The Highlands Ranch

Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Highlands Ranch is a census-designated place in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 96,713 at the 2010 census; it is one of the most populous unincorporated communities in the United States...

 Mansion is one of the most architecturally unique structures in Colorado. The Mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

 offers over 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) and contains 14 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, 5 fireplaces, a great room, a ballroom, a dining room, a library, a billiard room, a butler’s pantry and kitchen, and a private courtyard.

The Mansion was built by John W. Springer, a wealthy man with ties to politics, banking, and law. Springer owned the ranch from 1897-1913. He transferred the mansion first to his father-in-law, Col. William Hughes, then to his daughter Annie Clifton Springer Hughes, who briefly renamed the property "Sunland Ranch". It is unknown how much of the mansion the Springer/Hughes family built, but photos from the 1920s indicate that the footprint of the current building existed by 1926.

In 1920, the mansion was purchased by Waite Phillips

Waite Phillips

Waite Phillips was an American petroleum businessman who created a fully integrated operation that combined petroleum producing, refining and marketing. With headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he also developed several office complexes and engaged in banking and ranching...

, whose brothers started Phillips Petroleum

Phillips Petroleum

Phillips Petroleum Company was founded in 1917 by L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their younger brother Waite Phillips was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch....

. He appears to be the first person to have applied the name "Highland Ranch" to the site, after the Highland Hereford cattle on the ranch. Philips sold the ranch in 1926.

In 1926, Frank E. Kistler purchased the Mansion and the land surrounding it. He and his family renamed the ranch the "Diamond K" Ranch. Kistler did some expensive renovations, changing the architectural style of the facade from that of a castle to Tudor Revival style. During the great depression he had to sell the mansion due to financial problems.

Lawrence Phipps, Jr., a son of former Colorado Senator Lawrence C. Phipps

Lawrence C. Phipps

Lawrence Cowle Phipps was a United States Senator representing Colorado from 1919 until 1931.Phipps was born in Amityville, Pennsylvania but grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he joined the Carnegie Steel Company as a clerk. His uncle, Henry Phipps, was the second largest shareholder in...

, bought the property to do cattle ranching. He changed the name of the property used at that time and changed it to Highland Ranch. During Phipps tenure, the site became the home to the Arapahoe Hunt, which continued through the 1980s.

Marvin Davis

Marvin Davis

Marvin H. Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist...

 purchased the land and the Mansion in 1976 shortly after Phipps death. Mr. Davis then founded the "Highlands Ventures Corporation" to market the property. In 1978, the Mission Viejo Corporation agreed to a two-year option agreement to finally become the official owners of the Highlands Ranch lands in 1979. In 1978, the mansion was used as the setting of the fictional Venneford Ranch in the miniseries Centennial

Centennial (miniseries)

Centennial is a 12-episode American television miniseriesthat aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. It was based on the novel of the same name by James A. Michener. The miniseries was produced by John Wilder....

.

Mission Viejo Corp. then began the planning for residential construction. Construction started in 1980 and the first new residents moved into their homes in Highlands Ranch in September 1981. The Highlands Ranch Mansion is now used for festivities and special events.

Highlands Ranch Metro District purchases mansion

The Highlands Ranch Metro District became the new owner of the Highlands Ranch Mansion in April 2010. The Metro District is developing a projected timeline for the next couple years. The Metro District will proceed with the design of the building renovation and manage the site planning process and subsequent Douglas County

Douglas County, Colorado

Douglas County is the eighth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado, in the United States. The county is located midway between Colorado's two largest cities: Denver and Colorado Springs...

 approvals through 2010. It is envisioned that renovations to the Mansion will commence in 2011. As a result, the Mansion is expected to be available for private events sometime in 2012.

External links

• Highlands Ranch photographs, history and documentation (1962) at Historic American Buildings Survey
  Historic American Buildings Survey
  The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
  
  
• Highlands Ranch Community Association