Old red
By BRANDON N. BIDDLE
With Halloween coming up, who hasn't seen the old and creepy red building on Main Avenue?
The old worn down building does actually have quite a bit of history behind it for being so cramped in such a small space. Most people only notice it by its red color, which naturally is attractive to the human eye. So if everyone's looking at it, maybe looking into its history can clear things up.
1345 Main Avenue is where the building resides and still stands today. From Buckley Park. The building can be found by walking away from downtown on Main, and looking to the left.
The 840 square feet that it resides on is zoned as commercial property (Website here to view full details). Its estimated cost is $64,817 and was last sold for $90,000 on January 11, 2007. The full property lot size is 1,612 feet.
It’s actually one of Durango, Colorado’s last original wooden structures.
It was built in 1892, according to a survey from La Plata County Historical Society (LPCHS). The man who built it was Theodore Peterson, one of Durango’s first builders and contractors. It was his carpentry shop. Peterson constructed many different things, and his biggest accomplishments were the First Baptist Church, the Mercy Hospital addition, a Second Avenue Hotel, and a livery stable. The LPCHS also noted, “He had a wife and 16 children.”
Many have noticed the second floor door, and have always questioned why it’s there in the first place.
So what is the door for? Could it be a escape route or maybe just a error?
According to The Durango Herald the door used to be a large window in photos from the 1920’s. Maybe the door could be an escape route in case of an attacker or maybe a way for his many children to exit the building.
The building’s interior was gutted by a fire in 2002, but the exterior was left unscathed.
It’s unclear why the owner won’t improve or sell the space. It still raises the question of why has it not been torn down? Is it because it’s a historic building? Is it because it’s not worth the effort? Or, is it because the money could be better spent elsewhere?
Harsh winters and hot summers beating down on the old and fragile wood have made the building old and worn down, adding to the mysterious and creepy atmosphere around it.
By BRANDON N. BIDDLE
With Halloween coming up, who hasn't seen the old and creepy red building on Main Avenue?
The old worn down building does actually have quite a bit of history behind it for being so cramped in such a small space. Most people only notice it by its red color, which naturally is attractive to the human eye. So if everyone's looking at it, maybe looking into its history can clear things up.
1345 Main Avenue is where the building resides and still stands today. From Buckley Park. The building can be found by walking away from downtown on Main, and looking to the left.
The 840 square feet that it resides on is zoned as commercial property (Website here to view full details). Its estimated cost is $64,817 and was last sold for $90,000 on January 11, 2007. The full property lot size is 1,612 feet.
It’s actually one of Durango, Colorado’s last original wooden structures.
It was built in 1892, according to a survey from La Plata County Historical Society (LPCHS). The man who built it was Theodore Peterson, one of Durango’s first builders and contractors. It was his carpentry shop. Peterson constructed many different things, and his biggest accomplishments were the First Baptist Church, the Mercy Hospital addition, a Second Avenue Hotel, and a livery stable. The LPCHS also noted, “He had a wife and 16 children.”
Many have noticed the second floor door, and have always questioned why it’s there in the first place.
So what is the door for? Could it be a escape route or maybe just a error?
According to The Durango Herald the door used to be a large window in photos from the 1920’s. Maybe the door could be an escape route in case of an attacker or maybe a way for his many children to exit the building.
The building’s interior was gutted by a fire in 2002, but the exterior was left unscathed.
It’s unclear why the owner won’t improve or sell the space. It still raises the question of why has it not been torn down? Is it because it’s a historic building? Is it because it’s not worth the effort? Or, is it because the money could be better spent elsewhere?
Harsh winters and hot summers beating down on the old and fragile wood have made the building old and worn down, adding to the mysterious and creepy atmosphere around it.