President's Home, 1935
From CSU's Sense of Place: A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, 2018.
Architect – Harlan Thomas, F. B. Gough of Denver to lay out plans for heating and lighting the buildings to be connected with the Central Heating Plant in 1903
Builder – College staff did the remodeling work in 1903 and 1914, C. E. Walker Construction Company did the remodeling in 1931
The building that became the original “President’s House” in 1914 stood on the site of the current Student Services Building. It was built in 1892 and first served as the home of the College Farm Superintendents and their families. The young local engineering student and budding architect Harlan Thomas designed the house. A horse stable to house the personal horses and buggy of the resident was built in 1895. Beginning on November 1, 1896, the house was no longer the residence of the Professor of Agriculture.
In February 1903, the State Board of Agriculture voted to build a “Farm Cottage” for the Farm Manager just as soon as funds became available. The “College Farm Superintendent’s House” underwent some remodeling and bathroom upgrades with the hiring of William Carlyle in the summer of 1903. By the summer of 1908, Professor and Dean of Agriculture William Carlyle had moved to a stately home at the corner of Stover and Garfield that overlooked the recently acquired “East Farm” that had been purchased from Mr. Andrews. Farm Manager William James “Billy” O’Brien and his family moved into this on-campus residence thus eliminating the need for a “Farm Cottage”.
During his first five years as College President, Charles A. Lory and his family lived in the house they owned at 903 Stover Street. In June 1912, the State Board of Agriculture began discussing the desirability of having the President of the College live in the house. Farm Manager “Billy” O’Brien and his family moved out of the former “Farm Superintendent’s House” during the summer of 1913. They were moved into the remodeled “Miller House” located in the “Trees Area” of campus which is now on the southeast corner of West Plum and Meridian.
Following O’Brien’s departure, the house was extensively remodeled and the surrounding grounds landscaped into a well-kept lawn and flower beds. A large sun porch was added during this period. The Lory family moved in during the week of Spring Break in March 1914. As mandated by the State Board of Agriculture, the house became the official home of the College President and his family. It was only a short walk from home to the office for the President especially once the new Administration Building was opened in 1924. The house received an enlarged living room and some remodeling during 1931.
President Charles A. Lory and his family lived there from March 1914 until he retired in May 1940. Dr. Roy M. Green moved in with his family as the second college president to live there, and its final resident. Due to its distinct paint color, it was commonly called “The Green House”. In June 1946, the house was razed to clear the way for the construction of the new men’s dorm, Braiden Hall. It was said the sod that made up the lush lawn around the old house was moved over to the newly constructed Veterans’ Village to provide some nice landscaping for the sea of Quonset huts.
Sources by Gordon A. Hazard
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State Board of Agriculture Minutes, April 17, 1891, page 207.
State Board of Agriculture Minutes, June 11, 1891, page 219.
State Board of Agriculture Minutes, July 17, 1891, pages 223, 229-230.
State Board of Agriculture Minutes, December 11, 1891, page 257.
13th Annual Report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture State of Colorado 1891 to the Governor, published 1892, page 5.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, January 1892, page 12, vol. 1, number 2.
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University of Colorado Library’s Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection.
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