooley House
Encyclopedia
The Bowles–Cooley House is located at the corner of West Francis and North First streets in Aspen
, Colorado, United States. It is a brick structure in the Queen Anne
architectural style
built during the 1880s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
along with many other historic properties in the city.
It takes its name from its first two residents, a local lumber merchant who built it and a mining lawyer. Many years later it would be the home of Red Rowland, vice president of the Aspen Skiing Company
and manager of the Aspen Mountain
ski area. It is considered an excellent local example of the Queen Anne style, and has been preserved relatively intact. It continues to be a private residence.
streets. Neighboring properties are all houses of generally more modern vintage; an exception is the Davis Waite House
, also listed on the National Register, across the street at the other end of the block. Mature trees on all lots provide shade complementary to that already provided by Aspen Mountain
to the south. The land remains level, sloping minimally towards the Roaring Fork River
600 feet (182.9 m) to the northeast.
A small iron fence sets off the property from the street. The building itself is a three-story brick structure on a rusticated
sandstone
foundation
. It rises three stories to a steeply pitched
cross-gable
d roof covered in shingles pierced by a tall, large rectangular chimney on the west side. Within the north (front) facade
the eastern portion projects, topped by a similar gable, with two diagonal facades connecting it to the main facade. A shed-roofed wooden porch wraps around the northeast corner.
Windows are tall, narrow one-over-one double-hung sash
with sandstone sills and wooden surrounds. On the second story the lintels are topped with a wooden course
which separates the brick siding from fish-scale wooden shingles above. At the roofline the gables have decorated wooden vergeboards. Brackets
support either end of the projecting section, and all gable ends have a small ball finial
. The projecting and cross-gable are further topped with a wooden decoration. The interior of the house retains much of its original woodwork.
s in the late 1870s, Aspen grew into a city of thousands during the 1880s. The Colorado Silver Boom
drew miners and others into the upper Roaring Fork Valley
, all hoping to share in the prosperity. One of the latter was Ryland R. Bowles, who sold lumber and built houses. By 1889 he had made enough money to build the house in the city's West End, where many of its other early rich settled. Its asymmetrical massing and cross-gables were hallmarks of the Queen Anne Style
then newly popular.
Two years later the house became the property of William Cooley, a lawyer who represented local mining interests. In 1893 Aspen's prosperity ended when, responding to that year's economic crisis
, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
. With the U.S. government no longer required to buy silver, the market contracted and many of Aspen's mines closed.
The next half-century was a period known in the city's history as "the quiet years". Its population steadily declined along with its economic opportunities. Many of the buildings from its boom years fell vacant, and eventually succumbed to fire or neglect abetted by the effects of severe winters at almost 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) above sea level in a remote mountain valley. The Bowles–Cooley House did not, and when the city's fortunes reversed as it developed into a popular ski resort, it was in good enough shape to be the home of Red Rowland, a vice president of the Aspen Skiing Company
and manager of the ski area.
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 structure in the Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
built during the 1880s. In 1987 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...
along with many other historic properties in the city.
It takes its name from its first two residents, a local lumber merchant who built it and a mining lawyer. Many years later it would be the home of Red Rowland, vice president of the Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen Skiing Company
The Aspen Skiing Company, known locally as "Ski Co", is a commercial enterprise based in Aspen, Colorado in the United States.-History:Founded in 1946 by Walter Paepcke, it operates the Aspen/Snowmass resort complex, comprising four ski areas near the town of Aspen...
and manager of the Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain (ski area)
Aspen Mountain is a ski area located in Pitkin County, Colorado, just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain and the higher Bell Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 ft just to the south of Aspen Mountain...
ski area. It is considered an excellent local example of the Queen Anne style, and has been preserved relatively intact. It continues to be a private residence.
Building
The house is located on the southwest corner of the intersection, in Aspen's residential West End near the north end of the city's grid planGrid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
streets. Neighboring properties are all houses of generally more modern vintage; an exception is the Davis Waite House
Davis Waite House
The Davis Waite House is located on West Francis Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a wooden structure in Victorian architectural styles built during the 1880s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with several other historic properties in the...
, also listed on the National Register, across the street at the other end of the block. Mature trees on all lots provide shade complementary to that already provided by Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain (Colorado)
Aspen Mountain is a mountain in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in the United States. One of the foothills of the Elk Mountains, it is located just south of the town of Aspen, which is situated at the foot of the mountain at the southeast end of the valley of the Roaring Fork River in Pitkin County...
to the south. The land remains level, sloping minimally towards the Roaring Fork River
Roaring Fork River
Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or Roaring Fork Watershed, which includes the resort...
600 feet (182.9 m) to the northeast.
A small iron fence sets off the property from the street. The building itself is a three-story brick structure on a rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
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 rises three stories to a 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...
cross-gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof covered in shingles pierced by a tall, large rectangular chimney on the west side. Within the north (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"....
the eastern portion projects, topped by a similar gable, with two diagonal facades connecting it to the main facade. A shed-roofed wooden porch wraps around the northeast corner.
Windows are tall, narrow one-over-one double-hung sash
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...
with sandstone sills and wooden surrounds. On the second story the lintels are topped with a wooden course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
which separates the brick siding from fish-scale wooden shingles above. At the roofline the gables have decorated wooden vergeboards. Brackets
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...
support either end of the projecting section, and all gable ends have a small ball finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The projecting and cross-gable are further topped with a wooden decoration. The interior of the house retains much of its original woodwork.
History
From a small collection of tents and log cabinLog cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
s in the late 1870s, Aspen grew into a city of thousands during the 1880s. The Colorado Silver Boom
Colorado 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...
drew miners and others into the upper Roaring Fork Valley
Roaring Fork Valley
The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of the Colorado Western Slope. The Valley is defined by the valley of...
, all hoping to share in the prosperity. One of the latter was Ryland R. Bowles, who sold lumber and built houses. By 1889 he had made enough money to build the house in the city's West End, where many of its other early rich settled. Its asymmetrical massing and cross-gables were hallmarks of the Queen Anne Style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
then newly popular.
Two years later the house became the property of William Cooley, a lawyer who represented local mining interests. In 1893 Aspen's prosperity ended when, responding to that year's economic crisis
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was enacted on July 14, 1890 as a United States federal law. It was named after its author, Senator John Sherman, an Ohio Republican, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee...
. With the U.S. government no longer required to buy silver, the market contracted and many of Aspen's mines closed.
The next half-century was a period known in the city's history as "the quiet years". Its population steadily declined along with its economic opportunities. Many of the buildings from its boom years fell vacant, and eventually succumbed to fire or neglect abetted by the effects of severe winters at almost 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) above sea level in a remote mountain valley. The Bowles–Cooley House did not, and when the city's fortunes reversed as it developed into a popular ski resort, it was in good enough shape to be the home of Red Rowland, a vice president of the Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen Skiing Company
The Aspen Skiing Company, known locally as "Ski Co", is a commercial enterprise based in Aspen, Colorado in the United States.-History:Founded in 1946 by Walter Paepcke, it operates the Aspen/Snowmass resort complex, comprising four ski areas near the town of Aspen...
and manager of the ski area.