Greeley Tribune Building - 714 8TH ST

 Print Listing Historical Name - Greeley Tribune Building; Hansen Building
Style - Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Beaux Arts
Built Year - 1928
State ID - 5WL2573

Description - This Beaux Arts style commercial building is a rectilinear, two-story brick and concrete structure with a flat roof. It has a concrete foundation and red brick exterior walls with terra cotta trim. A large, terra-cotta faced base serves as a plinth, giving the impression of a platform. The main facade is broken into five vertical bays, including four bays of grouped windows and a central entrance with windows above. A semi-circular iron projection extends from the north facade, sheltering the entrance. Three brass doors are topped by a three-paneled transom featuring yet more elaborate iron-work. The entrance is framed by a terra cotta surround. Windows are vertical, single-light fixed pane with hopper style transoms above. They are grouped in threes and are framed by paired Composite terra cotta pilasters. The entablature above the pilasters features dentil and egg-and-dart molding above a smooth architrave and paneled frieze. The frieze is engraved with the words “Greeley Tribune” directly above the central bay. The cornice features ogee molding with acanthus leaves in low relief. A brick and terra cotta parapet with decorative urns and an elaborately sculpted cartouche top the structure.

Historical Background - Prominent Greeley architect Sidney Frazier designed the building in 1928 for the Greeley Tribune newspaper offices, which operated there for 57 years, until they moved to the current building in 1986. Originally published in 1870 by town founder Nathan Meeker, Charles Hansen consolidated the Tribune with a competing publisher in 1913. The building also housed the offices of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) in the garden level. Charles Hansen served as publisher of the Tribune from approximately 1913-1953, and he also advocated for irrigation projects. He was involved with the development, construction and administration of the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) transmountain diversion project, serving as the first board president of the NCWCD. The NCWCD was the agency responsible for the construction and administration of the C-BT project, and they stabilized and augmented the region’s water supply for agricultural and municipal purposes, thereby serving an important economic function for northern Colorado. The NCWCD offices were located in the Tribune Building from 1937 through the early 1950s.