Colorado Governor's Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Governor's Mansion, also known as the Cheesman-Boettcher Mansion, is a historic U.S.
residence
in Denver
, Colorado
. It is located at 400 East 8th Avenue. On December 3, 1969, it was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
The building was built during 1908 after a design by Denver architects Willis A. Marean and Albert J. Norton. The house was built originally as a residence for the widow and the daughter of Denver real estate tycoon Walter Scott Cheesman.
The mansion was designed to accommodate two families. On November 8, 1908, Cheesman's daughter, Gladys, married John Evans II, the grandson of John Evans
, the second territorial governor of Colorado
. The widowed mother and young couple lived together until the birth of the Evans' first child, after which they relocated. On January 2, 1923, Alice Foster Sanger Cheesman died.
Claude K. Boettcher purchased the mansion on February 23, 1923. Boettcher was the owner of much property that eventually included sugar
, livestock
, cement
, potash
, steel
, securities, utilities, and transportation. Boettcher was famous for his lavish parties which included President Dwight D. Eisenhower
during 1952. Boettcher died on June 9, 1957, and his wife during 1958.
The house was inherited by the Boettcher Foundation
. The foundation offered the house to the State of Colorado
as an Executive Residence. The building needed a great deal of work, and for nine months during 1959, three agencies of the State rejected the offer. On the last day of 1959, Governor Stephen McNichols accepted the building as a gift to the state.
Since then, it has been the residence of Governors Stephen L.R. McNichols
, John Love
, John D.Vanderhoof, Richard D. Lamm, Roy R. Romer, William Owens, and William Ritter
. The building was restored during the 1980s as directed by Edward D. White, Jr
. There is a dramatic entry way with grouped columns that support a porch which becomes a balustraded second-story balcony. The semicircular sunroom was added by suggestion of Mrs. Cheesman during 1915, and it overlooks a small park now known as "Governor's Park."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It is located at 400 East 8th Avenue. On December 3, 1969, it was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
.
History
This building is located in Denver on the southeast corner of 8th Avenue and Logan Street. The exact address is 400 E. 8th Avenue. The Governor's Mansion is also known as the Cheesman-Evans-Boettcher Mansion for its former owners.The building was built during 1908 after a design by Denver architects Willis A. Marean and Albert J. Norton. The house was built originally as a residence for the widow and the daughter of Denver real estate tycoon Walter Scott Cheesman.
The mansion was designed to accommodate two families. On November 8, 1908, Cheesman's daughter, Gladys, married John Evans II, the grandson of John Evans
John Evans (governor)
John Evans was a U.S. politician, physician, railroad promoter, Governor of the Territory of Colorado, and namesake of Evanston, Illinois; Evans, Colorado; and Mount Evans, Colorado...
, the second territorial governor of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The widowed mother and young couple lived together until the birth of the Evans' first child, after which they relocated. On January 2, 1923, Alice Foster Sanger Cheesman died.
Claude K. Boettcher purchased the mansion on February 23, 1923. Boettcher was the owner of much property that eventually included sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, securities, utilities, and transportation. Boettcher was famous for his lavish parties which included President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
during 1952. Boettcher died on June 9, 1957, and his wife during 1958.
The house was inherited by the Boettcher Foundation
Boettcher Foundation
The Boettcher Foundation is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Colorado, based in Denver. Founded by the Boettcher Family in 1937 to assist, encourage and promote quality of life for the citizens of Colorado, the Foundation has invested more than $300 million in Colorado through...
. The foundation offered the house to the State of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
as an Executive Residence. The building needed a great deal of work, and for nine months during 1959, three agencies of the State rejected the offer. On the last day of 1959, Governor Stephen McNichols accepted the building as a gift to the state.
Since then, it has been the residence of Governors Stephen L.R. McNichols
Stephen L.R. McNichols
Stephen Lucid Robert McNichols was Colorado's 35th Governor from 1957 to 1963. McNichols' father William H. McNichols, Denver's well-respected auditor for over thirty years, was influential in steering his two sons Bill and Stephen toward their success in state politics...
, John Love
John Arthur Love
John Arthur Love was a United States attorney and Republican politician who served as the 36th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1963 to 1973....
, John D.Vanderhoof, Richard D. Lamm, Roy R. Romer, William Owens, and William Ritter
Bill Ritter (politician)
August William "Bill" Ritter is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and was the 41st Governor of the state of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011. Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver...
. The building was restored during the 1980s as directed by Edward D. White, Jr
Architecture
The Cheesman-Evans-Boettcher Mansion is a formal, late Georgian Revival house. The building is surrounded by a wrought iron fence with cannonball finials on the brick posts. The walls of the mansion are red brick. There is a white wooden frosting under a hipped roof with prominent gabled dormers. The cornice is pedimented and dentiled. The west side portico has massive, two-story fluted Ionic columnsIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
. There is a dramatic entry way with grouped columns that support a porch which becomes a balustraded second-story balcony. The semicircular sunroom was added by suggestion of Mrs. Cheesman during 1915, and it overlooks a small park now known as "Governor's Park."