Camp George West Historic District | |
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| Nearest city | 15000 S. Golden Rd., Golden, Colorado |
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| Coordinates | 39°44′12″N105°10′20″W / 39.73667°N 105.17222°W Coordinates: 39°44′12″N105°10′20″W / 39.73667°N 105.17222°W |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Merchant, George H.; Bryan, Albert |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman, Other |
| MPS | Camp George West MPS |
| NRHP reference # | 92001865 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 1993 [1] |
Camp George West Historic District or Camp George West (also known as State Rifle Range;5JF145) was a military base for the Colorado National Guard, located at 15000 S. Golden Rd., Golden, Colorado. It was used as a rifle range, while artillery practice took place on Green Mountain, on the north side of present-day Hayden Park near Lakewood, Colorado. The Department of Defense Military Munitions Response Program has financed investigations to identify unexploded ordnance there since 2012. [2]
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground. In most cases, military bases rely on outside help to operate. However, certain complex bases are able to endure on their own for long periods because they are able to provide food, water and other life support necessities for their inhabitants while under siege. Military bases for military aviation are called military air bases. Military bases for military ships are called naval bases.
The Colorado National Guard consists of the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard. Founded in 1860, the Colorado National Guard falls under the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Lakewood is a Home Rule Municipality which is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fifth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 172nd most populous city in the United States. The city population was 142,980 at the 2010 United States Census. Lakewood is west of Denver and is part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Camp George West is now[ when? ] used as a correctional facility, police training academy, and emergency operations center. It contains an Ammunition Igloo, a bunker used for arms storage, and Colorado Amphitheater, both of which are vacant.
Ammunition Igloo was a bunker used for arms storage at Camp George West, Golden, Colorado. It was built in 1940 of stone, supported by a soil-covered concrete arch. Rubble masonry, built of basalt, was used for the parapet-equipped facade.
A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs or other attacks. Bunkers are mostly underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. They were used extensively in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War for weapons facilities, command and control centers, and storage facilities. Bunkers can also be used as protection from tornadoes.
The Colorado Amphitheater , also known as Structure #41, is a natural stone amphitheater built in 1935 to serve Camp George West of the Colorado National Guard. It is located near the base of South Table Mountain, a mesa located just east of Golden, Colorado.
The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, [1] with the Ammunition Igloo and the Amphitheater listed separately.
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.
