Laramie West Side Historic District

Laramie West Side Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Lincoln School in the Historic District
Location	Roughly bounded by Rail tracks, Laramie River, Park St., Clark St., Laramie, Wyoming
Coordinates	41°18′47″N105°35′56″W / 41.313°N 105.599°W / 41.313; -105.599
Area	~ 320 acres
Architectural style	Late 19th And Early 20th Century craftsman bungalows and cottages
NRHP reference No.	100012058 [1]
Added to NRHP	August 4, 2025

South Pine Street Church built in 1880 as a Scandinavian Lutheran Church, in Laramie West Side Historic District

Laramie West Side Historic District is a National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany County, Wyoming and a Historic districts in the United States located in Laramie, Wyoming. The site is noted for its historic buildings in a 32-block residential neighborhood and the historic Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The site included 248 individual properties. ^{[2] [3]}

History

The West Side neighborhood started as Laramie's railroad town. The Union Pacific Railroad's First transcontinental railroad arrived in 1868, starting a housing boom along the west side of the tracks and the Laramie Train Depot. ^{[4] [5]} The City of Laramie was incorporated in 1874. ^[6] Henry D. Hodgeman, Patrick Carroll, and Lawrence Fee purchased a 320-acre parcel of land in 1874 from the Union Pacific Railroad West of the train depot and tracks. Hodgeman mapped out his parcel for city blocks and lots on December 20, 1875. ^[7] Carroll and Fee turn their lot planning over to Hodgeman. The grocery stores and many other businesses that Hodgeman planned are now gone. There are three churches, including the former Swedish Lutheran Church. In its early years, the West Side neighborhood was home to many Union Pacific workers and some industrial plants. The houses are on the smaller side, being mostly craftsman bungalows, Gable front houses and cottages. The Spiegelberg family's lumber yard and construction business, still operating, built many of the homes. The Laramie City Directory of 1897 listed many German and Scandinavian residents in the West side. Scandinavian residents built the 1880 Lutheran Church, now the Landmark United Pentecostal Church at 201 S. Pine Street. ^[8] An automobile bridge was built in 1930 linking Downtown Laramie and the West Side at University Avenue. ^[9] One East side of the tracks is the Laramie Downtown Historic District and the 1924 Laramie Train Depot. There is a Garfield Street foot bridge that links West and East Laramie Historic Districts. ^[2]

Site

Laramie’s West Side neighborhood is bounded to the east by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. To the west, the Laramie River. Park Avenue to the south and Clark Street to the north. The site includes Lincoln School, now the Lincoln Community Center, built in 1924, and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Lincoln School closed in 1978. ^{[2] [10]}

Construction dates

The University of Wyoming surveyed the houses for the city in 2011. Laramie West Side Historic District construction dates with homes built in the date range: ^[2]

• Date range - Homes
• 1870 – 1879 - 15
• 1880 – 1889 - 19
• 1890 – 1899 - 59
• 1900 – 1909 - 30
• 1910 – 1919 - 38
• 1920 – 1929 - 34
• 1930 – 1939 - 14
• 1940 – 1949 - 12
• 1950 – 1959 - 12
• Post 1960 - 10

Streets

Laramie West Side Historic District Streets: ^[2]

• N. Railroad Street
• N. Hodgeman Street
• S. Hodgeman Street
• N. Pine Street
• S. Pine Street
• N. Cedar Street
• S. Cedar Street
• S. Spruce Street
• W. Clark Street
• W. Fremont Street
• W. University Avenue
• W. Ivinson Avenue
• W. Grand Avenue
• W. Garfield Street
• W. Custer Street
• W. Kearney Street
• W. Sheridan Stree
• W. Park Avenue

See also

• Laramie, North Park and Western Railroad
• Albany County, Wyoming monuments and markers
• Cheyenne Depot Museum

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Laramie’s West Side Neighborhood Inventory Of Historic Buildings
3. Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 142 / Monday, July 28, 2025 /
4. "Attractions Things to Do (Activities) Historic Laramie Union Pacific Train Depot | Visit Laramie". www.visitlaramie.org.
5. "Laramie Railroad Depot". Laramie Railroad Depot.
6. "A Brief History of Laramie, Wyoming | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org.
7. "Settling Laramie's West Side". Albany County Historical Society.
8. "A THREATENED LARAMIE STRUCTURE – THE OLD SCANDINAVIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH". Albany County Historical Society.
9. "Laramie's First Viaduct Opened in 1930". Albany County Historical Society.
10. "National Register of Historic Places - Wyoming (WY), Albany County". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com.