Marlborough Building, Woody's Newsstand - 922-942 9TH AV

 Print Listing Historical Name - Marlborough Hotel and Annex & Harvard Block
Style - Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Built Year - 1907-1908, 1909
State ID - 5WL2574

Description - This commercial building was built in three architecturally distinct sections. The middle section was built in 1907 as the Marlborough Hotel and the southern portion, the Annex, was built in 1908. Both portions of the building reflect Renaissance Revival style. The northern block was constructed in 1909 as the Harvard Block. The original section is a brick, two-story commercial building with a flat roof. Roof features include a projecting bracketed cornice with Mission tiles, triangular braces and dentil molding. The exterior walls are blond brick with red brick trim and decoration. The storefronts were remodeled and have a new brick and concrete veneer with opaque, metal frame windows. The windows have transoms and new plastic (or metal) awnings. There is an entrance to the building on the south end of the west facade of the original portion, next to the annex building. It has an arch and the name “Marlborough Building” in tiles above the entrance. Second story windows have arches with decorative keystones, brick surrounds and detailing and stone sills, dividing the first and second floors. The cornice is original, with a shed roof with tiles, triangular braces and dentil molding. The annex is a rectilinear, two-story commercial structure with a flat roof. Roof features include a projecting wooden cornice with modillions and dentil molding. The frieze features a series of low relief, rounded arches, simulating an arcade. The first story features a chamfered entrance on the southeast corner, with a Tuscan column supporting the exposed corner of the second story. The rounded arch entrance features a metal frame door, single-light sidelights, a single-light transom, and a low relief brick surround. Single-light display windows with a low kick-plate and a single canvas awning make up the remainder of the main (western) facade on the lower level. The second level features paired one-over-one double hung windows with a rusticated stone sill course, rusticated stone lintel course, and canvas awnings. The sill course visually separates the first and second floors, and features dentil molding below. The Harvard Block is a Late 19th and Early 20th Century Commercial style building, completed in 1909 and is a two story brick structure with a flat roof. Roof features include a metal parapet above the double corbelled brick cornice with stone caps. The top half of the cornice has four pairs of vents, each pair located over the second story windows. Four pairs of one-over-one double hung windows with stone sills are spaced evenly across the second story and have brick lintels and stone sills. Four inset brick panels are located beneath the four pairs of windows. It has metal frame storefront opaque windows with metal frame clouded glass transoms and square tile kickplates below the windows. It has a recessed centered entrance and an entrance on the south end of the front facade. It also has a metal triangular awning, matching the first story metal triangular awnings of the Marlborough Hotel to the south.

Historical Background - The northern portion of the building, originally known as the Marlborough Hotel, was constructed in 1907, and a southern building was added in 1908. The March 28, 1907 Tribune indicates that there was an intention to build on the 50 foot vacant lot south of the original building soon after the completion of the first: “This will leave a 50 foot vacant lot at each end of the building but it is expected the building will be finished to the corner of Tenth Street in another year.” It was built as a “high class rooming house” with retail space on the first floor. A 1968 Greeley Tribune article stated that it was built by J.C. Ewing, R.G. Martin, and Carenna Lee Jex. Although Mrs. Jex’s obituary reported that she was a part owner of the building, no primary sources confirm original ownership. J.C. Ewing was a local attorney and R.G. Martin owned a grocery store in part of the first floor. The annex was added in 1908. Various businesses occupied the buildings, including grocers, jewelers, millinery shops, a barber and beauty shop, cafes, clothing shops and business offices. Offices and shops were located on the second level, although the primary use of the second floor was residences, including apartments and the Marlborough Hotel. The Marlborough Hotel changed names between 1935 and 1940, when R.G. Martin renamed it the Martin Hotel. In 1915 R. G. Martin was a local grocer who is listed as residing in the building at 934 9th Avenue, and the Marlborough Hotel (and rooming house) is listed at 936 9th Avenue. in 1915. His grocery store was located in the building also at 926 9th Avenue. The 1935 city directory indicates that R.G. Martin lived at the Marlborough Hotel at 936 9th Avenue, and the 1940 directory lists the Martin Hotel at 936 9th Avenue.