Collins Block
Encyclopedia
The Collins Block is located at the intersection of East Hopkins Avenue and South Mill Street in Aspen
, Colorado, United States. It is a brick and stone structure erected in the early 1890s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
along with many other historic properties in the city.
It features classically inspired
decorative touches
unusual in the city, such as a colonnade-supported roof over the sidewalk and an elaborate cornice. For much of its existence it housed a lumber supply store. Local developer Harley Baldwin
, owner of the neighboring Brand Building
, bought it in 1988. After renovations, he began leasing space within the buildings to upscale retailers, earning the two the combined nickname of "Gucci Gulch". The Caribou Club, a members-only restaurant and Aspen institution, is located in the basement.
. To the immediate east is the Brand Building
, with Aspen City Hall
on the opposite far corner. Both are listed on the Register. At the south end of the opposite block of Mill is another listed building, the Wheeler Opera House
, opposite a pedestrian mall
.
Like most of its neighbors (except the Wheeler), the Collins Block is two stories high. The north frontage, along East Hopkins, is five bays
long with the western facade
seven. Rusticated
sandstone
, interrupted by several storefronts and a recessed corner entrance with column, faces the first floor on both sides. A flat wooden roof extends out to cover the sidewalk on both sides, supported by smooth round wooden Tuscan
columns.
The second story is faced in brick. On the north face fenestration
is one-over-one double-hung sash window
s. Its middle three bays have a recessed porch with Ionic
columns and a wooden balustrade. At the roofline is a lightly dentilled cornice
with broad overhanging eaves. The roof itself is flat.
Inside, the ground level consists of storefronts and offices. The upstairs level is a residence. In the basement is the Caribou Club.
door with brass trim. It opens into a paneled entry area with 19th-century Western landscape paintings
. On the east is the entrance to the Great Room, similarly paneled in wood and British racing green
. It is decorated with more landscapes, by Frederic Remington
and Albert Bierstadt
, among others. Its dominant piece of furniture is a 10-foot (3 m) sofa with an equally long ottoman
.
The main corridor leads around the Great Room past bathrooms, the wine cellar and two private rooms to the bar, also accessible from the Great Room. The room has many personal pictures from members on its wall. The bar itself is mahogany with a brass rail along the floor.
In the southeast corner is the dining room. It is finished in a shade described as "somewhere between Etruscan red and a ripe tomato." Light is furnished by candles and antler
chandelier
s. There are six round tables for diners.
The mortuary was successful enough that the Sardy family was able to move out and build a house on Main Street across from Paepcke Park which is still known as the Sardy House. They bought a lumber business across the street, moved the mortuary to their house and combined the two businesses into Aspen Lumber & Supply, using almost the whole Collins Block. After World War II
, Aspen began to develop into the ski resort town it is today. The Sardys sold part of both their family businesses to Walter Paepcke
, the Chicago businessman who guided much of that era of the city's development. In the late 1940s, Tom Sardy recognized that Aspen would need a modern airport, and after being elected a Pitkin County
commissioner worked to get one built. Sardy Field at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport
is named in his honor.
In 1988 the Collins was acquired by Aspen developer and businessman Harley Baldwin
, who already owned the neighboring Brand Building
. Returning to Aspen after 16 years of activity in New York, he undertook extensive renovations to the structure. The upper floor he returned to residential use, building for himself and his partner
, Richard Edwards, a 6000 square feet (557.4 m²) penthouse
that was later featured in Architectural Digest
.
On the ground level he eased out the remnants of the hardware store and other, similar retail tenants. In their place came upscale fashion boutiques such as Bulgari
and Brioni, complementing the Louis Vuitton
, Gucci
and Dior
presence at the other end of the block. These entrants into the local marketplace, into a city that had not previously shown the effect of its growing population of rich and famous residents, earned the two buildings the nickname "Glitter Gulch", which eventually became applied to Aspen as a whole.
In the basement of the Collins, Baldwin built the Caribou Club. Admission was limited to members only, the first time such an establishment had opened in Aspen, where celebrities and locals had previously mixed at the Hotel Jerome
's bar. Baldwin was criticized for this, but the Caribou became one of the city's most popular nightspots. Diana Ross
and Tom Ford
, as well as businesspeople like Warren Lichtenstein
and Lynda Resnick
, are among the regulars.
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, Colorado, United States. It is a brick and stone structure erected in the early 1890s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
along with many other historic properties in the city.
It features classically inspired
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
decorative touches
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
unusual in the city, such as a colonnade-supported roof over the sidewalk and an elaborate cornice. For much of its existence it housed a lumber supply store. Local developer Harley Baldwin
Harley Baldwin
Harley Baldwin was an American developer and art dealer who divided his time between residences in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City...
, owner of the neighboring Brand Building
Brand Building
The Hyman–Brand Building, often referred to as just the Brand Building, is located at the corner of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a two-story stone building erected in the late 19th century...
, bought it in 1988. After renovations, he began leasing space within the buildings to upscale retailers, earning the two the combined nickname of "Gucci Gulch". The Caribou Club, a members-only restaurant and Aspen institution, is located in the basement.
Building
The building is located on the southeast corner of the intersection. Other commercial structures, historic and modern, fill the built-out blocksCity block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
. To the immediate east is the Brand Building
Brand Building
The Hyman–Brand Building, often referred to as just the Brand Building, is located at the corner of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a two-story stone building erected in the late 19th century...
, with Aspen City Hall
Aspen City Hall
Aspen City Hall, known in the past as Armory Hall, Fraternal Hall, is located at the intersection of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a brick building dating to the 1890s...
on the opposite far corner. Both are listed on the Register. At the south end of the opposite block of Mill is another listed building, the Wheeler Opera House
Wheeler Opera House
The Wheeler Opera House is located at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Mill Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected during the 1890s, from a design by Willoughby J. Edbrooke...
, opposite a pedestrian mall
Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls in the United States are also known as pedestrian streets and are the most common form of pedestrian zone in large cities in the United States. It is a street lined with storefronts and closed off to most automobile traffic...
.
Like most of its neighbors (except the Wheeler), the Collins Block is two stories high. The north frontage, along East Hopkins, is five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
long with the western facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
seven. Rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, interrupted by several storefronts and a recessed corner entrance with column, faces the first floor on both sides. A flat wooden roof extends out to cover the sidewalk on both sides, supported by smooth round wooden Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns.
The second story is faced in brick. On the north face fenestration
Building envelope
The building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. Another emerging term is "Building Enclosure". It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment and facilitate its climate control...
is one-over-one double-hung sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s. Its middle three bays have a recessed porch with Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns and a wooden balustrade. At the roofline is a lightly dentilled cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
with broad overhanging eaves. The roof itself is flat.
Inside, the ground level consists of storefronts and offices. The upstairs level is a residence. In the basement is the Caribou Club.
Caribou Club
Entrance to the Caribou Club is via an unmarked mahoganyMahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
door with brass trim. It opens into a paneled entry area with 19th-century Western landscape paintings
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
. On the east is the entrance to the Great Room, similarly paneled in wood and British racing green
British racing green
British racing green or BRG, a colour similar to Brunswick green, hunter green, forest green or moss green , takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of Britain. Although there is still some debate as to an exact hue for BRG, currently the term is used to denote a spectrum of...
. It is decorated with more landscapes, by Frederic Remington
Frederic Remington
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U. S...
and Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. In obtaining the subject matter for these works, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion...
, among others. Its dominant piece of furniture is a 10-foot (3 m) sofa with an equally long ottoman
Ottoman (furniture)
An ottoman is a piece of furniture consisting of a padded, upholstered seat or bench having neither back nor arms, often used as a stool or footstool, or in some cases as an improvised coffee table. Ottomans are often sold as coordinating furniture with armchairs or gliders.An ottoman can also be...
.
The main corridor leads around the Great Room past bathrooms, the wine cellar and two private rooms to the bar, also accessible from the Great Room. The room has many personal pictures from members on its wall. The bar itself is mahogany with a brass rail along the floor.
In the southeast corner is the dining room. It is finished in a shade described as "somewhere between Etruscan red and a ripe tomato." Light is furnished by candles and antler
Antler
Antlers are the usually large, branching bony appendages on the heads of most deer species.-Etymology:Antler originally meant the lowest tine, the "brow tine"...
chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s. There are six round tables for diners.
History
Built between 1891 and 1893, near the end of Aspen's early boom years, the Collins survived into the city's "quiet years" of steady population decline, when vacancy and disuse felled many of the other relics of that era. In the 1930s, a time when Aspen was down to less than a thousand people, the Collins housed a mortuary. A couple named Tom and Alice Rachel Sardy bought it and moved in. They also became proprietors of another business in the building, Aspen Supply, which sold furniture and hardware.The mortuary was successful enough that the Sardy family was able to move out and build a house on Main Street across from Paepcke Park which is still known as the Sardy House. They bought a lumber business across the street, moved the mortuary to their house and combined the two businesses into Aspen Lumber & Supply, using almost the whole Collins Block. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Aspen began to develop into the ski resort town it is today. The Sardys sold part of both their family businesses to Walter Paepcke
Walter Paepcke
Walter Paepcke was a U.S. industrialist and philanthropist prominent in the middle-20th century.-Biography:A longtime executive of the Chicago-based Container Corporation of America, Paepcke is best noted for his founding of the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Skiing Company in the early 1950s, both...
, the Chicago businessman who guided much of that era of the city's development. In the late 1940s, Tom Sardy recognized that Aspen would need a modern airport, and after being elected a Pitkin County
Pitkin County, Colorado
Pitkin County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of the late Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin. The county population was 14,872 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Aspen...
commissioner worked to get one built. Sardy Field at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport
Aspen-Pitkin County Airport
-Commercial aircraft:* SkyWest Airlines flies the CRJ-700 for United Airlines* Republic Airlines flies the Dash 8-Q400 for Frontier Airlines-General aviation:General aviation services are provided by , the airport's sole fixed base operator.-External links:...
is named in his honor.
In 1988 the Collins was acquired by Aspen developer and businessman Harley Baldwin
Harley Baldwin
Harley Baldwin was an American developer and art dealer who divided his time between residences in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City...
, who already owned the neighboring Brand Building
Brand Building
The Hyman–Brand Building, often referred to as just the Brand Building, is located at the corner of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a two-story stone building erected in the late 19th century...
. Returning to Aspen after 16 years of activity in New York, he undertook extensive renovations to the structure. The upper floor he returned to residential use, building for himself and his partner
Significant other
Significant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
, Richard Edwards, a 6000 square feet (557.4 m²) penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
that was later featured in Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest is an American monthly magazine. Its principal subject is interior design, not — as the name of the magazine might suggest — architecture more generally. The magazine is published by Condé Nast Publications and was founded in 1920, by the Knapp family, who sold it in 1993...
.
On the ground level he eased out the remnants of the hardware store and other, similar retail tenants. In their place came upscale fashion boutiques such as Bulgari
Bulgari
Bulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer which has been owned by the French firm LVMH since October 2011. The trademark is usually written "BVLGARI" in the classical Latin alphabet , and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirio Voulgaris...
and Brioni, complementing the Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
and Dior
Dior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
presence at the other end of the block. These entrants into the local marketplace, into a city that had not previously shown the effect of its growing population of rich and famous residents, earned the two buildings the nickname "Glitter Gulch", which eventually became applied to Aspen as a whole.
In the basement of the Collins, Baldwin built the Caribou Club. Admission was limited to members only, the first time such an establishment had opened in Aspen, where celebrities and locals had previously mixed at the Hotel Jerome
Hotel Jerome
The Hotel Jerome is located on East Main Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a brick structure built in the 1880s that is often described as one of the city's major landmarks, its "crown jewel". In 1986 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
's bar. Baldwin was criticized for this, but the Caribou became one of the city's most popular nightspots. Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and Tom Ford
Tom Ford
Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.-Early life :Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in...
, as well as businesspeople like Warren Lichtenstein
Warren Lichtenstein
Warren G. Lichtenstein is the head of Steel Partners, a hedge fund based in New York City that focuses on deep value and activist investing.....
and Lynda Resnick
Lynda Resnick
Lynda Rae Resnick is an American entrepreneur and businesswoman. Resnick is married to Stewart A. Resnick, who is also her business partner. Through their holding company they own the POM Wonderful and FIJI Water brands, the Teleflora floral wire service company, large industrial citrus and nut...
, are among the regulars.