Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods

COLFAX CATHEDRAL HISTORIC DISTRICT

LOGAN COURT BUILDING: 1461 LOGAN STREET

Built in 1908, the Classical Revival-style Logan Court was the first
building on its site. James Hinchman took out the Logan Court building permit under the name of Logan Court Investment Company. Hinchman was also listed as the builder. Construction of Logan Court was a sign that the 1800s neighborhood of large residences was undergoing a change toward multifamily housing. This site was particularly appealing for development. While nestled in an upscale residential area, it was close to E. Colfax Ave. transportation opportunities.

James Barton Hinchman (1859-1944) as born in Leavenworth, Kansas. He came to Colorado in 1879 and married Alice Bradley in 1880. Hinchman prospected throughout Colorado and New Mexico until he began his work in the construction industry in Denver.

In the 1890s, James Hinchman founded the Hinchman Roofing Company. In 1902, he merged his company with Renton Fireproofing Company to form the Hinchman-Renton Fireproofing Company. Hinchman was the company president, and the company office was at 1815 Arapahoe St. The company merger was announced in a 1902 Denver Times article that explained the company’s place in the forefront of the construction industry with its use of a new system of combining concrete with steel. The company filled orders from Colorado and Midwestern states. During the company’s
40-year history, projects included supplying fireproofing concrete for
Union Station, Denver’s U.S. Mint, the sugar factory in Loveland and
other Colorado sugar refineries.

The Hinchmans moved into Apt. A1 in Logan Court upon completion of the building. Alice died in 1917 at the age of 63 and was buried in the
Hinchman plot at Riverside Cemetery. James later married Hermoine
Eisenhardt of St. Louis. She died in 1936 at the age of 77, and was
also buried in the Hinchman plot. James Hinchman died in Apt. 1 in
1944, and joined his wives at Riverside. There was no record of
children, but Hinchman left a brother and sister in St. Louis and two
nieces in Denver.

The architects Hinchman chose for his building were Willis Marean
(1877-1933) and Albert Norton (1867-1944). Marean and Norton both
worked in the Frank E. Edbrooke & Company architectural firm early in
their careers. They formed their partnership in 1895. By 1908 they had already designed many modest houses and a few larger mansions. Marean and Norton’s 1908 designs included the Cheesman-Evans-Boettcher Mansion (Governor’s Mansion), 400 E. 8th Ave., in the E. 7th Avenue Historic District; the Stoiber-Reed-Hunphries Mansion, 1022 Humboldt St., in the
Humboldt Street Historic District; and the Logan Court Building. They
designed the 1910 Cheesamn Pavilion, the 1919 Greek Theater and
Colonnade of Civic Benefactors in Civic Center, and the 1921 Schwalb
House at 2325 E. 7th Ave. Pkwy, among others, during their long
partnership.

Research into the history and architecture of the district is funded by
a grant from the State Historical Fund. Capitol Hill United
Neighborhoods, Inc., is the grant applicant and consultant Nancy L.
Widmann is doing the research and preparing the application. The
district history is providing worthy of both local Denver Landmark district designation and nomination to the National Register of Historic
Places.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

The figures most closely associated with construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception were Bishop Nicholas Matz, Father Hugh L. McMenamin ("Father Mac"), and millionaire parishioner John K. Mullen. The site chosen form the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was in the most affluent Denver neighborhood at the time and on one of Denver's most prestigious streets. Hugh L. McMenamin (1872-1947) made completion of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception a reality in 1912 through aggressive fundraising and careful planning. A parade of 20,000 people traveled on Broadway and up E. Colfax Avenue to the new Cathedral for the dedication. Father McMenamin became a monsignor in 1933.
ON 7 August 1912, the west spire of the cathedral was hit by lighting. Eighty-five years later, on 23 June 1997, the east spire was hit by lightning. Both jolts from above required extensive renovation. The building also had a sensitive interior renovation 1974. In 1979, in recognition of its architecture and history, Pope John Paul II elevated Immaculate Conception Cathedral to a minor basilica.
Leon Coquard, a Detroit architect, designed the Cathedral in the French Gothic Style. The design was said to be similar to the one in Bishop Matz's home of Munster, France. When Conquard became ill, Denver architects Aaron Gove and Thomas Walsh took over supervision of the construction.