Colorado's Architectural Heritage
Colorado’s architectural past from begins in the late 1850s and includes diverse forms of architecture and architectural styles. This is, in part, a result of different periods of development and migration from the early trappers, miners, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers and later the oil industry and high tech. Each of these periods brings with it the architectural styles popular in America at the time.
How buildings were designed and constructed also contributes to the diversity of our architecture. Many buildings in Colorado are not actually designed by architects. The structure could have been built from a purchased set of drawings, designed by a contractor, or for houses come from a kit. It was not uncommon to have an owner of a property design and construct their building. These structure types are frequently simple, such as log cabins and rural homes.
Often we have information on a building that allows us greater insight into its history. Plans and specifications for its construction might exist in a library, archive or family collection. Unfortunately, this is not the case with all buildings. The information on a building is sometimes lost and the architect or builder becomes unknown. We can through other records, such as city directories and newspapers trace the history of a structure.
Urban vs. Rural Architecture
It is interesting to note that many of the same styles of architecture can be found in either a rural or urban setting. What often sets the styles apart is the level of ornamentation in that style. For example, a community the size of Denver would have built a large Gothic Revival church out of stone, where as a rural community would have constructed a much smaller version out of wood, often referred to as Carpenter Gothic. The same holds true for much of the commercial, industrial, residential and institutional buildings. Communities like Loveland, Sterling, Littleton and Westminster began primarily as agricultural communities. As they grew and the railroads connected them to Denver and other markets, so their towns grew. This growth led to more sophisticated architecture using materials that became available to them such as brick, terracotta and stone. Today, there is little difference in the look of downtown Littleton and downtown Sterling for example, except perhaps the size of their communities.
The follow lists on building types and architectural styles in Colorado are not meant to be all-inclusive, but they do represent the variety you will see on the Colorado Main Streets virtual tours accessible from this site. For additional information on styles, definitions and architects visit:
