Colorado’s Castles

Ann Westerberg of Littleton is fascinated with modern castles.

“Most were built by men who were dreamers, or as ego boosters,” she said this month in a talk to the Boulder Rotary Club.

Westerberg has written a book, “Castles of Colorado: Scandals, Hauntings, and Tales of the Past,” about the local crop. What is a castle?

“I call it a castle if it is large, made of stone, has crenellation, and a tower or keep,” said Ann. “Just big houses are mansions or palaces.”

Ann described several of Colorado’s castles. Here are a few of her choices:

There’s Baron von Richthofen's castle in the Montclair section of Denver. “Von Richthofen was a real estate speculator," said Ann.

He constructed his castle not only as a home for his family, but also as the centerpiece of a new Montclair subdivision - at the time (1886) far out in the country some fifteen miles east of Denver. Alas! The Baron was ahead of the times, and his speculation collapsed. Only years later, after Denver had sprawled farther out on to the high plains, did Montclair attract other homes. Now, of course, it is a well-established, perhaps even old-fashioned, section of the city. The Baron’s castle is still there, in use, and, given its sturdy stone construction, is likely to remain for many years more. Baron von Richthofen was an uncle of the famous World War I German flying ace, the Red Baron.

Also in Denver was the castle of Charles Kittridge, built not far from the Baron’s. The Kittridge castle is now known only through photos and descriptions, since it was razed a number of years ago. But Kittridge’s name lives on in another of his real estate ventures: the Kittridge Building on the Sixteenth Street Mall in downtown Denver - you probably know Marlowe’s Restaurant, which occupies one corner of the street level of the office building that has been a Denver landmark for many years.

Down south near Colorado Springs is Glen Eyre, the castle built by General William Jackson Palmer for his bride Queen. Palmer came to Colorado after the Civil War, where he served as general of a Pennsylvania cavalry troop. Scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family, his family connections to British investors helped him finance a new railroad to run from Denver to the Pacific (it didn't make it). He built his track south from Denver to Pueblo on the Arkansas River, intending to use the valley of the Arkansas to push tracks through the Rockies and on to the Western Slope. After a disagreement with the Santa Fe construction crew (and a modest amount of gunfire), he was able to win the Royal Gorge route and then go north along the Arkansas. (The Santa Fe, meanwhile, went south from LaJunta and over Raton Pass to take the easy path across the desert to California.) On his way south from Denver, Palmer saw the possibilities of a city in front of Pikes Peak, and acquired large quantities of land east of the existing Colorado City. He platted a city with wide streets to be called Colorado Springs. And he built for himself a castle in a secluded area north of his city. That is Glen Eyre. It's still there, now serving as a conference center. Queen never felt at home on the high plains, and she returned to her family in England. The General stayed at home in Glen Eyre, a somewhat lonely man, but a benefactor to his city. Palmer Hall at Colorado College is one mark of his generosity - but it's not a castle (nor even a palace), so that's another story.

Every castle in Colorado has its own clutch of tales. Ann Westerberg has opened the book that contains them.









For more information on Rotary, see www.boulderrotary.org or www.rotary.org.

BOULDER ROTARY CLUB
5390 Manhattan Circle, Suite 101 Boulder, Colorado, 80303
303-554-7074 Rotary@roycearbour.com
Fax 720-304-3255 www.BoulderRotary.org


NEWS FROM BOULDER ROTARY CLUB
Contact: Sue Deans, 303-579-9580