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18th Street Atrium / Icehouse - #13
1801 Wynkoop Street
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Architectural style: Industrial Vernacular Built: 1903 Architect: Aaron Gove and Thomas F. Walsh |
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This structure was originally built in 1903 as the new home of the Littleton Creamery. More than 85,000 cubic feet of sawdust was used as the insulating agent. The Littleton Creamery was incorporated in 1886 by J.D. Hill and J.S. Morse as a wholesaler of butter, cheese, cream, and dairy supplies. IN 1912 Beatrice Company of Nebraska bought Littleton Creamery and grew rapidly, producing 20,000 to 30,000 pounds of butter per day. Additions in 1912 and 1916 saw 73,000 cubic feet of cork and plaster added to enhance and modernize the insulation. The ice-making plant on the creamery's 19th Street side and its proximity to the railfoad spurred the success of the business. As a cold storage facility, its use went beyond dairy products and foodstuffs. Expensive furs from local stores such as Dupler's and Neusteters graced the shelves here. There have also been rumors that cadavers paused here before going to their final resting places. With a final addition in 1917, the creamery claimed to be the largest cold storage warehouse in the Rocky Mountain region, offering 1.2 million cubic feet of storage space. By 1929 it was said to be the third largest creamery in the nation. The cold storage business remained here until 1979. IN 1981 it was sold for $1.2 million. Even after two years without cold storage activity, it took seven weeks to defrost the walls, ice was still 2 to 3 feet thick on the ceiling. This large warehouse building is noted for its distinctive polychromatic brickwork, which became popular in the 1920s. Gove and Walsh, the principals of one of the region's leading firms for commercial/industrial structures, were also the architects of the Renaissance-style lobby of Union Station. Note the alternating bands of dark red, beige, and light pink bricks, and the diamond designs and honeycomb pattern used to support the cornice. The original structure has a sandstone foundation with heavy timber framing. |
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