In 1974, the Lakewood Historical Society (LHS) was formed to preserve, restore and share Lakewood's history. The society maintains an ongoing partnership with the city of Lakewood in supporting the Lakewood Heritage Center and the Belmar Museum. The Lakewood Historian,the quarterly newsletter included with LHS membership, contains information on society events and activities along with fascinating stories about old Lakewood.

In 2004, the LHS established the Lakewood Landmarks Committee to further its purpose of restoring and preserving Lakewood history. The committee instituted a Register of Historic Landmarks to identify and recognize Lakewood properties having historical or architectural significance. Most recently, the Isaac Solomon Historic Synagogue and Tent were added to the 14 historic landmarks on the Register.

There are many historic landmarks in Lakewood with a world of interesting information that are yet to be recognized. I was made aware of this when Lakewood YourHub web host, Erin Feese, e-mailed me with a question from one of her readers asking for information about the far eastern clock tower building on the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design campus; the reader thought the building was owned by the city of Lakewood and wanted to know what it is presently being used for. I happily set out investigating this query and found out that the clock tower building was actually owned by Jefferson County and is presently being used for a worthy cause, and rightfully so, because this building has a history of doing good and serving the Lakewood community for more than 100 years.

The clock tower building, called the New York Building, was formerly part of the sanatorium of The Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society (JCRS) and home to tuberculosis patients who came from all over the country to Denver for a cure. The JCRS was formed in 1904 to relieve the destitute consumptives in all stages of the disease and in the same year, the National Tuberculosis Society was formed in an organized effort to defeat this disease. Although in the beginning, the institution consisted of six tents and a one-story frame 20' X 40' building, by its second decade in 1920, $200,000.00 was raised for the construction of the "Main Building," and by 1922, the "pride of the Sanatorium" was housing 204 patients and equipped with modern facilities for the care and treatment of tuberculosis patients.

The building's construction was credited to the tireless efforts of the New York Ladies' Auxiliary, and one of the building wings to the St. Louis Ladies' Auxiliary. In 1954, the JCRS became the American Medical Center, an institution devoted to cancer research, later known as the AMC Cancer Research Center.

The New York Building continues to serve the community as a correctional facility in helping people who have strayed from the right path by providing them with the tools to reform their lives and assisting them in moving forward; this includes GED preparation for some, and for others, training at Red Rocks Community College.

For almost 30 years, community corrections has provided service to the First Judicial District. Erin and I met with the Executive Director of Intervention Community Corrections Services (ICCS), Gregg Kildow, who worked in the First Judicial District and retired from probation work to take this job; he gave us a full tour of this magnificent building. Gregg, who has been the ICCS executive director of ICCS since 2002, told us, "I do this job because I love seeing people succeed."

The building still exhibits its great history in the lobby of the former hospital and throughout the facility. Gregg pointed out the 1905 cornerstone and the water tower from the former dairy farm. The entire Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is filled with the rich history of the JCRS. Across the campus is the Texas Building, used by the women patients- the New York Building was used by male patients.

The last remaining tent has just been restored and the Isaac Solomon Historic Synagogue in under renovation for the eventual use as a life-cycle events center and museum. Gregg told us that the New York Building is all brick and mortar and the National Historical Society declared the building had the finest representation of an internal buttress system west of the Mississippi. We climbed the stairs to the clock tower and roof of the building where we had a wonderful view of Denver. Gregg spoke highly of recently retired Steve Forsyth, who had been a Jefferson County deputy for 40 years and guardian at the New York Building for many years.

The New York Building is a magnificent building, rich in Colorado history and continuing to serve the Lakewood Community. I am grateful to Erin Feese and Gregg Kildow for enlightening me on the historic value and present worthy function of this building.

Anyone interested in finding out more about historic landmarks in Lakewood or in joining the Lakewood Historical Society, can call Karen at 303-936-2793 or visit www.historiclakewood.org