Do You Know This Building?
Answers: 1.a) Alamosa; 2.c) 1936; 3.b) Art Deco Sandwiched within a series of small commercial establishments that each occupy only one city lot along Main Street in Alamosa, this building is particularly notable for its Art Deco detailing and well-preserved terra cotta façade. The building’s cream-colored terra cotta face is highlighted with colorful ornamentation that includes chevrons, volutes and stylized sunrises. The façade and its historic neon sign create a vertical emphasis that is also characteristic of the style. Constructed in 1936, Husung Hardware possesses the distinctive characteristics of Art Deco, a style not well represented in Alamosa County or in other small towns across Colorado. By the late 1920s, new stylistic influences emanating from Europe impacted
American architecture. Art Deco was essentially a style of decoration
that was applied to furniture, jewelry, clothing, appliances, handicrafts,
as well as architecture. As a conscious rejection of historical styles
and a popular form of ornamentation, Art Deco flourished in America’s
larger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami. The most elaborate
examples of the style in Colorado are found predominately in the state’s
largest cities (i.e., Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs). Most of Colorado’s
small town buildings characterized as Art Deco exhibit a simple form with
understated vertical elements and restrained ornamentation. In the small
towns of Colorado, the Art Deco style was most often reserved for courthouses,
municipal buildings and schools. It was less frequently used for commercial
buildings. Husung Hardware, considered one of the best small town expressions
of Art Deco in the state, is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. |
