920, 924 Main St History - Laserfiche WebLink

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924 Main St. History Summary: The Clarkson family owned and lived in the house at 924 Main for nearly 60 years and the D'Amato family then owned it and lived in it for about 55 years. In around 2004, it started to be used for retail. Since 1948, its history has been closely connected with that of 920 Main, which was the location of Joe's Fruit Store (built in 1948). Like some other buildings in the 900 block of Main Street, 924 Main historically was a residence and is now used for commercial purposes. Clarkson Family Ownership, 1890-1947; Year of Construction This house was the residence of the related Clarkson, Hutchinson, and Hancock families for close to 60 years. The parcel consisted of all of Lots 9 & 10, Block 1, at the time. With respect to the year of construction, the County Assessor's records indicate that the house at 924 Main was built circa 1900. The Boulder County Assessor's website similarly gives 1900 as the date of construction. Construction dates given by Boulder County for properties in Louisville sometimes have been found to be incorrect, so other evidence is looked to. In this case, the Sanborn map for Louisville in 1893 clearly shows that the house had been built and was in place by 1893. The house similarly appears on the Sanborn maps for 1900 and 1908, and also appears in the correct location on the 1909 Drumm's Wall Map of Louisville at the Museum. There is also evidence that the Clarkson family was living in the house before 1900, and Andrew Clarkson did purchase the lots in 1890. For these reasons, the estimated date of construction is "circa 1890." (The remodeling of the house in around 1949 is discussed below.) Andrew Clarkson (circa 1860-1931) came to the U.S. from Scotland as a young man. He worked as a miner in Louisville. He acquired several lots in Block 1 of Original Louisville from the Boulder County Treasurer in 1890. This was the same year in which he married Priscilla Hutchinson (1870-1938). She had been born in England and was brought to the U.S. and to Louisville by her parents, John Hutchinson and Elizabeth Bell Hutchinson. Her Clarkson sold off some of his lots in Block 1 and retained this parcel for his family's home. Andrew and Priscilla raised their daughter, Amelia, in the house at 924 Main. The Clarksons and Priscilla's parents, the Hutchinsons, were influential families in early Louisville. Priscilla's father, John Hutchinson, was the superintendent of the Rex Mine in Louisville. They were part of Louisville's significant early English population, and they were especially closely tied with the history of the United Methodist Church at Spruce and Jefferson. They helped found the Church with other English -born residents in 1892. 2