National Register of Historic Places

Bowles House

Westminster, Adams County, Colorado
Listed
November 3, 1988
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88002308

About this property

The Bowles House in Westminster, Colorado is a brick Italianate house built in 1871 by Edward Bruce Bowles and his wife Mahala Elizabeth Longan. Bowles is largely credited for bringing the Colorado & Southern Railroad to the present-day Westminster area. Bowles came from Missouri to the Colorado Territory at age 17. In 1871, at about 24 years of age he married Mahala, and they homesteaded the land on which the house stands. Bowles was the second pioneer settler in the area, after Pleasant DeSpain who arrived in 1870 and whose farm was to the north of the Bowles House. The Bowles House was originally constructed as a wood frame homestead cabin (no longer extant) but was rebuilt entirely from brick in 1876. The house was unusual for a rural ranch setting, as it included stylish and costly features: rounded windows, decorative brackets under the eaves, rooftop cresting, bargeboards on the gables, and an elaborate front porch. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Bowles House was recognized as one of the earliest and most detailed examples of Italianate style in Westminster and as an icon of early Westminster settlement. The house is owned by the City of Westminster and operated as a historic house museum by the Westminster Historical Society.

Location

3924 W. 72nd Ave.
Westminster, Adams County, Colorado
39.82710, -105.03863

Categories

EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Harris Park School
Industrial
0.3 mi
Union High School
Industrial
0.3 mi
Gregory, William J., House
Industrial
1.2 mi
Westminster University
Industrial
1.4 mi
Stocke-Walter Addition Historic District
Listed
2.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bowles House listed on the National Register?

Bowles House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Bowles House?

Bowles House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bowles House?

The period of significance for Bowles House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bowles House?

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