Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 02 08

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Clifford and Monica Foster Ownership, 1952 -2007 In late 2006, Clifford Foster contacted the Louisville Historical Museum and asked to be interviewed for the historical records of the Museum. The Museum Coordinator conducted an oral history interview with Foster on January 22, 2007. It is this interview, which was recorded, that provided much of the following information about the use and history of this property from 1952 on. Cliff Foster passed away in June 2007. Cliff and Monica Foster and their family moved to Boulder County from South Dakota in the early 1950s. Cliff was a mechanical engineer Their family story goes that Monica spotted the farmhouse and asked about its availability. The Fosters purchased the farm, which was still close to, if not exactly, 160 acres in size, from Jane Williams. When the Fosters purchased the farm, the foundation of the water tower was by the rear door of the house (the Casino). This is consistent with the arrangement of buildings shown on the accompanying map. Foster said that the main mine shaft had had trash dumped in it (something that was frequently done after the mines in Louisville closed). He said that he had it filled with concrete There were still remnants of the Hecla powder house. Cliff Foster stated that he thought that the house may have been used as a brothel during the time that it was the Hecla Casino. This is because the upstairs was painted red when the Fosters purchased the building in 1952. The Fosters improved the house during their ownership of it, including having it rewired and putting in a furnace. Cliff Foster continued with his career as a mechanical engineer, while also working the farm. He grew corn and wheat, doing the work himself. • The accompanying aerial photo of the farm is believed to have been taken in the 1950s. The Hecla Casino building, still the home for the farm was located at the end of a drive that went directly north from South Boulder Road. Monica Foster passed away in 1976. Cliff, who either pursued the development of his land or was open to a proposal, sold the part of his farm that is on the corner of South Boulder Road and Highway 42 for the construction of Louisville Plaza Cliff was in his seventies when this took place in 1991. The proposed development included the land under the Hecla Casino building, which was still the Foster residence. For this reason, in 1991 the Foster family had the house moved to the northwest, onto land being retained by Foster. A new basement was built first and the house placed on top of it.