| |
Woods House -
1857 12TH AV
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Haley House; Wheeler House
Style -
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Tudor Revival
Built Year -
1937
State ID -
5WL3512
Description -
This Tudor Revival style house is located on the west side of 12th Avenue, in the block between Cranford Place and 19th Street. The house is a tall 1 1/2 story wood frame dwelling, supported by a low, painted beige, concrete foundation. The exterior walls are cladded with painted beige horizontal wood siding, and a very tall red brick fireplace chimney is a prominent architectural feature, located on the façade (east elevation). The house features a steeply-pitched cross gable roof, covered with brown asphalt shingles, and with boxed eaves. A gabled dormer, with one 1-over-1 double-hung sash window, is located on the north elevation. Two sets of 6-over-1 double-hung sash windows, flanked by narrower 4-over-1 double-hung sash windows, are located on the façade; a set of paired 6-light casement windows are located in the upper gable end, on the façade. Window patterns elsewhere include 8-over-1 double-hung sash, 6-over-1 double-hung sash, and paired 6-light casements, all with painted beige wood frames and surrounds. A painted yellow wood-paneled entry door, with twelve upper sash lights, and with a brown metal storm door, opens onto a flagstone porch on the façade. A rear entry door opens onto a shed-roof covered concrete porch, on the house's west elevation. An early gabled addition has been built onto the south elevation of the original structure. Another shed-roofed extension, located on the west elevation, may have originally been an attached garage. Both additions are very compatible with the house's original Tudor Revival design.
Historical Background -
The stately residence at 1857 12th Avenue was among some two dozen Tudor Revival style homes which were built in the Cranford Neighborhood in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Referred to in contemporary newspaper accounts as the "English Cottage" and "English Avon" styles, the Tudor Revival became the neighborhood's style of choice in the late 1930s.
This house was initially owned and occupied by Miss Mary Haley, and her mother Mrs. Cora Haley, the widow of William S. Haley. The Haleys lived here until 1943 or 1944, when E.H. Ziebarth became the property's resident.
From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, 1857 12th Avenue was owned and occupied by John R.P. Wheeler. A lifelong Greeley resident, John Wheeler was born on December 23, 1916, the son of Charles and Blanche (Robinson) Wheeler. On September 13, 1942 he married Jane Conrad in Greeley. After graduating from Greeley High School and the University of Colorado, Mr. Wheeler became a real estate broker and developer. In 1940, he became the head of Wheeler Realty, which had been founded by his father in 1915. In the post-World War II years, Mr. Wheeler became one of northern Colorado's most prolific and best known realtors and developers. According to his obituary, he developed more than half of Greeley's subdivisions, and was also active in homebuilding in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and Boulder. In addition to residential subdivisions, Mr. Wheeler also developed many commercial shopping centers, including, in Greeley, the Hillside Center, Hillside Mall and Bittersweet Plaza. In 1956 he was named Colorado Realtor of the Year, and in 1957, he was feted as the Greeley Board of Realtors' Realtor of the Year. Mr. Wheeler was also politically active, and was elected to serve one term in the Colorado House of Representatives, between 1964 and 1966. Mr. Wheeler passed away in Greeley on August 21, 1992. He was survived by his wife Jane, a daughter Lauri (Smith), and two sons, J. Dan Wheeler, and Thomas A. Wheeler.
|