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Resource Number: 5BL961.5 Temporary Resource Number: NIA Architectural Inventory Form (Page 3 of 5) V. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS 31. Original use(s): Commerce and Trade / Financial Institution 32. Intermediate use(s): Government / Post Office 33. Current use(s): Commerce and Trade / Restaurant 34. Site type(s): Commercial Building 35. Historical Background According to The Louisville Story, by Carolyn Conarroe, the first building on this lot was constructed in the early 1894, and was the Tego Brothers Drugstore, which later became known as the Louisville Drugstore. Sanborn insurance maps corroborate that a building was constructed here between 1893 and 1900, and that it was in fact a drugstore. The 1908 Sanborn map depicts a different building here, with a corner storefront and a "footprint" which matches the extant building. Sources indicate that this was a new building constructed as the Louisville Bank in 1905, and not a modification of the wood frame drugstore, which had been built here in 1894. During the early twentieth century, this new building housed the Louisville Bank. Edward Affolter, a prominent Louisville citizen, was one of the bank's early managers, and later became the building's owner. An lawyer, Affolter served as the Louisville City Attorney for many years, and he had his law offices in this building from 1907 to circa 1950. A democrat, Affolter also served in the Colorado State Senate from 1912 to 1915, and again from 1932 to 1936. Following its use as a bank, this building served as the Louisville Post Office, at least into the 1940s. In 1951, offices for the Louisville - Lafayette Coal Company were located here. By the late 1950s, this building had become the Varra Grocery Store. The Varras (Albert and Elizabeth) purchased the property from Edward Affolter in November 1961. Varra's Grocery was gone by the mid-1960s, and in the ensuing years the building served as a florist's shop, an antique store, and as a pottery center. In 1974, Karen and John Mulholland opened Karen's Country Kitchen, a cafe and gift shop in the building. Having been in business now for more than a quarter century, Karen's Country Kitchen has expanded into the building next door to the north, and has become a downtown Louisville landmark. 36. Sources of Information (Boulder County) "Real Estate Appraisal Card - Urban Master", on file at the Boulder Carnegie Library. Conarroe, Carolyn. The Louisville Story, Louisville: Louisville Times Inc., 1978. Polk'sBoulder County Directory [generally published annually], Denver, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City: R.L. Polk and Company Publishers. Polk'sLongmont City Directory, [generally published annually], Denver, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City: R.L. Polk and Company, Publishers, 1966 - 1997. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, dated August 1893, November 1900, and August 1908. Whissen, Steve. "Karen's Country Kitchen." (Colorado Historical Society Cultural Resource Inventory form), ca. 1982.