The home of
Herman Frederick Coors was originally built as a modest bungalow sometime around the 1910s by Elmer Bengson, a son of a prominent area Swedish immigrant family. In 1917 it was purchased by Coors, a younger son of
Adolph CoorsAdolph Herman Joseph Coors, Sr. was a brewer who started the Adolph Coors Company in Golden, Colorado in 1873.-Early years:...
, who hired noted area architect
Jacques BenedictJules Jacques Benois Benedict was one of the most prominent architects in Colorado history, whose works include a number of well-known landmarks and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Commonly known as Jacques Benedict, he was born in Chicago in 1879, and he studied...
to transform it into a beautiful and artistic Tudor Revival style home, with a wooden arch front door canopy and stone terracing around. Coors was an officer of the
Coors Porcelain CompanyCoorsTek, Inc. is a privately owned manufacturer of technical ceramics, semiconductor tooling, plastic tubing, medical devices and other industrial products. CoorsTekâs headquarters and primary factories are located in Golden, Colorado, USA, in the foothills west of Denver. The company is owned...
, and in 1921 moved away to
Inglewood, CaliforniaInglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. In 2006, its population was estimated at 129,900. The city is in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area...
where he established the H.F. Coors Company to manufacture porcelain there. The house was then purchased by banker Edward A. Phinney, who owned the Rubey National Bank in downtown Golden. He built companion cottage and barn buildings behind the house in 1928. His fortunes took a tragic turn, however, during the
Bank HolidayA bank holiday is a public holiday in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. There is some automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential services A bank holiday is a public holiday in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. There is some...
of the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, when he lost much of his fortune trying to save the bank. Since that time the home has remained very well and artistically preserved.