HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.03.25
MEMORANDUM TO THE LANDMARKS BOARD
December 3, 2025
S TAFF
Brad Mueller, Director of Planning and Development Service
Kristofer Johnson, Comprehensive Planning Senior Manager
Chris Reynolds, Deputy City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office
Marcy Gerwing, Principal Historic Preservation Planner
Clare Brandt, Historic Preservation Planner
Aubrey Noble, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator
Mariah Trujillo, Historic Preservation Trainee
C ONSIDERATION OF A PPLICATION FOR N ON-D ESIGNATED B UILDINGS
Public hearing and consideration of an application to demolish a house constructed in 1921 at 986
Arapahoe Ave., a non-landmarked property older than 50 years old, pursuant to Section 9-11-23 of the
Boulder Revised Code, 1981, and under the procedures prescribed by chapter 1-3, “Quasi-Judicial
Hearings,” B.R.C. 1981.
Address: 986 Arapahoe Ave.
Legal Description: TRACT 3-C & S 10 FT ON SOUTH OUTLOT 3 REEKS PER DEED 880461
10/02/87 BCR
Case Number: HIS2025-00272
Owner: Boulder Presbyterian Senior Housing, Inc.
Applicant: Shopworks Architecture represented by Tom Otteson
Case Type: Non-Designated Demolition
Code Section: 9-11-23, B.R.C. 1981
E XECUTIVE S UMMARY
The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether the building is eligible for designation and to
consider the cost, condition, and relationship to the surrounding area. The demolition application was
submitted together with three others: 976 Arapahoe Ave., 990 Arapahoe Ave., and 1004 Arapahoe Ave.
Each requires a separate decision by the Landmarks Board. On Oct. 8, 2025, the Landmarks Design
Review Committee determined there was probable cause to believe the building may be eligible for
landmark designation. Staff considers that the building at 986 Arapahoe Ave. is significant as an example
of the vernacular Craftsman Bungalow style, is associated with past residents who exemplify the cultural
and social heritage of the community and for its environmental significance as part of a block of four
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 1 of 58
houses dating to the area’s early residential development. Staff recommends the Landmarks Board
place a stay of demolition on the application to provide time to consider alternatives to demolition.
Recommended motion language and findings are located at the end of the memo (link).
P UBLIC C OMMENT
Staff has received no public comment to date regarding this application.
O PTIONS FOR THE B OARD’S D ECISION
Pursuant to Section 9-11-23, B.R.C. 1981, if the Landmarks Board finds that the building proposed for
demolition meets the criteria in subsection (f), the application shall be suspended for a period not to
exceed 180 days from the date it was accepted by the city manager (i.e., designated staff) as complete,
in order to provide the time necessary to consider alternatives to the building’s demolition. If imposed, a
180-day stay period would start when the completed application was accepted by the city manager (Oct.
27, 2025 when the Landmarks Board fee was paid) and expire on April 25, 2026.
If the Landmarks Board finds that the building does not meet the criteria set forth in section 9-11-23(f),
B.R.C. 1981, the city manager shall issue historic preservation approval.
B ACKGROUND
On Sept. 23, 2025, the Planning and Development Services Department (P&DS) received an
application to demolish the house at 986 Arapahoe Ave. (HIS2025-00272) and the houses on three
adjacent properties: 976 Arapahoe Ave. (HIS2025-00271), 990 Arapahoe Ave. (HIS2025-00273) and
1004 Arapahoe Ave. (HIS2025-00274).
On Oct. 8, 2025, the Landmarks Design Review Committee (LDRC; Golobic, Ray, Gerwing) referred
the application to the full Landmarks Board, finding “probable cause to believe the building may be
potentially eligible for landmark designation.”
On Oct. 27, 2025, the applicant paid the Landmarks Board hearing fee.
P ROPERTY D ESCRIPTION
Date of Construction: 1921 (County Records)
Zoning: RH-2 (Residential - High 2)
Lot Size: 5,653 square feet (County Assessor)
House Size: 1,064 square feet (County Assessor, above ground finished area)
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The property at 986 Arapahoe Ave. is located on the south side of Arapahoe Avenue between 11 Street
and Lincoln Place, opposite the main branch of the Boulder Public Library. The house is set on the north
end of the lot facing Arapahoe Avenue. The lot is bordered on the east by 990 Arapahoe Ave. (see
HIS2025-00273) and on the west by 976 Arapahoe Ave. (see HIS2025-00271). The rear of the property is
adjacent to 1050 Arapahoe Ave., including the eleven-story Presbyterian Manor designed by Hobart
Wagener in 1963. The property is not within an identified potential historic district. The house was
surveyed in 1990 and found to be significant as a good example of bungalow architecture and that the
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 2 of 58
residence featuresstucco siding and tapered Craftsman-style window surrounds.See the986 Arapahoe
Ave. historic building inventory record(link).
Figure 1. Top: Map of central Boulder showing location of 986 Arapahoe Ave. (location flagged). Bottom: Location of 986
Arapahoe Ave. south of Arapahoe Avenue between 11th Street and Lincoln Place and opposite the main branch of
eMapLink(link).
Boulder Public Library.
Figure 2. Map of central Boulder showing location of 986 Arapahoe Ave. (location flagged). Bottom: Location of 986
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Arapahoe Ave. south of Arapahoe Avenue between 11Street and Lincoln Place and opposite the main branch of Boulder
Public Library. eMapLink(link).
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 3 of 58
Figure 3. Aerial view of context. From left to right the properties are 976 Arapahoe, 986 Arapahoe, 990 Arapahoe and
1004 Arapahoe. Subject property (986) outlined in yellow. Property lines are estimates from eMapLink and not intended
for survey purposes.eMapLink(link).
B UILDING D ESCRIPTION
Figure 4. Front elevation taken from the streetshowing the low-pitched roof, porchand craftsman detailing.
Google Streetview(link).
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 4 of 58
The building at 986 Arapahoe Ave.is a one-storyhouse constructed in 1921 in theCraftsman Bungalow
style. The building has a low-pitched side gable roofwith wide overhanging eaves, exposed raftertails
and decorative brackets. Ashed roof dormerand porch arecentered above the mainentrance. The
footprint of the building is rectangular, with small projections at the southwest corner and south (rear)
elevation. The building is of frame construction and clad intextured stucco with wood detailing. The
roofis asphalt shingle, with a central chimney with a covered cap. The building rests on a rustic stone
foundation.
The main entrance is off-centered on the north elevation, with a solid door with a small rectangular
window. The entrance is flanked by two horizontally proportioned eight-over-one double hung
windows. The door and windowshave tapered surrounds. A wood belt course is located at the height of
the sills. The entrance is accessed by concrete steps on both the east and west sides, with a simple metal
railing. The porch is supported bytwo pairs of simple rectangular posts. The shed roof dormer has a
deep overhang with exposed rafter tails. The exposed wall of the dormer is stucco and includes a pairof
six-lite divided windows with tapered window surrounds.
Figure 5. Left: Northeast corner of the house showing the side gable, soffit details, and window pattern on the
east elevation. Right: East elevation from the rear of the house looking toward Arapahoe Avenue.Provided by
applicant.
The east elevationhas the primary side-gable roof, with a small shed roof projection extending to the
south (rear). Aseries of windows is located above the wood belt course: agrouping of three windows
near the northeast corner that includes a square window flanked by double-hungwindows; a pair of
double-hung windows toward the southeast corner of the house, and a rectangular windowin the shed
roof projection. Each of the windows have tapered surrounds. The gable end includes a vent with a
decorative surround and wood detailing. Two window openings are located at the basement level: a pair
of double-hung windows and a slider window.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 5 of 58
Figure 6.Right: Northwestcorner of the house showing the side gable, gable roof projection near the rear with
catslide projection at the rear and window pattern on the westelevation. Right: Westelevation from the rear of
the house looking toward Arapahoe Avenue. Provided by applicant.
The west elevation mirrors the east elevation, with a wooden vent in the gable end, and overhanging
eaves with corner brackets, however, thegable end does not include the same wooden detailing. The
southwest corner of the house includes a side gable projectionwitha shed roofat the rear. The main
volume of the house includes a single vertically-proportioned double-hung window with tapered
surround. The projection includes a single wide, vertically proportioneddouble hung windowon the
north facade. Although this window includes the tapered surround, the projection does not include the
wood belt course and the stucco is smoother than the main part of the house, indicating it may be an
addition. The west side of the projection includes wood detailing in the gable end and a grouping of
threeone-over-one double hung windowswith simple surrounds.
Figure 7.Southelevation of the house showingthetwo catslide roof form projections on the west and east sides
and the main part of the house between. Provided by applicant.
Thesouth elevation is concealed behind a high wood fence. The projection on the west side includes
vertical narrow siding, a vertically proportioned double hung window with simple trim, and a door. The
east side projection is concealed behind vegetation, but includes a bracket on the southwest corner, and
a horizontal window with tapered trim at the west side. This projection is stucco and includes the wood
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 6 of 58
belt course. Twowindows with tapered trimare locatedat the center of the elevation: a wide double-
hung window and a vertically proportioned double-hung window.
Analysis of Integrity
Historic integrityis the ability of a property to convey its historical associations or attributes. The
National Park Service defines seven aspects of integrity to evaluate properties (location, setting, design,
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materials, workmanship, feeling, and association).
Permits on file with the Planning and Development Departmentare minimal and include two roofing
permits (undated), connections to city sewer and water in 1937, and the conversion of the basement to
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a dwelling in 1945.Permits issued in the last 30years include a mechanical permit for “combustion air
ducts” (1997) and a utilities permit of “Spot repair” (2024).
Figure 8.Left: C. 1929 image of the northwestcorner showing the side gable roof and gabled projection on the
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west side, noted on the tax assessor card as an original feature.Right: Similar view in 2025.Provided by
applicant.
Figure 9.Left: Image from 1990survey reportshowing the façade and northeast corner, the overhanging eaves
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and the catslideroof porch with dormer above.Right: Similar view in 2025. Provided by applicant.
1
U.S. Dept. of the Interior. “National Historic Landmarks Glossary of Terms.” National Park Service. Accessed November 2022. https://www.nps
.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/glossary.htm
2
Planning and Development Services records. http://lfprod/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=3527178&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD
3
Boulder County Assessor. “986 Arapahoe Avenue real estate appraisal.” 1929-1960. Call no. 880-Arapahoe-986. Carnegie Library for Local
History, Boulder.https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A101508
4
Front Range Research Associates. “986-988 Arapahoe Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1990. Call No. 780 Arapahoe 986. Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder.https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A28751
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 7 of 58
The building is in its original location. The original design of the building has not been altered even
though the gable projection on the west side may have been rebuilt. The building retainssome ofits
historic materials,including the brackets, soffit detailingandtapered window trim. Themajority of
windowshave been replaced with vinyl units within their existing openings. The building demonstrates
vernacular workmanship, with notable features of the tapered trim, wood bandand detailing and
stone-clad foundation. The building’s ability to convey a feeling of its time and the setting of the house
on its property has not beendiminishedby the changes at the rear of the property andsurrounding
developmentand in general, the buildinghas retained itsability to convey its association with its past
residents and this period of development in the neighborhood.
Figure 10.Left: The c. 1929-1960site plan showing the footprint of the housewith measurements corrected in
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leter pencil colorfrom the original blue measurements.Right: Aerial image from eMapLink(link)showing the
existing roof configuration of the house. Not to scale.
A REA H ISTORY
This area is the ancestral homelands and unceded territory of Indigenous Peoples who have traversed,
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lived in and stewarded lands in the Boulder Valley since time immemorial.In October 1858, Hinono’ei
neecee (“Arapaho Chief”) Nowoo3 (“Niwot,” “Lefthand”) and other Hinono’eino’ (“Arapaho”) Peoples
told a party of gold-seekers camped in what is now known as Boulder that they could not remain on
Indigenous land as agreedby the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, also known as the Horse Creek Treaty.
5
Boulder County Assessor. “3120 6th Street real estate appraisal.” 1929-1961. Call no. 880-6th-3120. Carnegie Library for Local History,
Boulder.https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A88989
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“Staff Land Acknowledgement.” City of Boulder. https://bouldercolorado.gov/projects/staff-land-acknowledgment
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 8 of 58
The 1851 treaty defined the area as territory of the Arapaho and Cheyenne and promised to protect the
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natural resources and tribal hunting grounds from use by white settlers throughout the area.
However, most of the gold-seekers stayed on the land and more came after gold was found west of
Boulder in January 1859. On February 10, 1859, many of those same men formed the Boulder City Town
Company and defined 1,280 acres (2 square miles) north of Boulder Creek as a town.
Subsequently, the United States government granted patents of 160 acres of land (a quarter of a
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section) or more outside of the town plat to would-be settlers. Marinus Smith was one such recipient.
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In 1868, he received an eighth of a section south of Boulder Creek from the United States government.
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A year later, Smith purchased another eighth section from Sylvester and Harriet Hill who had also
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received the land from the U.S. government. In 1870, Smith received his eighth section of land from
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the government. By 1871, when the town government was organized under Boulder County
regulations, Marinus Smith had already acquired more than 240 acres of land. His holdings stretched
thth13, 14
between Arapahoe Avenue and College Avenue, from about 6 Street to 17 Street. Within this
area, Smith platted roads, blocks, and lots including “Smith’s Addition to Boulder” and the smaller
thth
“Menlo Park” in the blocks south of Arapahoe Avenue between 9 and 11 Streets.
Marinus Smith sold the land between Smith’s Addition and Menlo Park to Frank Weisenhorn and Charles
Voegtle on Sept. 16, 1875. Weisenhorn and Voegtle took advantage of the freshwater spring at the
center of the property and immediately built the Boulder City Brewery which became Crystal Springs
Brewery and Ice Company around 1897.
7
National Park Service. “Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 (Horse Creek Treaty.” https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/horse-creek-treaty.htm
8
More research is needed regarding Marinus Smith’s participation in the Sand Creek Massacre. An undated newspaper article by George W.
Stryker (held in the Carnegie Library, VF People - Smith, Marinus) claims: “Governor Evans proclaimed martial law, and appointed “Serg”
Marinus G. Smith as captain; A. A. Brookfield and Frederick A. Squires as lieutenants. A military company was enlisted, and Capt. Smith
dispersed the hostiles and restored order very quickly in this vicinity, but had no part in the Sand Creek affray.” Stryker was born in 1874 and
lived in Boulder by the recording of the 1885 Colorado Census, so may have known Smith.
9
General Land Office Records. “State Volume Patent CO0200__.303; Smith, Marinus.” 7/1/1868.
https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=CO0200__.303&docClass=STA&sid=lwpyiu14.yvb#patentDetailsTabIndex=0
10
Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181315349
11
Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181315349
12
General Land Office Records. “State Volume Patent CO0510__.097; Smtih, Marinus.” 12/15/1870.
https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=CO0510__.097&docClass=STA&sid=wp4bge2f.vvx
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By 1882, the town was divided into wards, and the offices of mayor, treasurer, and aldermen were created to manage the now seventeen
additions to the original townsite and the increasing population. Although by 1900, Boulder’s population had grown to 6,150 with twenty-eight
additions added between 1890 and 1895, the residential subdivisions of North Boulder were not created until the 1940s, and the area was not
incorporated into the city until after 1954.
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The land is legally defined as the northwest quarter of Section 31, Township 1N, Range 70W and the east half of the northeast quarter of
Section 36, Township 1N, Range 71W.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 9 of 58
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Figure 11. The Lands of Marinus Smith north of University Street in 1901.Smith sold the area between 9th and
11th Streets to Weisenhorn and Voegtle starting in 1875, including the subject property.
Figure 12. Circa 1897 sketch by Joseph Sturtevant of the Crystal Springs Brewing and Ice Companysite looking
south from above Arapahoe Avenue (along the bottom edge of the image). Marine Street is at the top of the image
and the road to the right of the pond is Lincoln Place (then called Spring Street). The drawing shows the large
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spring-fed pond and steep topography between Arapahoe Avenue and Marine Street.
15
Drumm, Henry A. “Map of lands belonging to the heirs of Marinus G. Smith, 1902.” 1902. Call No. BHS MAP CITY 1902-4 Oversize. Boulder
Historical Society / Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A76479
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Sturtevant, Joseph “Photo 2 - Photograph of a Sturtevant sketch of the brewery.” 1897-1907. Call No. BHS 207-1-25. Boulder Historical
Society / Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A22242
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 10 of 58
Figure 13. 1902 map of the area between the creek (Arapahoe Avenue just to the south) and Marine Street showing
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the Boulder City Brewing Company between 9th and 11th Street.Future properties (from left to right) at 976, 986,
990 and 1004 Arapahoe indicated in green dashed lines.
Figure 14. 1916 plat of Reeks’ Addition (black outline) between 9th and 11th Street and Arapahoe Avenue and
Marine Street. Outlot 3 includes the spring-fed pond at the center and the outflow of the spring at the northeast
end. The Boulder Fish and Game Club is indicated in yellow. The spring and pond are indicated in blue. Future
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properties at 976, 986, 990 and 1004 Arapahoe indicated in green.
17
“Boulder (Colo.) street map 1902.” 1902. Call No. MAP CITY 1902-2 (Map Case 1 #1). Carnegie Library for Local History.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A58753
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Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181767303
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 11 of 58
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William J. Reeks purchased the Crystal Springs Brewing and Ice Company in 1916. He demolished most
of the commercial buildings and platted the land as Reeks’ Addition. It consisted of five outlots and one
block with six lots. Outlots 1, 2 and 3 ran along Arapahoe, while outlots 4, 5 and block 1 ran along
Marine. Outlots 1,2, 4, and 5 sit on the western side of Lincoln Place, and an alley runs behind lots 1-5 of
block 1 and between lots 5 and 6. This subdivision is likely due to the substantial grade change from the
northern to the southern side of the addition. The central area, including the spring and pond, is
identified as “outlot 3” (Figure 14).
Reeks retained the land that included the natural spring, but sold the rights of access across his land and
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the use of the spring water to the Boulder Fish and Game Club in 1927. In addition, he sold a portion of
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outlot 3 to the club for use as a fish hatchery (see Figure 14). The Fish and Game Club to this day uses
the spring water to feed the hatchery and stock multiple fishing ponds throughout Boulder County
annually, including the Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Pond.
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William Reeks was born on October 24, 1868 in Minnesota. According to his mother’s obituary, he
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graduated from the law department at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The family,
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including William, his mother, Esther Reeks, and stepfather, John Ives, then moved to Boulder. By
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1920, the family lived at 952 Arapahoe Ave. (later platted as outlot 2 of Reeks’ Addition). In addition to
a land prospector, William was an amateur gardener and fishing enthusiast. He never married and lived
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for most of his life with his sister, Ester Reeks, who also never married.
William Reeks ensured that the spring and area that was originally a natural spring-fed pond stayed
relatively undeveloped. He maintained the portion of the land on the northeast corner where the spring
water flows out of the pond and sold only the undeveloped land that did not interfere with the spring,
including lots in Block 1 facing Marine Street and four lots that he created within outlot 3 facing
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Arapahoe Avenue. William Reeks continued to live on the property until his death in 1946. At his
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death, Ester Reeks deeded the rights for all of the spring water to the Boulder Fish and Game Club.
While this block of Arapahoe Avenue stayed relatively undeveloped, the intersection of Broadway and
Arapahoe Avenue, from early in Boulder’s history, was an important transportation route. From 1873
when the rail first arrived in Boulder connecting to Denver, this intersection was a point for substation
and rail spurs. From the late 1920s, the area started to focus on automobile travel and continued to be a
hub.
19
Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181680423
20
Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181445733
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Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181587199
22
Find a Grave. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/39839712
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Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50000019/anna-reeks_ives
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Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50000019/anna-reeks_ives
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Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/62274210
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United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and
Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/40640748
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Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64871718/william-j-reeks
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Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181949358
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 12 of 58
Along Arapahoe Avenue to both the west and the east a block from this busy intersection, the
commercial hub transitioned into residential areas. Within these transitional areas, from the first decade
of the Twentieth Century, development included small residential, multi-family (duplexes and
apartment buildings), live/work spaces,and retail stores like groceries and butcher shops. The uniform
lots, and dense street trees buffered the established residential neighborhood to the west from the
larger commercial lots to the east.
Between Broadway and Ninth Street, city directories list two grocery stores through the 1920s and
1930s. During the 1940s and 50s, the number of businesses increased on the north side of Arapahoe
Avenue, and included grocery stores, a moving company, plumbing company, laundry, and builders
supply store.
Figure 15. Aerial image from around 1937 centered on the commercial and industrial intersection of Broadway and
Arapahoe Avenue (circled in a yellow solid line) and showing the transitional areas along Arapahoe Avenue prior to
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turning into residential both to the east and west.The houses on the south side of Arapahoe Avenue in Reeks’
Addition are circled in a yellow dotted line.
In the early 1960s, the house located at 1016 Arapahoe Avenue was demolished for the construction of
the Presbyterian Manor Apartments on a portion of outlot 3 in Reeks’ Addition. Hobart D. Wagener
designed the International style apartment block. While the spring was piped underground across much
of the lot, the open space surrounding the building, including the open-air outflow for the spring, was
maintained.
P ROPERTY H ISTORY
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“Photo 4 - Boulder from Flagstaff Mountain taken 1937 or early 1938.” C. 1937. Call No. BHS 208-6-1. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of
Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67946
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 13 of 58
Leon Denham purchased the property in 1920 and built the house around 1921 as an income property.
Over the next five years, short-term owners rented out the property until the Handleman family
purchased it in 1926. Hyman and Ida Handleman, Russian-Jewish immigrants, ran a successful fruit
store. The Handleman and Buester families traded adjacent houses in the early 1930s, with the Buester
family taking ownership of 986 Arapahoe Ave. and the Handleman family renting the neighboring house
at 976 Arapahoe Ave. (see HIS2025-00271). The Buesters lived in the house for eight years before selling
it to Doc and Lucy Champion, who also lived there for eight years. All three of these families exemplify
the cultural and social heritage of the community: Jesse Buester was an agent for the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company for more than 30 years, was organizer and first president of the Boulder Association
of Life Underwriters, and was a 40 year member of the Kiwanis Club in Boulder. Doc Champion was a
well-known Boulder figure and “exalted leader” of the Elks Club. Lucy Champion worked at the
University of Colorado–Boulder for nearly three decades.
The Stoffle family was the longest and likely the most well-known residents, living in the house for
nearly four decades. Merton Stoffle and Wave Perrine Stoffle owned and managed multiple business
properties including the Globe Industrial Bank building. They were proprietors of the University Hill
Grocery and the Stoffle Sandwich Shop. Their daughter, Naomi Stoffle served as Deputy Assessor of
Boulder County from 1945 to 1961 and was elected as the Boulder County Assessor in 1962. She was
included in the 1970 edition of “Who’s Who of American Women.”
Details of each property owner follows:
Leon Andrew Denham (1920 – 1923)
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Leon Denham was born on February 1, 1894 in Boulder. His father, Alonzo, was a well-known
carpenter in Boulder, and taught Leon and his younger brother, Alonzo, Jr. his trade.
Leon married Nyda Belle Wood on June 28, 1917 while volunteering for the Quarter Master’s Reserve
Corps during the First World War. He was a carpenter with the Corps and was stationed at Camp Cody in
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New Mexico shortly after their marriage.
Leon built a house at 1028 Arapahoe Ave. in 1920, located three lots to the east of the subject property
(renumbered 1016 Arapahoe and demolished c. 1960). The Denham family, including children Lois and
Leon, Jr., lived there while Leon built the house at 986 Arapahoe Ave. The family moved around with
Leon’s work building houses. Leon sold the house at 986 Arapahoe Ave. to William and Nettie
Killingsworth in 1923.
30
United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2019.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61861/records/1850102
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“Lieut. Leon Denham.” September 13, 1918. Boulder Daily Camera. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19180913-
01.2.27
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 14 of 58
Figure 16. Lois and Leon Denham, Jr. sitting on the porch at 986 Arapahoe Ave. in 1922. The side of the house at
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990 Arapahoe Avenue (HIS2025-00273) is visible in the background.
William D. Killingsworth and Nettie M. Killingsworth (1923 – 1923)
The Killingsworth family purchased the house in June 1923, reportedly took possession on July 2, and
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sold it four days later to the Townleys. The Killingsworth family did not live in the house.
Richard Abner Townley and Lelia “Belle” Townley; John Losh Townley (1923 – 1926)
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Richard and Belle Townley owned a farm in Red Willow, Nebraska. They purchased the house at 986
Arapahoe Ave. in 1923, likely to be closer to Richard’s parents, John and Elizabeth Townley, who had
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retired from farming in Red Willow and moved to Boulder around 1920. It is unclear if the Townleys
ever lived in the house, but if they did it was for a very short time.
In early 1924, they rented the house to Dr. Ada Eastin and her family. Dr. Eastin was a chiropractor in
36
Boulder for 26 years. Between April 23, 1925 and Feb. 24, 1926, William J. and Lucy Quinlan rented
37
986 Arapahoe Ave. William sold auto parts.
Richard and Belle briefly sold the house to Richard’s father in 1926 before selling the house to Hyman
and Ida Handleman.
32
Clint O. Dumm. “Lois and Leon Denham, Jr.” 1922. Call No. BHS 129-2-50. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A49063
33
“Leon DA. Denham has sold his property.” June 25, 1923. Boulder Daily Camera.
https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19230625-01.2.49
34
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/18380166
35
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/62275516
36
“Dr. Eastin planting on Flagstaff photographs.” 1929. Call No. BHS 129-3-1. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A49088
37
“Local News.” April 23, 1925. Boulder Daily Camera. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19250423-01.2.67
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 15 of 58
Hyman Handleman and Ida Handleman (1926 – 1929)
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Hyman and Ida Handleman moved to Boulder around 1922. Hyman was the proprietor of Colorado
39
Fruit Co. with business partner Abraham Pogoralsky. Handleman and Pogoralsky dissolved their
40
partnership soon after and Hyman opened his own store on October 30, 1923. He ran the Colorado
41
Fruit Co. until 1929, opening multiple stores by 1928. Both the Handleman and Pogoralsky families
were Jewish immigrants. They ran successful stores during a time when Boulder had “one of the largest
42
(for its size) Ku Klux Klan chapters in the state.” The KKK aimed their rhetoric and actions against
43
people of color, Catholics, Jews and immigrants.
44
Hyman Handleman was born on September 15, 1881 in Russia. He was Jewish and his native tongue
was Yiddish. His petition to become an American Citizen was accepted by Boulder County District Judge
45
C. C. Coffin on January 5, 1928.
46
Ida was born Ida Cutler in Connecticut on January 15, 1899. Her father, Philip Cutler was also a Russian
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Jew and naturalized on March 11, 1902. Hyman and Ida married on June 1, 1917 and lived in Yuma,
Colorado where Hyman worked for the Yuma Fruit Company. By 1920, the family, including Ida’s mother
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Fannie, had moved to Denver.
The Handlemans first lived at 1001 Arapahoe Ave. until they purchased the property at 986 Arapahoe
50
Ave in 1926. In 1929, Ida and Hyman advertised the house for sale as a “strictly modern five room
51
bungalow. Garage in basement.” They sold the house to the Buester family, their next door neighbors
at 976 Arapahoe Ave. The Handleman family then moved into the Buester’s former residence at 976
Arapahoe Ave. The family included Hyman and Ida, their children Stella Florence and Phillip, and Ida’s
38
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/86138412
39
“Advertisement.” December 28, 1922. Boulder Daily Camera. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19221228-01.2.47.1
40
“The Colorado Fruit Company: Open for Business Tomorrow.” October 29, 1923. Boulder Daily Camera.
https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19231029-01.2.12.5
41
“Mid Week Specials.” January 31, 1928. Boulder Daily Camera. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19280131-
01.2.47.3
42
Delgado, Richard and Stefancic, Jean, Home-Grown Racism: Colorado's Historic Embrace - And Denial - Of Equal Opportunity in Higher
Education (1999). University of Colorado Law Review, Vol. 70, 1999, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2411625.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=2411625
43
Fox, Aaron. “When the Invisible Empire Stormed the Front Range: The Reign of the 1920s Ku Klux Klan in Boulder County, Colorado.” Nov. 5,
2015. https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/tx31qj30s
44
United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.:
National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6482/records/20241645
45
“Coffin Denied I.W.W the Right of Citizenship.” January 5, 1928. Boulder Daily Camera.
https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19280105-01.1.1
46
State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for
Health Statistics. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5180/records/3028884
47
The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906 (M1299); Microfilm
Serial: M1299; Microfilm Roll: 6. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1629/records/3178499
48
Marriage Records. Colorado Marriages. State Archives, Denver, Colorado.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61366/records/900499243
49
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/86138412
50
Boulder City Directory. 1923. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/14515487
51
“For Sale.” April 12, 1929. Boulder Daily Camera. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19290412-01.2.118.3
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 16 of 58
father Joseph. They rented the house at 976 Arapahoe Ave. until 1932 when the Handleman family
moved to Los Angeles.
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Figure 17.Portrait of Ada Handleman.
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Figure 18.Left: The Colorado Fruit Company in 1927 near Pearl and Eleventh Streets.Right: Colorado Fruit
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Company ad in the Daily Camera in 1923.
52
“Photo1-YoungAdaHaldeman\[sic\] wearingawhiteblouseandpleatedskirt.” C. 1922. Call No.BHS249-8-30. Boulder Historical
Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A46670
53
“A view of the exterior of Belshe C. Garbarino's Garage at Pearl and 11th Streets, Boulder.” 1927. Call No. BHS 141-3-4. Boulder Historical
Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A30443
54
“Colorado Fruit Co. Incorporated.” October 29, 1923. Boulder Daily Camera.
https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19231029-01.2.12.5
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 17 of 58
Jesse Virgil Buester and Estalyn D. Buester (1929 – 1937)
Jesse and Estalyn Buester moved into the neighborhood in 1928, renting 976 Arapahoe Ave. from Frank
Creamer, then purchasing this house next door from the Handleman family in 1929.
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Jesse was born on June 1, 1892 in Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri and worked as a
56
butter maker for the Oaklawn Butter Co. in Kansas City. Estalyn was born Estalyn Durand on November
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10, 1898 also in Missouri.
They married on January 1, 1918, a few months before Jesse enlisted. He
served in the United States Navy during the First World War eventually as Radio Third Class and was
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awarded the Victory Medal. On his discharge the couple moved to Boulder where Jesse initially
60
worked in a creamery making ice cream.
By 1924, Jesse was employed as a life insurance agent by the Metropolitan Life Company and stayed
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with the company for more than 30 years. He was the organizer and first president of the Boulder
62
Association of Life Underwriters in 1928.
Jesse was also an active member of the Kiwanis Club and was awarded the 40-year Legion of Honor
award in 1969. For the award, his accomplishments included serving as president of the Boulder Kiwanis
Club in 1956, lieutenant governor of the Rocky Mountain District in 1957, and as district chairman of
membership development in 1958. He was credited as the founder and charter member of the Flatirons
Club of the Kiwanis. In 1960, the club honored Jesse by naming a boys and girls camp the “Jesse Buester
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Camp.”
The Kiwanis at the time was a club exclusively available to male participants. They were
formed originally in 1916 as the “Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers” as a business
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networking club. They refocused in 1919 as a service organization for children.
While not permitted to become a member of the Kiwanis, Estalyn Buester directed the Jesse Buester
Memorial Fund for Camp following Jesse’s death in 1972. Estalyn was also active in the community: She
presented talks about the Buesters’ travels at many events including at the Chautauqua Community
House and for the Symposium Club. This club allowed participation of women as they discussed
philosophical and theological topics.
55
United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6482/records/30719208
56
United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6482/records/30719208
57
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11101798/estalyn-buester
58
Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1171/records/506843185
59
National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, MO, USA; Applications for Headstones and Markers, 7/1/1970-9/30/1985
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2375/records/4352909
60
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/62272859
61
“J.V. Buester is Honored By Banquet By Insurance Co.” Nov. 13, 1944. Boulder Daily Camera.
62
“Jesse Buester Honored By Life Underwriters.” July 19, 1963. Boulder Daily Camera.
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“Jesse Buester Memorial Fund for Camp Set.” Sept. 24, 1971. Boulder Daily Camera.
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“History.” Kiwanis International. https://www.kiwanis.org/who-we-are/history/
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 18 of 58
Their daughter, Shirlie, was born on July 16,1921and grew up in the house. She attended Boulder High
School with Margaret McClanahan, daughter of Lucy McClanahan Champion. Lewis “Doc” and Lucy
Champion purchased the house from the Buesters in 1937.
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Figure 19.Left: Jesse Buester studio portrait, circa 1944.Center: Portrait of Estalyn before 1918.Right: Shirlie
67
Buester, daughter of Jesse and Estalyn Buester, circa 1930.
Figure 20.Left: Estalyn Buester pin a “perfect attendance” insignia on her husband, Jesse Buester at the Boulder
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Kiwanis Ladies’ Night Dinnerin 1962. Jesse Buester has a record 32 years perfect attendance in Kiwanis.Right:
Jesse Buester receiving the Legion of Honor award from Kiwanis Lt. Gov. Harold Ruston September 19, 1969.The
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award honors meritorious service and attendance records.
Lewis Russell“Doc” Champion and Lucy Lindsey McClanahanChampion (1937 – 1945)
Lewis and LucyChampionlived in the house with Margaret McClanahan Ryan, Lucy’s daughter from a
previous marriage. Margaret graduated from Boulder High in 1937and married Rupert M. Ryan, who
served in the army during the Second World War.
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The Palace Studio, Boulder “Jesse V. Beuster.” C. 1944. Carnegie Library for Local History.
66
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11101798/estalyn-buester
67
“Shirlie Buester.” C. 1930. Carnegie Library for Local History.
68
“Kiwanis Honors Member.”February1, 1962. Boulder Daily Camera.
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“Jesse Buester Honored At Flatirons Kiwanis.” Sept. 19, 1969. Boulder Daily Camera.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 19 of 58
Lewis was born on May 2, 1898 in Rocheport, Missouri. He was the son of a medical doctor and, while
not a doctor himself, adopted the nickname “Doc.” He attended the University of Missouri and moved
70
to Boulder in 1923.
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Lucy was born Lucy Lindsey in Clinton, Missouri on September 5, 1898.She married Marion “Ross”
McClanahanin March 1918and lived in Missouri. Their daughter, Margaret Lindsey McClanahan, was
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born on January 14, 1919 in Clinton, Missouri.Ross died onApril 17, 1925.Lucy moved to Boulder
sometime before 1928. She trained as a stenographer, was the assistant to the registrar at the
University of Colorado–Boulder by 1928 and retired in 1956 as the admissions clerk in the Office of
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Records and Registration at the University. She met and married her second husband, Doc Champion
on November 25, 1928.
Doc was amechanic andtool inspector at the Remington Arms Co. during the Second World War, one of
the nation’s major bullet producers. After the war, he became the parts manager at Hollister Motors. He
was “exalted ruler” of the Elks Club in 1944. Docopened his own service station in 1945shortly after
75
selling the houseat 986 Arapahoe Ave.He ran for City Council in 1947.
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Figure 21.Left: Lewis and Lucy Championat a Mobil dealers convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in October 1963.
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Middle: A caricature of Lewis Champion drawn for the Daily Camera item “What’s My Name” in 1948.Right:
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Lewis Champion in the 1940. This photograph was used throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
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“L. R. Champion To Open Filling Station Tomorrow.” Sept. 25, 1945. Boulder Daily Camera.
71
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93126622/lucy_m-champion
72
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222499145/margaret-lindsey-ryan
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Missouri Office of the Secretary of State; Jefferson City, MO, USA;Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60382/records/1883160
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Boulder City Directory. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/14777301
75
“Meet The Candidates for The City Council.” Oct. 20, 1947. Boulder Daily Camera.
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“Attend Convention.” October 14, 1963. Boulder Daily Camera.
77
“What’s My Name.” Dec. 29, 1948. Boulder Daily Camera.
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“L. R. Champion To Open Filling Station Tomorrow.”Sept. 25, 1945. Boulder Daily Camera.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 20 of 58
Figure 22.The “Odaroloc” (Boulder High School Yearbook) editorialteam includedMargaret McClanahan
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(center)and Shirlie Buester(on the right), in 1937current and former residents of 986 Arapahoe Ave.
Reverend Ellis Morton Steen and Ruth M. Steen (1945 – 1947)
Reverend Ellis and RuthSteen purchased the house in 1945. They received a permit to convert the
basement to an apartment, which was given the address 988 Arapahoe Ave., although no records of
them renting the apartment were found.
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Ellis Morton Steen was born inIndiana on May 26, 1879.He attended Franklin College in Indiana and
81
became a Presbyterian minister.Ruth was born Ruth M. Brehmin Syracuse, NebraskaonMay 4,
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1901.Ellis and Ruth met while Ellis served as a minister in Nebraska. Ruth trained as a teacher and
taught in Nebraska. They married on June 30, 1937.
79
"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name:Boulder High School; Year:1937.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1265/records/1440658473
80
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195660707/ellis-morton-steen
81
“History of the Arthur-Steen family.” 1942. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/13284/images/dvm_dez_GenMono002256-
00010-1?usePUB=true&pId=16
82
United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: FamilySearch, 2020.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62188/records/4540775
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 21 of 58
Reverend Ellis accepted an appointment as minister at Boulder’s First PresbyterianChurch (currently
addressed as 1820 15th St.) in 1943 and the couple moved to Boulder. Ruth worked at the University of
83
Colorado–Boulderin the psychology departmentas an evaluation clerk.They purchased 986 Arapahoe
Ave. intending to retire in Boulder, however, Rev. Ellis accepted a position at the First Presbyterian
Churchin Holyoake, Coloradoin 1947.
The Steens initially leased the house to the Stoffle family as they intended to return to Boulder.
84
However, although they did return in August 1948, they sold the house in October 1947.
85
Figure 23.Reverend Ellis Morton Steen,presbyterian minister.
William “Merton” Stoffle and Maud Waverly “Wave”Perrine Stoffle, Inez “Naomi”
Stoffle (1947 – 1984)
Merton and Wave Stoffle purchased the house in 1947 and the family lived there for nearly four
decades. Merton Stoffle and Wave Perrine Stoffleowned multiple properties and ran businesses in
Boulder including the Globe Industrial Bank building, University Hill Grocery and the Stoffle Sandwich
Shop.
86
Merton was born on August 17, 1879 in Warrensburg, Missouri.He moved to Pleasonton, Kansas in
87
1907 and ran twohardware stores.He was elected to the Pleasonton City Council, served as the
president of the Pleasonton Chamber of Commercefor a decade, and was president of the Linn County
Hardware Association.
83
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195661640/ruth_m-steen
84
Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/186009553
85
Boulder Daily Camera file photo. Circa 1944.
86
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11113474/william-merton-stoffle
87
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record
Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/56295077
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 22 of 58
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Wave was born Maud Waverly Perrine on October 7, 1887 in Pleasonton, Kansas. Wave and Merton
89
married on July 25, 1909. They had three children in Kansas: Nicholas “Neal” (born in 1910), Merton
“Wayne” (born 1912) and Inez “Naomi” (born April 11, 1916). All three children were known by their
middle names. Merton and Wave moved to Boulder in 1923 and the children attended Boulder schools.
90
Merton and Wave purchased the University Hill Grocery (1118 13th St.) in 1924 and ran the store until
91th
1944. They built the business block on the northeast corner of 13 and College Ave. in 1927. The
th92
couple ran Stoffle’s Sandwich Shoppe (1100 13 St.). They purchased the former Boulder Club building
93
in 1940, demolished the building and constructed a “modern gasoline station.” The Stoffle family
94
replaced the service station with the Globe Industrial Bank building (2124 Broadway) in 1960. Wave
Stoffle was an equal partner in the businesses, to the point where the Daily Camera printed a correction
95
when they excluded acknowledging her work on remodel of the Globe Bank.
Their daughter, Naomi graduated from the University of Colorado–Boulder. She served as Deputy
Assessor of Boulder County from 1945 to 1961 and was elected as the Boulder County Assessor in 1962,
a position she held until 1970. She was included in the 1970-71 edition of “Who’s Who of American
Women.” She was a member of the Boulder County executive committee for the National Republican
Party, chairperson for the International Association of Assessing Officers, and chairperson for several
96
committees for the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.
The Stoffle family rented the apartment in the basement of their house (addressed as 988 Arapahoe
Ave.) to short- and long-term residents including Emelie Lighthall (c. 1951-1953), Everett Rogers (c.
1953-1955), Ellen Autry (c. 1955-1958), Jonathan Stahr (c. 1958-1959), Burgette Cahoon (c. 1959-1960)
and Diane Vincent (c. 1974). Naomi continued to live in the house with Wave after her father, Merton
97
died in 1959. Wave added Naomi to the deed in 1975. After Wave died in 1979, Naomi continued to
live there until she sold the house in 1984.
88
“Wave P. Stoffle, obit.” October 30, 1979. Boulder Daily Camera.
89
Pleasanton Observer-Enterprise; Publication Date: 29/ Jul/ 1909; Publication Place: Pleasanton, Kansas, USA.
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62116/records/113263422
90
“Graham Sells Grocery On University Hill.” January 3, 1924. Boulder Daily Camera.
https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19240103-01.2.68
91
“University Hill Grocery Sold; To Be Delicatessen.” April 16, 1968. Boulder Daily Camera
92
“W. Merton Stoffle Dies After Long Illness Sunday.” May 18, 1959. Boulder Daily Camera.
93
“Boulder Club Building to be Replaced by Modern Gas Station.” March 7, 1944. Boulder Daily Camera.
94
“Globe Industrial Bank Completes Remodeling.” December 7, 1965. Boulder Daily Camera.
95
“Mrs. W. M. Stoffle Also Participated in Building Project.” Dec 11, 1965. Boulder Daily Camera.
96
“Inez Naomi Stoffle, obit.” Nov. 8, 1996. Boulder Daily Camera.
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Boulder County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/182374707
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 23 of 58
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Figure 24.Merton Stoffle (left) and Wave Stoffle(right).
Figure 25.Naomi Stoffle in 1966.
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Photography by Snow. Carnegie Library for Local History.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 24 of 58
Figure 26.Left:An interior view of a clerk behind the counter at Stoffle's Sandwich Shoppeat 1100 13th St., Boulder, in
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1932.Right:the exterior of Stoffle’s Sandwich Shoppe .
th101
Figure 27.28University Hill Grocery at 1118 13St.
William DeanWalther, Jr. and Jean Walther Briggs (1984 – 1999)
William Walther was born onAugust 8, 1958 in Kettering, Ohio. He purchased the house as a University
of Colorado studentin 1984, and died the following year in 1985. His mother, Jean Walther Briggs
102
retained ownership and rented out the house.She sold it in 1999to Boulder Presbyterian.
99
“Stoffle's cafe interior photograph.” 1923. Call No. BHS 141-4-59. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1951
100
Boulder County Assessor. “1118 13th Street real estate appraisal card.” 1929-1958. Call no. 880-13th-1118. Carnegie Library for Local
History, Boulder.https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A92589
101
Cleveland, Jerry (photographer) from an article by McAllister, Margie. “Council Faces Tough ’83 Choices.” February 19, 1983. Boulder Daily
Camera.
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Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43319656/william-dean-walther
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 25 of 58
Boulder Presbyterian Senior Housing (1999 – present)
The current owners purchased the property in 1999.
P URPOSE AND C RITERIA FOR THE B OARD’S D ECISION
Buildings proposed for demolition (as defined in Section 9-16-1, B.R.C. 1981) that are not located in a
historic district or designated as a landmark but are older than 50 years old are reviewed pursuant to
Section 9-11-23, B.R.C. 1981, using criteria defined by Section 9-11-1, Purpose and Legislative Intent,
and Section 9-11-2, City Council May Designate or Amend Landmarks and Historic Districts. The
Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks (link) was adopted by the Landmarks Board on Sept. 17,
1975.
S TAFF A NALYSIS
CRITERION 1: INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK ELIGIBILITY
The following is a result of staff’s research of the property relative to the Significance Criteria for
Individual Landmarks (link).
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The building at 986 Arapahoe Ave. meets the following significance criteria:
1. Date of Construction: 1921
Elaboration: County Records list the building constructed in 1921 and newspaper articles confirm
that Leon Denham constructed the house that year.
2. Association with Persons or Events: Jesse Virgil Buester and Estalyn D. Buester (residents 1929 to
1937), Lewis Russell “Doc” Champion and Lucy Lindsey McClanahan Champion (residents 1937 to
1945), Merton Stoffle and Wave Perrine Stoffle (residents 1947 to 1979), Naomi Stoffle (resident
1947 to 1987)
Elaboration: The families that lived in the house were working professionals who were highly active
in the community. Jesse Buester was an agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for
more than 30 years, was organizer and first president of the Boulder Association of Life
Underwriters, and was a 40 year member of the Kiwanis Club in Boulder. Doc Champion was a well-
known Boulder figure and “exalted leader” of the Elks Club. Lucy Champion worked at the University
of Colorado–Boulder nearly three decades. The Stoffle family was the longest and likely the most
well-known residents, living in the house for nearly four decades. Merton Stoffle and Wave Perrine
Stoffle owned and managed multiple business properties and were proprietors of the University Hill
Grocery and the Stoffle Sandwich Shop. Their daughter, Naomi Stoffle was Deputy Assessor of
Boulder County from 1945 to 1961 and was Boulder County Assessor in 1962 to 1970. She was
included in the 1970-71 edition of “Who’s Who of American Women.”
2. Distinction in the Development of the Community: The house is significant for its connection to
different themes in the cultural, social and political history of Boulder, in particular with its
association with residents who exemplify civic engagement.
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 26 of 58
Elaboration: Hyman and Ida Handleman, Russian-Jewish immigrants ran a successful fruit store
during a time when Boulder had “one of the largest (for its size) Ku Klux Klan chapters in the
103
state.” The KKK aimed their acrimonious rhetoric and actions against people of color, Catholics,
104
Jews and immigrants.” The Handlemans likely left Boulder due to the political climate and moved
to Los Angeles, which at the time had a larger Jewish community. At the time, the Ku Klux Klan was
105
accepted by some as an “institution for civic activism.” This type of institution included other
clubs that provided networking and social services, such as the Kiwanis and Elks Club. Women,
people of color, and members of the Jewish faith were typically excluded from these clubs. Women,
however, were invited to education- and music-focused clubs and notably the Symposium Club,
which discussed philosophical and theological topics. As women became more involved in civic
affairs, they also demanded equal attention in business activities. Wave and Naomi Stoffle, mother
and daughter, exemplify this trend as Wave played an active role in owning and managing business
affairs, and Naomi was a public employee from 1945 and elected to public office in 1962.
3. Recognition by Authorities: Front Range Research Associates, Inc. 1990 Boulder Survey of Historic
Places.
Elaboration: The 986 Arapahoe Ave. historic building inventory record (link) from 1995 noted no
known past residents, but found the building represents a type, period, or method of construction”
finding the “building, constructed in 1921, is a good example of bungalow architecture. The
residence features stucco siding, and tapered Craftsmen-style window surrounds.”
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The building at 986 Arapahoe Ave. meets the following significance criteria:
1. Recognized Period or Style: Craftsman Bungalow
Elaboration: The Bungalow form was popular in Colorado from about 1900 to the 1930s due to its
simplicity and utility. The extant characteristic elements of this form include the gabled roof, the
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overhanging eaves, simple horizontal lines, and vertically proportioned double-hung windows.
2. Architect or Builder of Prominence: Leon Denham
Elaboration: Denham was born in Boulder. Leon, his father Alonzo, and brother Alonzo, Jr.
(together, Denham and Sons) constructed many houses in Boulder.
2. Artistic Merit: Vernacular expressions of the Craftsman style
Elaboration: The artistic features of the house include the Craftsman-inspired tapered window
surrounds, corner braces, half-timbering and catslide roofs.
3. Example of the Uncommon: None observed.
103
Delgado, Richard and Stefancic, Jean, Home-Grown Racism: Colorado's Historic Embrace - And Denial - Of Equal Opportunity in Higher
Education (1999). University of Colorado Law Review, Vol. 70, 1999, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2411625.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=2411625
104
Fox, Aaron. “When the Invisible Empire Stormed the Front Range: The Reign of the 1920s Ku Klux Klan in Boulder County, Colorado.” Nov. 5,
2015. https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/tx31qj30s
105
“Ku Klux Klan Visit Boulder Sweeping Through Streets a Mysterious, Shrouded Mass,” Daily Camera, December 11, 1922.
106
“Colorado’s Historic Architecture & Engineering Guide.” 2008. History Colorado. https://www.historycolorado.org/bungalow
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 27 of 58
4. Indigenous Qualities: The stone for the foundation cladding is likely locally sourced.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The property at 986 Arapahoe Ave. meets the following significance criteria:
1. Site Characteristics: The site retains the lawn between the house and the street and includes
multiple mature trees. The rear of the property has been paved.
2. Compatibility with Site: The house is compatible with its residential lot, and retains its original
setbacks from the properties to the east and west and from Arapahoe Avenue.
3. Geographic Importance: The building, along with the adjacent houses constructed during the same
time period, are an established and familiar visual feature along Arapahoe Avenue and visually
prominent across from the Boulder Public Library.
4. Environmental Appropriateness: The setback and vegetation on the lot are complementary to its
site and surrounding area.
5. Area Integrity: The property is not located within an identified potential historic district, however,
the area retains an eclectic and transitional character that has remained relatively stable for over 50
years. See analysis for “Relationship to the Character of the Neighborhood” below.
CRITERION 2: RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The property is located in an area that has an eclectic character, with a transitional mix of public,
institutional, commercial and mixed-density residential. The property, along with the south side of the
900 and 1000 blocks of Arapahoe Avenue, is zoned Residential High-2. The main branch of the Boulder
Public Library and the Civic Area are located on the north side of Arapahoe Avenue, with residential
neighborhoods (zoning Residential Mixed-1 and Residential Low-1) located to the west and north. To the
east, properties along Broadway are zoned Business Community-1 and Business Transitional-2. The area
is defined by this transitional and eclectic character.
The current zoning reflects the eclectic character of the area since its development in the early 1870s
when the rail first arrived in Boulder. Arapahoe Avenue (Highway 7), previously called Valley View Road,
was the primary east-west route through Boulder and into Boulder Canyon until the Boulder-Denver
Turnpike opened in 1952 and the railroad tracks were removed from Water Street (now known as
Canyon Boulevard). Historically, many automobile-related businesses were located along Arapahoe
Avenue, including gas and service stations, early motels and an automobile park at Eben G. Fine Park.
Historically, the property on the north side of Arapahoe Avenue was platted into smaller lots, with
individual residences and businesses. The City of Boulder began purchasing properties in the 1970s for
parking and recreational use, and in 1993, completed construction of the main branch of the Boulder
Public Library.
On the south side of Arapahoe Avenue, the most significant change was the construction of Presbyterian
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Manor (1050 Arapahoe Ave.) in 1963. The eleven-story tower rises approximately 103 feet and was
107
Boulder County Assessor. “1050 Arapahoe Avenue real estate appraisal.” 1963-1977. Call no. 880-Arapahoe-1050. Carnegie Library for Local
History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A101671
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 28 of 58
constructed prior to the establishment of a 55-foot height limit in 1972. The three-story multi-family
building at 964 Arapahoe Ave. was constructed in 1973.
The relationship of the building at 976 Arapahoe Ave. to the character of the surrounding area has
remained relatively stable for over fifty years. The four houses along Arapahoe Avenue are prominently
visible and recognizable visual landmarks within the neighborhood. Together, the four buildings anchor
this section of Arapahoe Avenue and represent the area’s early period of development.
Figure 29. Looking southeast at the neighborhood from a balcony within the public library toward Reeks’ Addition.
Figure 30. Looking west along Arapahoe Avenue from the intersection of Broadway and Arapahoe Avenue around
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1964(left) and 2025 (right).Google Street View(link).
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“Broadway Street and Arapahoe Avenue intersection.” C. 1964. Call No. 497-3-10. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A78709
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Figure 31. Left: Looking east along Arapahoe Avenue from 976 Arapahoe Avenue (foreground) to the Presbyterian
th
Manor Apartments beyond. Right: Looking west along Arapahoe Avenue from the corner of 11St.
CRITERION 3 AND 4: CONDITION OF THE BUILDING AND THE ESTIMATED COST OF RESTORATION OR
REPAIR
The applicanthas submitted information on the condition of the buildingand the estimated cost of
restoration or repair. See Attachment A – Application Materials. A summary includes:
APPLICANT DESCRIPTIONSTAFF NOTE986-988 ARAPAHOE
ROOFING Deteriorated metal roofs at Existing roof material is $30,240
all four structures require full asphalt. No roofing permits
replacement due toage and are on file from the last 25
corrosion. yearsand the roof likely
needs replacement within
the typical lifespan of
roofing. The estimate is
higher than expected for an
in-kind replacement on a
house this size.
EXTERIOR The homes exhibit Existing house is clad in $0
ENVELOPE weathered/damaged siding stucco. No cost estimate for
with extensive replacement siding repair or replacement
needed. 976 and 1004 for the building.
require completely new
siding systems.
MECHANICAL All four houses have A Mechanical permit to $0
SYSTEMS outdated hot water heaters replace the hot water
and HVAC unitsthat are near heater was issued in 2001;
or past useful life; several however, the permit status
systems are either inefficient is void.
or inoperable.
ELECTRICAL 986, 990, and 1004 require An Electrical Permit was $32,130
& PLUMBING significant electrical upgrades issued in 1993for an
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to address safety and electrical service change for
functionality. the property at 986
Arapahoe Ave.
INTERIORS Flooring, kitchens, $37,354
bathrooms, and fixtures are
in poor condition and require
renovation to meet code and
livability standards.
WINDOWS & Deteriorated or non-operable The majority of windows $24,300
DOORS windows reduce weather have been replaced with
protection and energy vinyl units within the
performance. existing openings. No
documentation to confirm
date of replacement.
UTILITIES 986 \[976\], 990, and 1004 A Right of Way permit was $0
require new sewer lines to applied for in 2023 for a
address safety and spot repair: “sewer repair in
functionality. yard only 47ft up to 5 ft
deep emergency – out of
service”
OTHER General req’s, demolition, $29,647
CONST. concrete, steel and carpentry
COSTS
SOFT COSTS GC staffing, overhead/profit, $31,818
permit and insurance
TOTAL COST $185,489
EST. SIZE 1,656 SF
EST. COST $112/SF
PER SQUARE
FOOT
The estimated cost of restoration or repairs for the house at 986 Arapahoe Ave. is $185,489, or
approximately $112/square foot. While the building appears to have been maintained over time and be
in good structural condition, no significant investment has been made in upgrading the building systems
or interior or exterior finishes in the recent past, with the exception of the sewer replacement in 2024.
The estimated cost is well below the average cost of new residential construction in Boulder in 2025
($500-$750/SF), and in line with average restoration costs ($200-$1000/SF).
The applicant states the cost is unfeasible, as it would take over a decade to recover the cost using funds
generated from net rental income. While staff understands the desire to cover the cost of maintenance
and repair solely with rental income, staff notes that the current owner purchased the property 39 years
Item 5B 986 Arapahoe Ave. 12.03.25Page 31 of 58
ago and while the properties have been maintained, it does not appear that significant investment to
the building systems or materials has been made to the property in that time.
R ECOMMENDED M OTION
Issue a Stay-of-Demolition
If the Landmarks Board finds the building may be eligible for individual landmark designation based
upon its historic, architectural, and environmental significance, and that it has not been demonstrated
that the condition and estimated cost of restoration or repair is unreasonable, staff recommends the
following motion language:
I move that the Landmarks Board issue a stay-of-demolition for the building located at 986 Arapahoe
Ave. for a period not to exceed 180 days from the day the application was accepted by the city manager
in order to explore alternatives to demolishing the buildings.
A 180-day stay period would expire on April 25, 2026 (180 days from Oct. 27, 2025 when the Landmarks
Board review fee was paid).
A LTERNATE M OTION
Issue Historic Preservation Approval
If the Landmarks Board finds the building not eligible for individual landmark designation based upon its
historic, architectural, and environmental significance, staff recommends the following motion
language:
I move the Landmarks Board approve the application to demolish the building at 986 Arapahoe Ave.,
finding that the building does not meet the criteria set forth in section 9-11-23(f), B.R.C. 1981.
F INDINGS
Staff recommends that the Landmarks Board adopt the following findings:
A stay-of-demolition for the property at 986 Arapahoe Ave. is appropriate based on the criteria set forth
in Section 9-11-23(f), B.R.C. 1981 in that:
1. The property may be eligible for individual landmark designation based upon its significance for
its Craftsman Bungalow architectural form built by Leon Denham; for its association with past
residents who exemplify the cultural and social heritage of the community including Merton
and Wave Perrine Stoffle, and their daughter Naomi Stoffle who lived in the house for nearly
four decades; for its association with working professionals and their stellar civic engagement;
and for its environmental significance as part of a block of four houses dating to the area’s early
residential development.
2. The property contributes to the character of the neighborhood as an intact representative of
the area’s past;
3. It has not been demonstrated to be impractical or economically unfeasible to rehabilitate the
building.
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A TTACHMENTS
A: Application Materials
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