Article Contributed on: 6/25/2009 2:03:20 PM
Golden's historic Brickyard House, a designated landmark overlooking the entrance of Golden Gate Canyon on the north side of Golden Gate Canyon Road, at last appears as its beautiful old self again after the deterioration of many years. The Golden Landmarks Association, with the aid of grants from the City of Golden and the State Historical Fund, on June 11th completed the exterior restoration of the Brickyard House, just in time to be a 150th birthday present for Golden, accomplished through the work of contractor Building Restoration Specialties. Donelson Architecture also helped with the design work for this project. The building had deteriorated for nearly half a century, with one wall dismantled because of its precarious condition and almost no intact window glass to speak of. Now the first phase of its reclamation is complete, and preparations begin for Phase 2, the interior restoration, which will bring it fully back to life.
The Brickyard House is an unusually ornate small house with an important past still largely a mystery. It was built around a century ago, between 1901 and 1914 but probably closer to 1901, as company housing for the Golden Pressed & Fire Brick Works, which plant stood just to the northeast of the structure. In style it is an unusual combination of looking into the past and into the future at the same time, using the medieval revival Romanesque style of beautiful arched windows and trim put in the then new Foursquare style format of four main rooms, front porch and hipped roof. Upon it are 7 different forms of ornamental shaped brick, including rounded, angular and alternating shapes. Many have speculated it may have been meant as a show home to exhibit the brickyard's product.
The house was among the few buildings unscathed by the plant's fire of 1915 and it served the works through 1963, known to be the home of the plant manager and lastly the nightwatchman. The company, here and in a predecessor plant on west 8th Street, operated for 97 years, gaining much prominence in the building industry with its brick used in such landmarks as the Tabor Grand Opera House and today's REI store and Old Spaghetti Factory in Denver. Its bricks were shipped throughout the west and to Mexico, and as far away as China. Its products including colored brick perfection and shaped fancy brick helped enhance our area buildings, and its fire bricks were renowned in industry for their heat endurance. Over time the plant vanished, as did its large boarding house just overlooking the house, but the little house has remained, and is now being restored by GLA for their headquarters, a little brickmaking history museum, and a place people can hold special events.
With the parallel restoration of the Cambria Lime Kiln across the valley two of Golden's final remains from one of its proudest and most prominent industries have been preserved in our sesquicentennial year. For more information on the Brickyard House, its history and the preservation work that has been accomplished here, go see its website at http://www.brickyardhouse.org . Stay tuned for developments as GLA proceeds to its interior restoration, including its ornamental woodwork and wood floors.