National Register of Historic Places

Sturgis, William, House

Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming
Listed
November 8, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82001833

About this property

The William Sturgis House was built by cattle baron William Sturgis in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1884. The Shingle Style house was designed by architect George D. Rainsford, a New York architect who moved to Wyoming to raise Morgan horses and Clydesdales. While horse breeding was his principal occupation, Rainsford continued to practice architecture, designing many of the houses in the neighborhood surrounding the Sturgis residence. Sturgis was another New Yorker, who moved to Cheyenne in 1873, joining forces with his brother Thomas to form the Northwestern Cattle Company and the Union Cattle Company, becoming one of the most prominent cattle ranchers in Wyoming. The Sturgises were instrumental in the founding of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. William held interests in mines, the Stockgrower's National Bank and the Cheyenne Electric Light Company. Sturgis took heavy losses in his cattle holdings as a result of the hard winter of 1886-87 and sold the house to another rancher, John Whitaker. The 2+1⁄2-story L-shaped house originally had brick on the first floor and shingles above. The brick was covered with stucco. A complex roofline features multiple dormers, including an eyelid dormer over the front door. The interior features a large living hall, featuring fishscale-pattern shingles as a wall treatment. The house was published in American Architect, attributed to William A. Bates. Vincent Scully, who repeats the Bates attribution, notes that the house is significant as an example of the westward spread of the Shingle Style. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1982. The house was the headquarters of GreenArrays, Inc. - a company founded by Charles Moore, the creator of Forth, until 2024.

Location

821 E. 17th St.
Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming
41.13715, -104.80607

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Baxter Ranch Headquarters Buildings
Industrial
0.1 mi
Van Tassell Carriage Barn
Industrial
0.1 mi
Rainsford Historic District
Colonial
0.3 mi
Whipple-Lacey House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Castle on 19th Street
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Sturgis, William, House listed on the National Register?

Sturgis, William, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Sturgis, William, House?

Sturgis, William, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Sturgis, William, House?

The period of significance for Sturgis, William, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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