Midwest Steel & Iron Works

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Midwest Steel and Iron Works Company Complex
Colorado - Midwest Steel and Iron Works Company Complex - 20241001181926.jpg
Office building of Midwest Steel and Iron; the president's office was in the tower room.
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Location25 Larimer St.,
Denver, Colorado
Coordinates 39°44′27″N105°0′55″W / 39.74083°N 105.01528°W / 39.74083; -105.01528
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1906, 1911, 1923, 1930, 1952, 1955, 1967
ArchitectRoland Linder
Architectural styleArt Deco, Commercial Vernacular
NRHP reference No. 85000858 [1]
CSRHP No.5DV.339
Added to NRHPApril 10, 1985

Midwest Steel & Iron Works was a metal fabrication company based in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1893, the company was known for a time as the Jackson-Richter Iron Works. The company was one of the oldest and largest metal fabricators in Denver. The company built both structural and ornamental components for structures throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. The company's headquarters on Larimer Street in Denver includes an Art Deco office building and consists of a four-building complex that is itself considered a historic industrial site. The complex served as the company's headquarters from 1923 to 1983. [2] [3]

Contents

Among other works, the company manufactured the four Big Thompson River bridges in Estes Park and Loveland, Colorado, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [4] [5]

History

The office building was built in 1906 and expanded in 1930 and in 1955. The 1930 addition was a two-story Art Deco style brick 72 feet (22 m) by 35 feet (11 m) building designed by Denver architect Roland L. Linder. [6]

The shop building was built in 1911 and expanded in 1923, 1952, and 1967. While most of the firm's early machinery no longer exists, the shop contains an original rivet forge from circa 1925. [6]

The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The listing included two contributing buildings on 2 acres (0.81 ha). [1]

In 2018, following a period of renovations, the building was reopened as a private event space. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Midwest Steel and Iron Works Company Complex". Denver Public Library, Digital Collections.
  3. Kuranda, Kathryn M. (March 1984). "Midwest Steel & Iron Works Company" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record . Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  4. Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation; Fraser, Clayton B. (May 21, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Big Thompson River Bridge III". National Park Service. and accompanying two photos from 1999
  5. Fraser, Clayton B. (March 30, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Highway Bridges in Colorado".
  6. 1 2 Herbst, Rebecca (1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Midwest Steel and Iron Works Company Complex". National Park Service . Retrieved 26 July 2016. with four photos from 1984
  7. Morfitt, Karen (2018-11-09). "Old Ironworks Building Gets A Makeover - CBS Colorado". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.