| |
Rutz House -
1832 12TH AV
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Hill House; Houtchens House
Style -
Bungalow
Built Year -
ca. 1916
State ID -
5WL3489
Description -
This bungalow house is located at the southeast corner of 12th Avenue and Cranford Place. Supported by a low coursed sandstone foundation, the house is of wood frame construction, although its exterior walls have been cladded with horizontal aluminum siding. The building is covered by a moderately-pitched cross gabled roof, covered with green asphalt shingles, and with exposed rafter ends beneath the roof eaves. Decorative purlins and ridge poles, with knee braces, appear in the upper gable ends. A red brick chimney is located near the east end of the roof ridge. The house features a symmetrical façade which faces toward 12th Avenue on the west elevation. A painted solid wood front door, with three upper sash lights, and with a metal storm door, opens onto a 7-step porch, which extends across nearly the full length of the façade. The porch features a tongue-and-groove wood floor, wood frame kneewalls, shingle-clad wood pedestals, and tapered wood piers, which support a gabled porch roof. The entry door on the façade is flanked by two large double-hung sash windows which overlook the porch. A secondary entrance is located on the east (rear) elevation. At this location, a painted white wood-paneled door, with an aluminum screen door, opens onto a wood porch, covered by a fiberglass awning. A canted, shed-roofed, bay window, with three 3-over-1 (ribbon style) double-hung sash windows, is located on the north elevation. A band of three fixed-pane windows, with divided lights, is located in the upper gable end on the façade. A non-historic single-light fixed-pane window, is located on the west elevation. Windows elsewhere are single and paired 3-over-1 (ribbon style) double-hung sash, with painted white wood frames and painted dark grey wood surrounds.
Historical Background -
Built in the late 1910s, this bungalow dwelling has served as a single-family residence throughout its history. According to Greeley city directories, the home's first resident was Earl L. Hill who lived here in the late 1910s. Somewhat atypically of other houses in the neighborhood, this residence changed hands frequently during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Residents of the home during these years included E.L. Kellog, W.E. Winn, R.M. Chase, James E. Hill, Joseph I. Tenney, Fred B. Shattuck, Abe Gold, Arthur J. Foster, Mrs. Jessie M. Dooley, Percy C. Broady, and Dr. William Mays. For one year, in 1942, the Will Dee Beauty Shop is listed at this address.
During much of the 1950s, 1832 12th Avenue was the home of S. Robert and Teva Houtchens. S. Robert Houtchens was born in Greeley, on August 11, 1917. After growing up in Greeley, Houtchens attended the University of Nebraska where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1939, and a juris doctorate in 1941. Houtchens was admitted to the Colorado Bar in September 1941, and following service in the U.S. Army during World War II, he established a law practice in Greeley, with his brothers Bernard and Rodger. On August 6, 1949, Houtchens was married to Teva Ruler, and they subsequently raised a daughter, Karen, and son, Kim. Along with his brothers, Houtchens enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an attorney. Among other accomplishments, he served as president of the Weld County Bar, and in 1986, he and his brothers received the distinguished Colorado Bar Association Award of Merit. S. Robert Houtchens passed away on February 10, 1989, at the age of 71.
Owners of this property in the 1960s and 1970s included Mrs. Jessie L. Ross, W.R. Carlson, and William J. Shaw. The home then remained with the Shaw family until circa 2000, when it was acquired by its current owner Alexana Ryer.
|