Thomas Hynes House
Encyclopedia
The Thomas Hynes House on East Main Street (Colorado State Highway 82
) in Aspen
, Colorado, United States, is a wooden building from the 1880s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as part of a group of historic properties in the city.
It is one of Aspen's remaining miner's cottages from its early years as a silver boomtown
. Since it has never been sigificantly altered, it is considered one of the best examples remaining. Today it is used as one of Nobu Matsuhisa
's eponymous Japanese restaurants.
, also listed on the Register, at the opposite end of the block. The terrain is generally flat, between the foot of Aspen Mountain
to the south and the Roaring Fork River
to the north.
The building itself is an L-shaped one-story clapboard
-sided wood frame
structure on a stone foundation
. It is topped by a steeply pitched
cross-gable
d roof. On the north (front) and west are porches, some with trim reflecting its current use. The north porch has a flat roof with ornate frieze
supported by pillars. Next to it is a large double-hung window with pent-roof top. On the west is a large bay window
.
Inside the building has been completely remodeled for the restaurant. It follows the Japanese aesthetics of the food. The owner describes the interior as "a modern design that is cool and urban to the nth degree".
into the Roaring Fork Valley
from Leadville
. They sought, and found, silver in the mountains. The small settlement at the confluence
of Castle Creek became the busiest of the mining camps in the area, soon evolving from a rough collection of tents and log cabin
s to a permanent and growing city.
Miners began building small cottages for themselves to replace the log cabins as they became prosperous. The Hynes house, with its L-shape, steeply pitched cross-gabled roof, porches, and bay window, epitomizes the form. Those cottages were themselves often demolished for larger houses, or, after the collapse of the silver market following the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
in the Panic of 1893
, allowed to fall into neglect during the long "quiet years" that followed until the development of the ski resort
in the mid-20th century turned the city's economy around.
As the city grew again, the house remained standing. It passed through several owners and was never seriously altered. In 1998 chef Nobu Matsuhisa
, who had became famous for blending elements of Western and Latin American cuisine into traditional Japanese dishes
, remodeled the house and opened one of the restaurants bearing his last name there. It has since become one of the city's most popular and best-regarded eateries. Reservations
must be made a month in advance.
Colorado 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...
) in Aspen
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, is a wooden building from 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...
as part of a group of historic properties in the city.
It is one of Aspen's remaining miner's cottages from its early years as a silver boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
. Since it has never been sigificantly altered, it is considered one of the best examples remaining. Today it is used as one of Nobu Matsuhisa
Nobu Matsuhisa
Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa is a celebrity chef and restaurateur known for his fusion cuisine blending traditional Japanese dishes with South American ingredients. His signature dish is black cod in miso.-Biography:Nobu was born in Saitama, Japan...
's eponymous Japanese restaurants.
Building
The house occupies a small lot at the southeast corner of East Main and South Monarch streets. The area is generally built up, where the commercial development of downtown Aspen begins to transition to the residential West End. Most of the neighboring buildings on that side of the street are small one-story structures, either commercial or, like the Hynes house, former houses adapted for commercial purposes. Across the street are generally taller buildings, with the Hotel JeromeHotel Jerome
The Hotel Jerome is located on East Main Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a brick structure built in the 1880s that is often described as one of the city's major landmarks, its "crown jewel". In 1986 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
, also listed on the Register, at the opposite end of the block. The terrain is generally flat, between the foot of 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 and 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...
to the north.
The building itself is an L-shaped one-story clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
-sided wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
structure 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 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. On the north (front) and west are porches, some with trim reflecting its current use. The north porch has a flat roof with ornate frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
supported by pillars. Next to it is a large double-hung window with pent-roof top. On the west is a large bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
.
Inside the building has been completely remodeled for the restaurant. It follows the Japanese aesthetics of the food. The owner describes the interior as "a modern design that is cool and urban to the nth degree".
History
Aspen was founded in the late 1870s by prospectors drawn over the Continental DivideContinental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
into the 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...
from Leadville
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
. They sought, and found, silver in the mountains. The small settlement at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of Castle Creek became the busiest of the mining camps in the area, soon evolving from a rough collection of tents and log cabin
Log 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 to a permanent and growing city.
Miners began building small cottages for themselves to replace the log cabins as they became prosperous. The Hynes house, with its L-shape, steeply pitched cross-gabled roof, porches, and bay window, epitomizes the form. Those cottages were themselves often demolished for larger houses, or, after the collapse of the silver market following the repeal of 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...
in the Panic of 1893
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...
, allowed to fall into neglect during the long "quiet years" that followed until the development of the ski resort
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...
in the mid-20th century turned the city's economy around.
As the city grew again, the house remained standing. It passed through several owners and was never seriously altered. In 1998 chef Nobu Matsuhisa
Nobu Matsuhisa
Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa is a celebrity chef and restaurateur known for his fusion cuisine blending traditional Japanese dishes with South American ingredients. His signature dish is black cod in miso.-Biography:Nobu was born in Saitama, Japan...
, who had became famous for blending elements of Western and Latin American cuisine into traditional Japanese dishes
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, remodeled the house and opened one of the restaurants bearing his last name there. It has since become one of the city's most popular and best-regarded eateries. Reservations
Table reservation
A table reservation is an arrangement made in advance to have a table available at a restaurant. While most restaurants do not require a reservation, and some have no policy for making one, higher-end restaurants do tend to require a reservation, and may have tables booked for weeks in advance...
must be made a month in advance.