722Pine St Historic Survey - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Resource Number: 5BL11317 Temporary Resource Number: 157508435013 27. Builder/Contractor: Herman H. Fischer (assumed) Source of information: Brennan, Alma Kerr. "Stecker-Kerr-Brennan-McWillliams: A Short History of Five Generations of Louisville People 1870 — 1988." 28. Original owner: Joseph and Agatha Stecker Source of information: Boulder County property records 29. Construction history (include description and dates of major additions, alterations, or demolitions): The house was constructed in c. 1908. Since the main house in this family complex (633 LaFarge) was constructed by Louisville carpenter Herman H. Fischer, it can be assumed that he also built this house. The rear of the house appears to be a porch that was enclosed at an unknown date after 1948. The Boulder County assessor card for 1948 identifies the roofing material as wood shingles, but the roofing has since been changed to asphalt shingles. 30. Original location X Moved Date of move(s): V. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS 31. Original use(s): Domestic, Single Dwelling 32. Intermediate use(s): N/A 33. Current use(s): Domestic, Single Dwelling 34. Site type(s): Urban residence 35. Historical background: This building is part of Jefferson Place, the first residential subdivision in Louisville. This property has a common history with the properties at 633 LaFarge (5BL921) and 720 Pine (5BL11316) located to the west. All three properties have been in the same family for over 100 years, and for 633 La Farge, the ownership by one family has continued for nearly 130 years. Part of the significance of the history of these properties is that they reflect the early settlement of Louisville by numerous German speaking immigrants. Reference should be made to the Architectural Inventory Form for the Colorado Cultural Resource Survey that was completed in 2000 for 633 La Farge. This form gives a history of the Stecker family that acquired all three properties. These properties have made up more or less a family compound, with different family members living in different houses; at different times, the houses were also rented out. It has been determined that Joseph and Agatha Stecker (or Stecher, or Stacher) came to the United States from Austria in 1881, according to their own reporting for the federal census. A naturalization record for Joseph Stecker that was summarized in Boulder Genealogical Quarterly, February 1994 (the record of which appears at www.Ancestry.com) indicates that Joseph came to the United States in 1882. The Stecker family first acquired at least Lot 1 of Block 7 in 1882. (It is not clear from the online County property records whether this transaction also included Lots 2 and 3, but no separate warranty deed covering these lots was located.) The 1885 state census shows the "Stecher" family living in Louisville. Boulder County property records indicate that the Steckers acquired Lot 5, which constitutes 720 Pine, in 1889. It appears that they acquired 722 Pine, which is Lot 4, in 1909 (although this warranty deed was not recorded until 1932). The 1948 Boulder County Assessor card for this house gives as the date of construction as 1902. However, it is not clear whether this is correct. The 1909 Drumm's Wall Map shows only the primary building standing on a particular piece of property, and as the Steckers owned Lots 1 through 5 with three houses on the five lots, only the primary residence of 633 La Farge is shown on the 1909 map. The 1893 and 1900 Sanborn maps show that there was not a house on Lot 4 for those years. On the 1908 Sanborn map, there is a house shown, but it is in a different location from the current house. The fact that the Stecker daughter married in 1909, with Agatha Stecker then moving out of 3