833 LaFarge Ave Historic Survey - Laserfiche WebLink

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Resource Number: 5BL 7994 Temporary Resource Number: 157508414001 consists of tan -colored asphalt shingles and eaves are boxed. The south face of the roof is covered with solar collectors. Basement windows were replaced in 2011 with white vinyl -clad windows. The east entry has been remodeled with the original entry doors moved back to the main facade. An unenclosed vestibule was created on the east side, finished with tan stucco. The vestibule has white vinyl -clad fixed arched windows with stucco surrounds. There are two arched windows each on the north and south sides of the vestibule; one on each side is an operable casement. There are two arched windows flanking the main entrance, facing east. The front porch has a gabled corrugated metal porch roof supported by unpainted timber framing. South of the entrance stairs, a new basement entrance has been created with a natural -finish wood door. The addition on the west side of the building has been remodeled or possibly rebuilt after 2000. Its gable roof was removed and replaced with a flat roof, and exterior siding replaced with stucco. Landscape or special setting description: 833 LaFarge is unique in Jefferson Place. The building was constructed on a large corner lot as a church but it has been converted to a single-family residence. It is unusual for its large volume and tall flight of exterior stairs leading up to the front entrance. The front and side yards are grassy and unenclosed. The large rear yard is enclosed with a six foot wood privacy fence. 9. Changes in Condition: None. 10. Changes to Location or Size Information: None. 11. Changes in Ownership: Boulder County Assessor records Indicate the owner lives at 2335 Mt. Hood Ct, Lacy, WA 98305 . 12. Other Changes, Additions, or Observations: Further research has yielded new information about the history of 833 La Farge. This building was constructed to be, and was used as, a church. It is now a private residence. The property was previously the original site of the St. Louis Catholic Church building (now gone). These two churches were two out of three churches located on this particular block of Jefferson Place, the third being the Pillar of Fire Church located across the street at 804 Walnut (5BL11308). Louisville's original St. Louis Catholic Church, on which construction was finished in 1884, was located on this parcel and obviously contributed to the community life of this block of Jefferson Place on which so many Italian Catholic families lived. The Catholic Church building on this site served Louisville's many Catholic immigrants, Italian and otherwise, for nearly sixty years. In the 1930s, efforts were being made to raise money to fund a new Catholic Church in Louisville, and the new St. Louis Church at 902 Grant was constructed in 1940-41 and dedicated in 1942. This property, when it was used for the Catholic Church building, consisted of Lots 9, 10, and 11 of Block 5. In 1943, Santino and Mary Biella, owners of 825 La Farge (5BL7993) just to the south, purchased part of Lot 9 from the Roman Catholic Congregation of St. Louis to add to their property. Today, this is in the vicinity of the driveway and garage at 825 La Farge. The following photos from the Louisville Historical Museum show the Church exterior (undated) and the interior (circa early 1940s, after the Catholic Church vacated it): 2