Crest House
Encyclopedia
The Mount Evans Crest House is a building, now in ruins
, located at the summit of Mount Evans
in Colorado
. It is notable for both its significant architectural design, and its unusual location. Built at the terminus of the Mount Evans Scenic Byway
, it was the highest business structure in the United States
. Constructed between 1940 and 1941, it served as a restaurant, gift shop, and tourist attraction until it was partially destroyed by a fire in 1979.
Financial backing was provided by Thayer Tutt (owner of similar attractions atop Pikes Peak
and the Broadmoor Hotel
in Colorado Springs
), and Quigg Newton, future mayor of Denver
. With a design by notable Colorado architect Edwin A. Francis, ground was broken in the spring of 1940.
Roehling, his wife, and his crew lived in tents at the Mt. Evans Summit while construction was taking place. The extreme environment provided many challenges. No company would insure the building against loss, or provide performance bonds during construction. Cold, damp conditions provided difficulties getting concrete to cure. All the materials had to be hauled to the summit or fabricated on site, and the high elevation afforded a building season limited only to summer months.
With winter fast approacing, Roehling and his team were forced to abandon the uncompleted structure in fall of 1940. Upon returning in spring of 1941, Roehling found that much of the glass and woodwork had been destroyed during the hard alpine winter. Undeterred, Roehling and his team repaired the damage and completed construction by the fall of 1941.
Crest House opened to much fanfare in Fall of 1941. Amenities provided to travelers by Crest House included a restaurant, gift shop, rest rooms, emergency oxygen, and an observation deck. It was particularly well known for its fried doughnut
s, coffee
, and hot chocolate. Early employees were Denver area college students on their summer break, who resided in bunks located in the rear of the building.
Thayer's Broadmoor Hotel Company operated the Crest House until 1956, when it was sold to the Stewart Corporation, which also operated the Pikes Peak Summit House. Then, in 1969, ownership reverted to the U.S. Forest Service
, as per the terms of the original lease agreement.
tank, an employee of an Evergreen
propane company failed to secure a safety valve, igniting a fire. While the Idaho Springs volunteer fire department responded quickly, efforts to contain the fire were hampered by high winds and a lack of water. Fortunately, all the occupants were evacuated safely.
Most of the steel, glass, and wood timbers, paneling, and flooring was destroyed in the fire, leaving only the cast concrete walls and outer stonework. The U.S. Forest service received a $450,000 settlement from the propane company for the loss. This was deemed insufficient to cover the estimated $2 million in restoration costs, so the funds were used to rehabilitate the ruins into an observation platform.
Crest House represents a mixture of several different architectural styles, including Organic
, Futuristic
, Art Moderne.
The overall design is intended to evoke a shooting star, with moon-shaped light fixtures inside completing the motif.
The highlight of the design was the two-story star-shaped glass and steel platform. The upper floor housed an observation platform, while the lower floor housed the coffee shop. The star-shaped foundation is still evident on the observation platform today.
The other main design feature are the four stone arches that flowed from the star platform that housed the main entrance to the building. These arches, like the rest of the concrete portions of the building, were faced with native stone, in order to better blend in with the environment. In fact, it blends in so well that the building can be difficult to see from a distance. These arches are still standing today.
The interior was purportedly of an old-world style that Gus Roehling was fond of. This included details such as knotty panelling, sturdy timbers, hardwood floors, and heavy doors.
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
, located at the summit of Mount Evans
Mount Evans
Mount Evans is a mountain in the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains, in Clear Creek County, Colorado. It is one of 54 fourteeners in Colorado, and the closest fourteener to Denver...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It is notable for both its significant architectural design, and its unusual location. Built at the terminus of the Mount Evans Scenic Byway
Mount Evans Scenic Byway
The Mount Evans Scenic Byway begins at the junction of Interstate 70 and State Highway 103 near Idaho Springs, Colorado and continues on State Highway 5 through the Mount Evans Wilderness where it ends near the summit of Mount Evans. The byway is in length and gains over of elevation...
, it was the highest business structure in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Constructed between 1940 and 1941, it served as a restaurant, gift shop, and tourist attraction until it was partially destroyed by a fire in 1979.
History
Inspired by his first visit to Mount Evans in the 1920s, carpenter and German immigrant Justus "Gus" Roehling dreamed of constructing a "Castle in the Sky" for his then girlfriend (and future wife) Edith.Financial backing was provided by Thayer Tutt (owner of similar attractions atop Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
and the Broadmoor Hotel
Broadmoor Hotel
The Broadmoor is a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort, located in southwestern Colorado Springs, Colorado. Built in the early 20th century as the "Grand Dame of the Rockies", it was one of the finest resort destinations along the Rocky Mountains during the age of railroads. It continues to be...
in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
), and Quigg Newton, future mayor of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. With a design by notable Colorado architect Edwin A. Francis, ground was broken in the spring of 1940.
Roehling, his wife, and his crew lived in tents at the Mt. Evans Summit while construction was taking place. The extreme environment provided many challenges. No company would insure the building against loss, or provide performance bonds during construction. Cold, damp conditions provided difficulties getting concrete to cure. All the materials had to be hauled to the summit or fabricated on site, and the high elevation afforded a building season limited only to summer months.
With winter fast approacing, Roehling and his team were forced to abandon the uncompleted structure in fall of 1940. Upon returning in spring of 1941, Roehling found that much of the glass and woodwork had been destroyed during the hard alpine winter. Undeterred, Roehling and his team repaired the damage and completed construction by the fall of 1941.
Crest House opened to much fanfare in Fall of 1941. Amenities provided to travelers by Crest House included a restaurant, gift shop, rest rooms, emergency oxygen, and an observation deck. It was particularly well known for its fried doughnut
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...
s, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and hot chocolate. Early employees were Denver area college students on their summer break, who resided in bunks located in the rear of the building.
Thayer's Broadmoor Hotel Company operated the Crest House until 1956, when it was sold to the Stewart Corporation, which also operated the Pikes Peak Summit House. Then, in 1969, ownership reverted to the U.S. Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, as per the terms of the original lease agreement.
Destruction
On September 1, 1979, while refilling a propanePropane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
tank, an employee of an Evergreen
Evergreen, Colorado
Evergreen is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Evergreen is roughly west of Denver. The population was 9,038 at the 2010 census...
propane company failed to secure a safety valve, igniting a fire. While the Idaho Springs volunteer fire department responded quickly, efforts to contain the fire were hampered by high winds and a lack of water. Fortunately, all the occupants were evacuated safely.
Most of the steel, glass, and wood timbers, paneling, and flooring was destroyed in the fire, leaving only the cast concrete walls and outer stonework. The U.S. Forest service received a $450,000 settlement from the propane company for the loss. This was deemed insufficient to cover the estimated $2 million in restoration costs, so the funds were used to rehabilitate the ruins into an observation platform.
Design
Organic architecture
Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated...
, Futuristic
Futurist architecture
Futurist architecture is an early-20th century form of architecture characterized by anti-historicism and long horizontal lines suggesting speed, motion and urgency. Technology and even violence were among the themes of the Futurists. The movement was founded by the poet Filippo Tommaso...
, Art Moderne.
The overall design is intended to evoke a shooting star, with moon-shaped light fixtures inside completing the motif.
The highlight of the design was the two-story star-shaped glass and steel platform. The upper floor housed an observation platform, while the lower floor housed the coffee shop. The star-shaped foundation is still evident on the observation platform today.
The other main design feature are the four stone arches that flowed from the star platform that housed the main entrance to the building. These arches, like the rest of the concrete portions of the building, were faced with native stone, in order to better blend in with the environment. In fact, it blends in so well that the building can be difficult to see from a distance. These arches are still standing today.
The interior was purportedly of an old-world style that Gus Roehling was fond of. This included details such as knotty panelling, sturdy timbers, hardwood floors, and heavy doors.