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OTERO COUNTY |
La JuntaBENT’S OLD FORT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE This site northeast of La Junta once contained Bent’s Old Fort, an important trading post near the Arkansas River along the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. Constructed around 1833 by brothers Charles and William Bent and partner Ceran St. Vrain, the fort occupied an area that at that time was the border between the United States and newly independent Mexico. The fort became the foci where Hispano, Euro-American, and the various Plains Indian tribes, of which the Cheyenne, Kiowa, Arapaho, and Comanche were the most prominent, interacted. The reconstructed adobe fort on the historic site dates to the mid-1970s. ELKS LODGE #701 The Elks Lodge #701 building has served as the headquarters of La Junta’s primary fraternal service organization since the lodge’s establishment in 1901. The building exhibits an intact and well executed 1950 facade modernization. DR. FRANK FINNEY HOUSE Dr. Frank Finney’s 1899 house exhibits the most lavishly detailed exterior in this Plains community. The house with its rich interior trim is La Junta’s best example of Colonial Revival architecture. Architect Walter Dubree designed the residence. WILSON A. HART HOUSE Wilson A. Hart paid $2,000 in 1898 for the construction of the house as a wedding present for his wife, Mary. The eclectic brick and wood structure represents local interpretations of late Victorian architectural styles. Hart was a well-known local banker, insurance salesman, and real estate agent. KIT CARSON HOTEL The creation of the Kit Carson Hotel represents an important part of the social history of La Junta during the Great Depression. Members of Elks Lodge #701 converted the 1906 commercial building into an Art Deco style hotel in 1933 as a project to employ out of work lodge members. KOSHARE KIVA MUSEUM The 1948 museum (with additions in 1958 and 1980) is a good example of the Pueblo Revival style. It is the only identified example of the style in Otero County. With its open span crib roof, the round ceremonial room section is a rare example of Hogan-type construction. LA JUNTA CITY PARK 
Constructed between 1933 and 1941, the park demonstrates the
importance of federal relief programs in Colorado during the Great
Depression. The Civil Works Administration project focused on drainage
in the park, while the later Works Progress Administration projects
involved extensive landscaping that included building the lake; planting
trees and building drives; and constructing rustic stone walls, benches
and buildings. La Junta City Park is the primary park for the community.
Although the land was donated to the city in 1905, few improvements were
made. The New Deal LA JUNTA POST OFFICE The new La Junta Post Office opened in 1916, and the Spanish Colonial Revival structure quickly became the architectural focal point of the community. LINCOLN SCHOOL Pueblo architects Walter DeMordaunt and John Gray designed the 1937 Lincoln School annex to complement the existing 1883 and 1903 Lincoln School building. The irregular plan and roof lines, the roughly patterned brick work on the exterior and interior, and the warm colors of the brick and tile contributed to this modern interpretation of Spanish and Mediterranean architecture. NORTH LA JUNTA SCHOOL (North School) Completed in 1914, the school served the educational needs of North La Junta families and also provided a social meeting place for the community. The design of the school, attributed to Walter Dubree, is representative of school buildings constructed in the area during the early part of the 20th century. EUGENE ROURKE HOUSE Eugene Rourke, prominent settler, rancher and businessman in the La Junta area, had this house constructed for his family in 1898. The residence exhibits the architectural transition between late Victorian eclecticism and the Colonial Revival style. Interesting features include the original two-story Colonial Revival portico, and the Queen Anne style tower and iron roof cresting. SAN JUAN AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT The seven well-preserved Queen Anne style residences within the district were constructed between 1896 and 1905, as the town recovered from an economic depression. A variety of materials were used in the construction of these one- and two-story dwellings. DANIEL SCIUMBATO GROCERY STORE The circa 1908 Sciumbato Grocery is one of the earliest and most intact neighborhood grocery stores in La Junta. This type of commercial structure characterized residential neighborhoods from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Also typical of the period is the attached residence of the store owner. ST. PATRICK’S CATHOLIC CHURCH Now the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, the Late Gothic Revival style church and rectory were designed by prominent Denver architect John K. Monroe. Monroe served for many years as the principal architect for the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver and designed numerous churches, schools, and other archdiocesan structures throughout northern Colorado. Constructed in 1941, St. Patrick’s is one of Monroe’s earliest commissions, and it is his only known church project in southeastern Colorado. VOGEL CANYON This 500-acre archaeological district includes sites containing prehistoric rock art, architecture, artifacts, and refuse. ManzanolaSANTA FE RAILWAY MANZANOLA DEPOT 
The 1913 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway provided the gateway for passengers traveling to and from the community during much of the twentieth century. Serving both as a freight and passenger depot, the Manzanola facility coordinated shipments to and from local merchants and producers. The building is an excellent intact example of the Santa Fe’s County Seat-type of combination passenger and freight depots. Built to replace older first generation depots, the brick County Seat-type featured solid brick construction, functional convenience, and Mission Revival inspired styling which reflected both the operational area served by the railroad and its adopted corporate image. Rocky FordADOBE STABLES, ARKANSAS VALLEY FAIRGROUNDS 
The Adobe Stables, constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress
Administration (WPA), are an important record of the federal relief
programs administered on Colorado’s eastern plains during the Great
Depression. The stables were one of a series of WPA improvement
projects at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds that provided a significant
source of employment. It is the best surviving example of WPA work in
Rocky Ford. The WPA used adobe for many of its eastern Colorado projects
as it was both inexpensive and labor intensive — a good fit with the agency’s
objectives to ensure that most of the money went to labor rather than
materials. As most adobe was stuccoed, the exposed adobe walls of the
stables allow an uncommon opportunity to examine the construction methods
more closely. The stables, a rare example of exposed adobe WPA construction,
remained in use until the 1990s. The property is associated with the
New Deal Resources
on Colorado’s Eastern Plains Multiple Property Submission.
(2006 photograph) ART BUILDING This 1901 building is associated with the development of the Arkansas Valley Fair, an annual event important to the social history of the area. It is a well-preserved example of a building constructed in the Octagon Mode, a building type that enjoyed a measure of popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY (Rocky Ford Historical Museum) The 1908 building reflects the nationwide public library movement sponsored by steel manufacturer and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. The building is an interesting combination of locally-produced ornamental concrete block (also called "artificial stone") and brick, and represents the initial appearance of Neo-Classical architecture in Rocky Ford. Architect Walter Dubree designed the building. GRAND THEATRE Constructed in 1935, the Grand Theatre is important for its long term use as a local entertainment center and for its ability to convey changes in movie theater design. Its modernized facade, neon marquee, and portions of the lobby area date from 1950, while much of the original 1935 Art Deco interior detailing remains intact. ROCKY FORD POST OFFICE 
A project of the Public Works Administration (PWA), the Rocky
Ford Post Office is associated with President Franklin Roosevelt’s
New Deal legislative agenda. The federal government used the
construction of new post offices to aid the economy through expenditures
for materials and construction crews. The only PWA project in Rocky Ford,
it provided the town with its first purpose-built post office. Designed
by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Supervising Architect
under the direction of Louis A. Simon, the Neo-classically-inspired
building is simple and restrained. It has been the only post office in
Rocky Ford since it opened in 1936. The property is associated with the
New Deal Resources on
Colorado’s Eastern Plains Multiple Property Submission.
(1983 photograph) VROMAN SCHOOL This 1918 two-story brick school, with a large auditorium, functioned well as a community center and remains virtually intact. Denver architects Mountjoy, French and Frewen incorporated a passive solar heat circulation system into this well-executed example of the Mediterranean Revival style. |
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