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Gigi Yang, Louisville Historical Museum Department of Cultural Services City of Louisville, Colorado January 2024 Citytr Om Louisville COLORADO • SINCE 1878 516 Grant Ave. History (508 Grant Ave.) Legal Description: N 1/2 LOT 24 & ALL LOT 25 & S 1/2 LOT 26 BLK 3 LESS MIN ACME PLACE Year of Construction: circa 1944-1946 Summary: The history of 516 Grant contributes to our understanding of Louisville's early coal mining history in relationship to property investment. Its later history exemplifies Louisville's transition from coal mining into a suburb of Boulder and Denver with residents renting or living at 516 Grant while working elsewhere. Development of the Acme Place Subdivision The Acme Place subdivision was the fourth addition to Original Louisville. John Connell platted it and recorded it with Boulder County in 1893. The area of Acme Place can best be described as covering what are now the 500 blocks of Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson, and La Farge Avenues. Acme Place was developed due to its proximity to the Acme Mine that was started in 1888 near what is now the corner of Roosevelt and Hutchinson. With the success of the Acme Mine, John Connell developed Acme Place in 1893, which extended Louisville's boundaries farther to the west than it had ever been. Boulder County Property records indicate that the land that Connell used to establish Acme Place had been acquired directly from the Acme Coal Mining Company. Early Property Ownership The three earliest owners for Lots 24, 25, & 26 in Block 3 of the Acme Place Addition are J H Gilfillan, William Cowdery, and Gustave C Bartels. A Boulder Country Treasurers Deed sold lots 24 & 25 to Gilfillan in 1902, along with several other lots located elsewhere in Louisville, Ward, and Lyons. J H Gilfillan was an avid investor throughout the early 1900s, frequently purchasing land and properties such as mining operations in Boulder County through tax deeds. He was cited in several Boulder County newspapers as a "tax speculator" and "tax fiend" based on his frequent purchases of county property sold due to unpaid taxes. Gilfillan did not appear to ever live in Louisville and is primarily listed in Denver and Colorado Springs directories.