REP17182

• Permit No: M1993041
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 3/1/1994
• Doc Name: PREHISTORIC HISTORIC & GEOLOGIC PROPERTIES PRESERVATION PLAN DOW FLAT BOULDER CNTY COLO
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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building stone. Stone from the Lyons area quarries found its way
into many Denver buildings and was shipped throughout the United
States as other cities grew and matured during the late 19th
century. Stone quarrying was popular in other areas of the state
as well. Ft. Collins was estimated to have over a dozen
operational stone quarries in the 1880s to provide building
supplies.
In 1880 E. S. Lyons settled in the area that was to be named
after him. Recognizing the market for stones, he began quarrying
and hauling to Longmont for shipment to Denver. Lyons also engaged
in promotional and construction work in the Lyons area. The quarry
business proved very successful and by 1900 it was the third
largest stone producing region in the United States.
The Romanesque Revival architectural movement of the 1880 and
1890s had a major effect on building materials. These houses often
were large, "rambling," structures of brick and sandstone with high
pitched gable roofs. Public buildings adopted the Romanesque style
with large, intricately laid stone work. Some of the architects
designing in this style were H. T. E. Wandell and Frederick Sterns.
One of the most popular purveyors of this style was H. A.
Richardson whose style "Richardsonian" or "Richardsonian
Romanesque" was popular in the Midwest and West. In addition to
the characteristics described above, Richardson used heavy walls of
stone, arches, French Romanesque and Byzantine motifs.
Richardson's popularity in the 1880s was coincidental with the
growth of cities and towns and with the stone quarrying operations
at Lyons and elsewhere. In addition, the rural Italian style of
the University of Colorado at Boulder made extensive use of Lyons
quarried stone. Quarrying constituted a major industry near the
Study Area.
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