Former Summer Home Of Millionaire Invites Visitors
The Boettcher Mansion, Celebrating Its 100th Anniversary, Boasts An Arts & Crafts Style Decor Ideal For Weddings & Social Events
On top of the picturesque Lookout Mansion Nature Center and Preserve, among the hiking trails, elk and deer, is a phenomenal historic building known as the Boettcher Mansion. Made from the native stone and timber, the mansion blends into the wildlife of the mountain, making it the perfect blend of architecture and beauty.
The Boettcher Mansion celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier in the year, looking back on a very rich history.
According to Director Cynthia Shaw, the mansion was built by a very well-known Colorado resident named Charles Boettcher. He came over from Germany in 1868 with the intentions of fetching his brother and heading back to his homeland. But he fell in love with America.
“He actually ended up opening up hardware businesses around the west, much to his parents' astonishment,” noted Shaw. “He went on to make a fortune as a hardware merchant during the Silver Boom Era.”
And so the millionaire got married and moved to Denver, where he got wind of 62 acres for sale on top of a mountain. Boettcher ended up purchasing the land and building the mansion as his summer home and hunting lodge.
“I had a great time working here,” said former housekeeper Elorise Hawkins, who also lived on the property. “I started working here when I was 22 years old and had two children. The first day I got there, she had lamb chops out. I learned how to cook. That was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She was supposed to stay for the summer, but she ended up living upstairs for four years. They soon let her live in an existing house on the property. Her children played with the Boettcher children. They got along like a family.
“It was magnificent coming up here. The nature. We would come up on our bikes,” said her son, Dwayne. The Boettcher family also paid for her children to go to camp, something she couldn't afford on her own.
The mansion was “lived in and loved by” many generations of the Boettcher family until the 60s. In 1972, his granddaughter Charline Breeden bequeathed the property to the county before passing, “for the public to use and enjoy.”
Since Boettcher first purchased the land, the preserve has doubled in acreage. It's now 110 acres. The site is now fenced in as well, but it's open to the public for tours and hiking trails. While on hikes within the property, couples would come upon the mansion and marvel at it. Soon, they were getting requests from people hoping to get married on the property, in the mansion.
That became the Boettcher Mansion's main function.
“It's amazing that the Boettcher family never knew what the building would become,” said Shaw,” but the way it was built made it big enough to host these large events. The living room – known as the Fireside Room - is big enough to accommodate up to 150 people. The front terrace off of the living room is big enough to sit 200 people.”
The arts and crafts-style architecture of the mansion is what has caught many people's eyes. The stone walls. The stucco. The timber. The Fireside Room has a large cathedral ceiling and beautiful oak floors. The smaller rooms have been made into meeting rooms, complete with arts and crafts-style décor.
“We have taken great pains to decorate the interior in arts and crafts fashion,” said Shaw. “These pieces of furniture and décor were not here in the beginning, but they're very authentic. We have hand-silk screened wallpaper and stencil patterns. We have nothing but Stickley furniture. Beautiful rugs. It's a stunning interior. And very true to the style.”
The architecture is very important to Shaw, who has a Masters in Architectural History and Preservation from the University of Virginia. She is particularly passionate about the arts and crafts movement, which came about “as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution,” she noted. “When everything was starting to be made by machines.”
Artisans in England were afraid that they were going to lose the ability to make things by hand. The ornate Victorian style and the threat of uniformity really spurred a reaction from craftspeople that wanted to keep producing and using one-of-a-kind pieces.
“People were working with metal and wood and clay to produce these really beautiful, handmade objects that you were meant to use and enjoy in your home. They weren't just there to decorate. They were functioning but beautiful at the same time,” gushed Shaw. “It was a communal thing. Guilds of men and women who worked together. One person would be weaving. One person dyeing the wool. It was a really heart-felt movement that became very popular in America around turn of the century.”
Being in the 100 year old building, her office decorated in arts and crafts style, Shaw says the feeling of being there cannot be beat. Especially by a cubicle. The authenticity of the Boettcher Mansion is one thing that sets it apart, each room telling a story of the family who lived there and the architecture that defied the popular movements of its day.
Hidden amongst the elk, deer and the occasional peacock, the Boettcher Mansion is a secluded and peaceful oasis. People may come for the nature, but they are enchanted by the mansion. They never want to leave.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Dakota Ridge RV Resort, which is situated between the mountains of Summit County and the bustling excitement of Denver. It's the perfect balance of city and mountain experiences all year round.