929 LaFarge Ave Historic Survey - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Resource Number: 5BL 8001 Temporary Resource Number: 157508405004 Landscape or special setting description: Jefferson Place Subdivision is a historic residential neighborhood adjacent to downtown Louisville. The subdivision is laid out on a standard urban grid of narrow, deep lots with rear alleys. Houses are built to a fairly consistent setback line along the streets with small front lawns, deep rear yards and mature landscaping. Small, carefully maintained single-family residences predominate. Most of the houses are wood framed, one or one and one-half stories in height, featuring white or light-colored horizontal wood or steel siding, gabled or hipped asphalt shingled roofs and front porches. While many of the houses have been modified over the years, most of the historic character -defining features have been preserved. 929 La Farge Avenue is consistent with these patterns and blends well with the scale and character of the neighborhood. The large addition is behind the one-story house, so it does not impact the scale and character of the street to a great extent. The house is set close to the sidewalk along La Farge, with a small grassy front yard and a sidewalk leading west along the south side of the house. The back yard is grassy and enclosed with a chain link fence. A flagstone path in the back yard leads from the house to the garage. The garage opens to the south, although the alley is to the west. 9. Changes in Condition: Large addition on west side. 10. Changes to Location or Size Information: Increased to 1694 square feet. 11. Changes in Ownership: New owners Jeremy and Erika Carlson, 929 La Farge Avenue, Louisville CO 80027 12. Other Changes, Additions, or Observations: Further research has yielded new information about the history of 929 La Farge. A large part of this new information is that this house was the residence of Peter and Disolina Bottinelli and their four children for several decades. The history of this house is connected with the histories of 822 La Farge (5BL7991) and 817 Spruce (5BL8027) in Jefferson Place, which were also associated with Bottinelli family members. The exact year in which Peter Bottinelli acquired this property could not be found from the available online resources. There is some indication that a deed was recorded reflecting his purchase of a different lot from Jefferson Place developer Charles Welch in 1898. It seems very possible that there was an error involved and it was this property that he purchased. Also, because it has been found that warranty deeds were often not recorded right away in Boulder County in the late 1800s, it is possible that even if the deed recorded in 1898 was the deed for this property, the transaction itself may have been dated much earlier. Boulder County gives 1900 as the date of construction for this house, but the 2000 survey done on this property notes that "Sanborn insurance maps document that the first dwelling on this lot was constructed prior to 1893" and gives circa 1890 as the year of construction. The 2000 survey also states that the house was remodeled in 1955 based on a notation on the Boulder County Assessor card for the property. The house appears on the 1893, 1900, and 1908 Sanborn maps. The 1908 Sanborn map shows the house to have been modified from how it looked at the time of the 1893 and 1900 maps. The house also appears in the correct location on the 1909 Drumm's Wall Map. Baptist Bottinelli was the eldest, and first, of three Bottinelli brothers who came to Louisville from Caversaccio, Valmorea, Como, in the region of Lombardia in northern Italy. Census records indicate that he emigrated between 1881 and 1884. According to a local history article about the Bottinelli family, he went first to Como, Colorado for one year, then came to Louisville. Baptist Bottinelli and his family resided in Jefferson Place at 822 La Farge. He was followed to Louisville by his brothers Peter and Angelo. Angelo Bottinelli and his family lived on Cannon Street and Front Street in Louisville. Peter Bottinelli settled here at 929 La Farge. All three brothers worked as miners at coal mines in the Louisville area. Peter Bottinelli was born in 1865 and Disolina Bernesconi was born in 1866. Both were born in Italy, and they were married in about 1889 and are believed to have immigrated in about 1891-1892. They raised four children at 929 La Farge: Savina (DeAndrea) (1893-1939), Margaret (Smith) (1897-1987), Charles (1899-1969), and William (1904- 1993). It is believed that there were at least two additional children in the family who died while young. The following photo shows Peter and Disolina Bottinelli with their young daughter, Savina, in about 1894: 2