Places

Morrison Historical District Sites

The Morrison Historical District was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1976. Seventy buildings and sites were listed as part of the District, which encompasses the downtown area and some buildings on the neighboring streets. Building names and numbers used here match the Historical Sites Walking Tour; dates are as provided by L. Horton in the original application for designation.

Text updated October 2006, but recent remodelings are not noted for all buildings that have been modified. Many current business names need to be updated as of this date (2010); some old names have been left for reference.

1. OLD STANDARD STATION 103 Bear Creek Avenue 1926
This was Morrison’s first fancy service station. The building now houses Ozzi’s. (Nature’s Gift Candleworks was last business to occupy west end.)

2. MORRISON LIBRARY 113 Bear Creek Avenue
1946 Built by Mr. Carl Peinze at no cost to the town, this is now 5 Star Property & Gifts.

3. AMOS HOUSE 120 Bear Creek Avenue Ca.
1873 This house was moved back when Hwy 8 came through Morrison in 1926. Later El Mercado, an antique store (1968-2014).

4. PEINZE HOUSE 117 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca.1873 – Vinton Amos, a Morrison blacksmith, lived here ca. 1880. The Peinzes ran a grocery/market and real estate office here. Currently Beso de Arte restaurant

5. JAMIESON HOME 110 Market Street
Ca. 1873 The Jamiesons lived here from 1931 to 1980. Pete Morrison, grandson of the town founder, lived here as a young man railroading and rodeoing with Clyde Hocking.

6. ANDREW JOHNSON HOME 118 Market Street
1873 This was the Methodist church’s first parsonage. Andy was a Morrison Post Office employee from 1910 to 1950.

7. PILLAR OF FIRE CHURCH 111 Market Street
Ca.1885. The Pillar of Fire bought the church and the house next door from the Town in 1932 as a memorial to Alma White. The nondenominational Morrison Community Church holds services here. (August 2012: This building is for sale.)

8. CHARLY PIKE HOME 105 Market Street
Ca.1880 Pike was a nephew of Zebulon Pike (of Pike’s Peak Fame). The Pikes were merchants in Morrison. (August 2012: This building is for sale.)

9. MORRISON MARKET 201 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca.1880 First occupied by Judge Babcock, this was later a meat market run by Tom Morrison. After the 1916 fire, it became the Post Office. It now houses the Morrison Country Store.

10. TOM LEWIS HOME 205 Bear Creek Avenue
Built ca. 1879 of native brick. Lewis ran a livery stable in Morrison.

11. JOHN ROSS HARDWARE AND LUMBER CO. 209 and 211 Bear Creek Avenue Ca.1876 Built of native stone, this building was once owned by Ross’ daughter, Mary Quaintance. Rebuilt by 2004, it now houses Cafe Prague.

12. DEAN’S GROCERY STORE 215 Bear Creek Avenue
Built ca. 1890 by John Ross. A dance ball upstairs became the Episcopal Sunday School on Sundays. Later it was Peinze’s Grocery Store. Currently, Tony Rigatoni’s Restaurant is here.

13. JOHN ROSS HOME 106 Stone Street
Ca. 1878 It was a restaurant and passenger pick-up for the stage coach. After Mr. Ross’ home burned he lived in this building, now a business.

14. TOWN HALL 110 Stone Street
Built ca. 1896 by Woodman of the World. Later acquired by the Women of Woodcraft and finally donated to the Town by the Booster Club in the 1950s. Renovated by the Town with help from the Colorado Historical Society in 1995.

15. MELISSA PEARSON HOUSE 112 Stone Street
Built ca.1879 as a rental, which it still is. Commercial shop.

16. NEWLAND HOUSE 116 Stone Street
Ca.1875 Mrs. Newland ran a boarding house, and many railroad workers ate here. The Morrison Historical Museum (now at #71) began here in 1981. Lacey Gate Antiques.

17. DURHAM HOUSE 307 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Ca.1880 Fillmore Durham was the railroad station master, and his wife was the telegraph operator. In 1936, at age 84, he was killed on Bear Creek Avenue by a car. Private residence.

18. ED FLEMING HOUSE 311 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Ca.1890 Ed was a fine rock mason and worked on many vacation homes in the mountains. He also rodeoed with “the gang” and served on the Morrison Town Board many years. Private residence.

19. LOG CABIN 313 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Built ca. 1918 by Ted and Joe Schrock for Olinger (mortuary) as a real estate office. It was moved from Bear Creek Avenue to its present location. Private residence.

20. JAKE SCHNEIDER HOME 107 Stone Street
Ca.1875 Thomas C. Bergen, founder of Bergen Park in 1859, occupied this dwelling in 1887. This was the home of Jake and Nellie Schneider from 1904 to 1948. Private residence.

21. PIKE & PERRY MERCANTILE CO. 301 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca.1880 Burnt out in 1919, it had to be repaired and became a dance hall. After the 1938 flood, the Schneiders continued the drug store business here until 1973. Now part of the Morrison Inn.

22. HENRY F. WOLF’S POOL HALL, TOBACCO & BARBER SHOP 303 and 305 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca.1880 A mercantile owned by Levi H. McGill in 1892 and Pike & Perry in 1906. Now part of the Morrison Inn.

23. PETE CHRISTENSON’S SHOP 307 Bear Creek Avenue
Built in 1876 by Pete Christenson, whose name and building date are still on the building. This building is now also part of the Morrison Inn.

24. SCHNEIDER’S GROCERIES, RESTAURANT & ROOMS 311 Bear Creek Avenue (site)
This was a 2-story frame building with stairs outside like you see in all western movies. It burned down in the 1931 fire and was replaced by the present brick building, which is now Sundance Sensations.

25. BAKER & SMITH GARAGE 317 Bear Creek Avenue (site)
Rebuilt in 1931 (after same fire as above). James Abbo built the first building, which was called Mt. Morrison Garage “Auto, Stage, and Livery.” Morrison Carworks now occupies the site.

26. RAILROAD STATION 315 Bear Creek Avenue (site)
Built in 1873, this was the station for the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad. The train made its last scheduled run in 1925 and was abandoned after the 1933 flood.

26a. RAILROAD TURNTABLE
The old turntable that rotated the engines for the return trip to Denver occupied this area that is now a large parking lot.

27. CLIFF HOUSE 115 Stone Street
Built in 1873 by George P. Morrison, who died here in 1895. The John Swansons bought the house and ran it as a hotel called The Cliff House.

28. WILLIAM SAWYER HOME 109 Mill Street
Ca.1880 Sawyer was a Justice of the Peace, drove a stage coach and worked in the Rooney coal mine.

29. MORRISON BANK 401 Bear Creek Avenue
Built ca. 1880 of native brick and served as a bank until 1920. A beauty shop occupied the east side from 1945 to 1980. Mill Street Deli is now doing business here.

30. WILLIAM BECKETT HOME 116 Beckett Lane.
Ca.1882 William and Lucy came from London with their two daughters. He was a cobbler and a carpenter, she, a trained nurse. Private residence.

31. DODE REEDY HOUSE 120 Beckett Lane.
Ca.1883 Built by Wm. Beckett, rented to families of workers for the rock quarries, the railroad, and construction jobs. Private residence.

32. HELEN HANSON HOUSE 140 Beckett Lane.
Built ca. 1884 by Wm. Beckett for local workers. It became known as the Hanson House during this century. Private residence.

33. JAIL HOUSE 119 Beckett Lane
Ca.1884 Built by Wm. Beckett and Mr. Crosser. The jail is now completely enclosed and is just a room in this house. Private residence.

34. SITE OF MORRISON’S NEWSPAPERS 408 Bear Creek Avenue
From 1889 to 1917, this was the home of four newspapers: “The Bud”, “The Jefferson”, “Morrison Independent”, and “Morrison Monitor”. A former Conoco station on this site is the new home of the TNT Restaurant.

35. GOTCHALK BAKERY (also Quarry Site) 503 & 505 Bear Creek Avenue
Built ca. 1885. The Site of Morrison Stone, Lime, and Town Co., the kiln (ca. 1878) made the mortar used in many of the houses that still stand today. The Morrison Liquor Store now uses this building.

36. STAGECOACH BUILDING 101 S. Park Avenue
Built ca. 1870 of native sandstone by Geo. Morrison, the Town’s founder. The stage ran from Morrison to Leadville and Fairplay. Now part of the Horton House property (see #39).

37. ABBO’S LIVERY & CARRIAGE HOUSE 105 Canon Street
Ca. 1870 Abbo & Lewis were partners. Tom Lewis was Abbo’s father-in-law. Now part of the Horton House property (see #39).

38. AMOS’ BLACKSMITH SHOP 105 Canon Street
Ca. 1880 Vinton Amos ran a blacksmith shop here until the advent of the automobile. This building became Pete Foster’s Garage, ca. 1920. Private residence.

39. ABBO’S DWELLING 105 Canon Street
Ca. 1870 A home and blacksmith shop until 1875. Dr. Frank Luce lived here in about 1922. From 1945 to 1973 it was a Mexican Restaurant, El Gallo Tuerto, one of the first in the Denver area. Additions have been made over the years. The property is now the Horton House Bed & Breakfast.

40. WILLIAM SCHNEIDER HOUSE 207 S. Park Avenue
Built in 1926. Bill’s wife Ruth Schneider lived here until 2000. Dan and Bill Schneider were sons of Jake, a pioneer. Private residence.

41. ROBERT SMITH HOUSE 211 S. Park Avenue
Built ca. 1915 by Dr. Frank Luce from lumber taken when part of Abbo’s livery stables was torn down. Private residence.

42. KNOLL’S HOUSE 215 S. Park Avenue
Ca.1888 Dr. Luce lived here when he first came from Denver in 1890. Remodeled late 1990s. Private residence.

43. PEARL PEARMAN HOUSE 212 S. Park Avenue
Ca. 1888 The Pearmans lived here from 1919 until about 1939. Pearl was a daughter of Jonas Schrock, a pioneer of Morrison who homesteaded at Mt. Falcon. Private residence.

44. COCKRAN HOUSE 109 Spring Street
Lizzy C. Kirby was the first owner on record. Charles Cockran, ca. 1919, followed. Private residence.

45. FLORENCE BECKETT MCLEAN HOUSE 115 Spring Street
Ca. 1889 Florence Beckett came to Morrison from London with her sister and parents. She married J.W. McLean in about 1901. Private residence.

46. RAILROAD CREW HOUSE 127 Spring Street
Ca. 1872 Built for the men building the railroad. It was moved from 315 Spring Street—close to the tracks—in 1926 by Mr. Peinze who sold it for a residence. Private residence.

47. SWISS COTTAGE 150 Spring Street (site)
Built in 1874 for Governor Evans of native sandstone by George Morrison, a Quebec stone mason who came to Colorado in 1850 with his family and moved to Morrison in 1873. From 1884 to 1888, it was the site of Sacred Heart College. This building was replaced by the current Nursing Center in the 1970s; it was razed in 1982 after several attempts to save it.

48. MORRISON SCHOOL HOUSE 226 Spring Street
Built in 1875 by George Morrison of native sandstone. It was in continued academic use until 1955. Remodeled, most recently in 2005-06. Private residence.

49. GROVER DENBOW HOUSE 307 Spring Street
Ca. 1875 Used as a railroad crew house, it later became a rental. Denbow, a trapper, rented it when he came to Morrison with his family in 1912. Private residence.

50. BAKER HOUSE 311 Spring Street
Ca. 1872 – Julie Ann Baker was a Groom, one of the oldest families around Morrison. The house remained essentially unchanged until 1996 when an addition was built. Private residence.

51. SCHROCK HOUSE 314 Spring Street
Ca. 1872 Jonas Schrock came from Germany, his wife from England. Mr. Schrock had a saloon at 307 Bear Creek Avenue (#23). Private residence.

52. FLORENCE SMITH WILSON HOUSE 320 4th Street
Ca. 1899 This was Lucy Beckett Smith’s and Robert Smith’s home. This house was moved from Spring Street to its present site about 1905. Private residence.

53. JOHN B. WALKER HOUSE end of Red Rocks Vista Lane (site)
Ca. 1900 Walker lived here while he built his home on top of Mt. Falcon. His wife is buried near here at a spot where she loved to sit and look over to Red Rocks Park. The house was demolished in 1999 and replaced by a new structure.

54. KATE GROOM FULLER HOUSE 231 Hwy. 8
Ca. 1880 Kate was a Groom, one of the oldest families in the Morrison area. This house was moved to this location from Market Street in 1926. Private residence.

55. DR. GEORGE PALMER HOUSE 229 Hwy. 8
Ca. 1900 It is believed to be an older house that was moved into and added on to about 1910. Private residence.

56. ART JOHNSON HOUSE 225 Hwy 8
Ca. 1910 Originally built to be the parsonage of the Methodist church (#7); moved to this location. Originally clapboard, renovated to stucco in 2006. Private residence.

57. BERTHA MAE HEBREW HOME 804 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca. 1887 The house was moved to this location in 1891 by Sam Hebrew who came to Colorado to hunt buffalo with Buffalo Bill who had a contract to furnish meat for railroad crews. Private residence.

58. LAWRENCE ED LAGROW HOUSE 207 Bear Creek Lane
Ca. 1870 The LaGrow family occupied this house until 1975. The house was added on to as the family grew, further additions were made in 2005. Private residence.

59. CURT LAGROW HOUSE 201 Bear Creek Lane
Ca. 1870 Built by Jennie Cowan and a neighbor girl who was 13 years old. Mary LaGrow (next door) bought it for her son, Curt, when he got married in 1920. Private residence.

60. MAGGIE CROW HOUSE 109 Bear Creek Lane
Ca. 1872 Maggie carried mail on horseback from Morrison into the surrounding mountains and drove the stagecoach from Morrison to Conifer. See Early History of the Turkey Creek Mail Route. Private residence.

61. TUTTLE HOUSE or ALMA WHITE HOUSE 107 Bear Creek Lane
Ca. 1872 Alma White, founder of the Pillar of Fire Church, lived here where her second son, Ray, was born in 1892. Private residence.

62. MARY SMITH HOME 105 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca. 1872 Mary (Schrock) and Henry Smith traded $150 in cash and a 1928 Ford with a rumble seat for this property a year after they were married. Private residence.

63. JOEL HOCKING HOUSE 601 Bear Creek Avenue
Ca. 1872. Hocking was a town marshall, a homesteader on top of Mt. Falcon, and a popular participant in local rodeos. The Christenson, Rogers, and Denbow families also occupied this house at various times. Private residence.

64. JASPER TRACY HOUSE 199 Garden Avenue (site)
Ca. 1880. Annie Ewan Tracy came from a large family southeast of Morrison. Their home was called Cottonwood Ranch, on land presently owned by the John Pallaoro family. Chapel of the Red Rocks now occupies the site.

65. JUDGE STROUP HOUSE 201 Garden Avenue
Built ca. 1922. Judge Stroup and his wife were “wonderful people,” well known to Morrison children, as they hosted Halloween and Christmas parties during the 1920s. Private residence

66. HOWARD BEACH HOUSE 201 Mill Street
Ca. 1918. Built by Walter Weare, ca. 1918, who owned a herd of dairy goats. The Beaches had lived here 50 years as of 1976. Private residence

67. TOM MORRISON HOME Mt. Vernon Creek
Ca. 1877. Son of founder George Morrison, Tom was a stagecoach driver, saloonkeeper, and butcher at various times, as well as Morrison’s first Mayor in 1906. Private residence

68. CROSSER or DAVIS HOUSE 403 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Ca. 1882. Crosser worked for William Beckett and John Ross. He built the jail (#33) with the door pins on the inside, then later became its first prisoner — and first escapee. Private residence.

69. DINOSAUR QUARRY SITE Hogback, Mt. Vernon Avenue
The scar along the hogback was named a historic site, but for the wrong reason. This site is actually one of George Morrison’s early sandstone quarries. The historic dinosaur quarry (Yale Quarry #10) is located further up the ridge.

70. MORRISON CEMETERY North of Red Rocks School
In use since about 1868, this cemetery “houses” many of Morrison’s early citizens. See Genealogies for selected grave photos. Managed by the Morrison Cemetery Association.