1801 York St
Denver, CO, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Smith House

Statement of Significant:

The Smith Mansion is an important visual landmark in Denver, sited on a prominent corner at York and 18th streets, directly west of City Park. It achieves significance for its architectural design by one of Denver's most distinguished and respected architects, William Ellsworth Fisher, in partnership with Daniel R. Huntington. The exterior of the house is highly animated, with extensive use of terra cotta decorative elements. The interior is equally impressive, with fine woodwork and plasterwork detailing.

In June of 1902, Frank L. Smith bought five lots across from City Park at the northwest corner of East 18th Avenue and York Street from A. M. Ghost, a real estate developer.1 Construction of the house and carriage house began in October of 1902 for an estimated cost of $32,000. Fisher and Huntington were the architects, and McDonald and Morrison were the contractors.2 Smith, his wife, Josephine Hill Smith, and their three sons, Eben Henry, Melvin Hill and Frank Leonard moved into the house in 1903.

Frank Smith was the treasurer of the Mine and Smelter Supply Company, founded by Smith's father Eben Smith. Frank Smith began his career in the mining industry while the family lived in Leadville in the 1880s and 1890s.

Eben Smith, one of the most prominent men in the development of Colorado's mining resources, founded the Mine and Smelter Supply Company with John S. and Robert J. Cary in 1896. Smith served as president of the company until 1901, when, at the age of 73, he sold his interest in the company and moved to California. He died in 1906 at the Denver home of his daughter, Mrs. Charles T. Carnahan, while he was on a visit from California.

Frank Smith lived at 1801 York until November 1907 when the Smiths were divorced. In 1908, Mrs. Smith married Richard Louis Hughes and they lived in the house until 1911 or 1912.6 In 1920 the house was rented to John Anthony Crook and his wife, Millie Cleo Crook. Crook bought the property in August of 1923.7 Crook, who moved to Denver in 1917, founded the Denver Steel and Iron Works.

After Crook's death in 1937, his wife became the president and treasurer of her husband's business and continued to live in the house until 1950.8 Mrs. Crook was prominent for her involvement with the Central City Opera House Association and was among those who initiated the efforts to restore the opera house and establish the summer opera festival

In 1950, the Smith Mansion was converted into a guest or rooming house by Laura Fern Mitchell, with minimal alterations. In April 1971, the property was sold to Maxwell Saul and Bob Hesdorfer who renovated the house and carriage house into offices.
The Smith House is important in Denver's architectural history as an early 20th century example of the work of architect William Ellsworth Fisher and his partner Daniel Riggs Huntington. The excellent materials, craftsmanship and attention to decorative detail were a Fisher hallmark and are seen in his subsequent designs for all types of buildings, from residential to school, to hospital and commercial structures. Huntington left Denver in 1905 to practice in Seattle, and Fisher was joined by his brother Arthur Addison Fisher. Together they built one of the largest architectural practices in the Rocky Mountain region, spanning over seventy years of continuous operation.