Fans of Indiana Jones may recognize one of the places now considered “endangered” in Colorado. A house in Antonito in the San Luis Valley is one of four additions to the annual list.
“This is a 136-year-old adobe home, but it does retain most of its historic integrity,” said Katie Peterson, director of the Endangered Places Program for Colorado Preservation, Inc. “All the rehabilitation now rests on the need for a new solid foundation before work on the windows and stucco can begin.”
The goal of the Endangered Places program is to raise awareness of historic sites unique to Colorado that are at risk of being lost due to neglect, weather, or other factors. The idea is to rally community support to help pay for preservation and repairs.
Over the course of 28 years, the program has highlighted 144 historic places. It has saved 57 of them, and nine have been lost; the rest remain on the list.
“The possibilities are endless with historic preservation,” said Peterson. “Every place has a story to tell. We really strive to remember, celebrate and honor Colorado’s heritage by identifying and preserving not only the physical landmarks but also the intangible cultural elements as well.”
Two of the locations that made previous lists have now been moved from “alert” status to “progress,” meaning they have been stabilized in the initial preservation process. Those are the Costilla County Mission Churches and the Kit Carson Museum Complex.
Here are the additions to this year’s Most Endangered Places list:
Indiana Jones Bed and Breakfast
Antonito, CO
Built in 1888, this was one of the first houses constructed in the small town of Antonito in the San Luis Valley. It was originally home to the Carroll family, who moved to the area to support minors. They ran a business selling horses and mules.
One hundred years later, the house and nearby railroad tracks were featured in the opening sequence of the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Young Indiana Jones can be seen running into the house to tell his father about artifact raiders he had confronted.
The house is now the “Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast” which features a museum dedicated to Indiana Jones and to the history of Antonito and the San Luis Valley. However, the foundation of the 136-year-old house is failing and needs to be replaced before restoration work on the windows and stucco exterior can begin.
Knearl Block and Opera House
Brush, CO
The Knearl Block and Opera House, built in 1902, “embodies the multifaceted use of buildings, especially in Eastern Colorado communities,” said Peterson. “The building is amazing. It’s got intricate brickwork, tall windows, timeless facade and really captures the elegance of that early 1900’s commercial design.”
The building has been used for a post office, a hat-making factory, a hotel, a restaurant, an opera house, a bank, and a telephone exchange. Since 2003, it has housed the Corral Sports Bar and Grill.
Peterson says despite the owner’s best efforts to stabilize the building, time has taken its toll. The upper story of the building is unusable and the south wall is beginning to detach from the building.
“The greatest thing about this building is the Deskie Hotel sign on the side of the building. It is a very rare example of a lighted blue enamel sign and only one of two that are on buildings in Colorado,” said Peterson. She also noted that the building recently celebrated being added to the State Register of Historic Places.
The Newman Block
Granada, CO
The Newman Block housed the Granada Fish Market and Newman’s Drug Store, built prior to 1914. The drug store was owned by pharmacist Ed Newman, who employed many of the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at the nearby Amache Detainment Camp during World War II.
The Granada Fish Market next door was owned by Frank Masa Tsuchiya, who was among those incarcerated at Camp Amache. When he was released in 1943, he opened the market and delivered fish, poultry and ice to people still incarcerated in the camp and donated items to improve their living conditions.
“It's that connection and that intangible heritage that really make this building worth saving,” said Peterson.
The Newman Building is now used as an event space and the Fish Market is vacant. One of the walls shared by the buildings has collapsed.
Red Cliff Town Hall
White River National Forest
Built in 1887, the Red Cliff Town Hall and Firehouse have been vacant since 1980, but Peterson said the community is rallying around efforts to preserve it.
“They are very excited about that building, and so we're really eager to preserve this building and highlight and reinforce the town's sense of community pride and heritage,” said Peterson.
Once the center of the town’s political activities as well as the fire department, the upper floor was used as a dance hall in the 1930s and a jail was added in the back in 1937.
The building is no longer structurally sound and the wood is rotting. Peterson says the goal is to preserve the building and to transform it into a museum that displays the history of Red Cliff and the early development of Colorado’s mountain region.
