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Identification:
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Preferred Structure Name:
| Willow Park Stable
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Structure Number:
| HS-0258
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Other Structure Name(s):
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Other Structure Name(s)
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| No records. |
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Park:
| Rocky Mountain National Park
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Historic District:
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Historic District
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| No records. |
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Structure State:
| Colorado
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Structure County:
| Larimer
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Region:
| Intermountain
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Cluster:
| Rocky Mountain
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Administrative Unit:
| Rocky Mountain National Park
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LCS ID:
| 010516
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Historical Significance:
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National Register Status:
| Entered - Documented
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National Register Date:
| 07/20/1987
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National Historic Landmark?:
| No
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Significance Level:
| Local
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Short Significance Description:
| Significant under criterion A for its association with Trail Ridge Road and under criterion C for its association with rustic architecture (1870-1941).
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Long Significance Description:
| The Willow Park Stable is significant for its rustic design and its association with Trail Ridge Road. In 1915, Congress passed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act to preserve the beauty of Colorado's north park. In order to accommodate a growing number of visitors--thanks in large part to the popularity of the automobile--the park built various ranger stations in the backcountry. The park built these stations to reflect a burgeoning philosophy of rustic design.
Stephen Mather and Horace Albright advocated rustic design within the National Park Service as early as 1918 believing that buildings should blend with their natural surroundings. By utilizing log construction, the cabin follows this design philosophy. The backcountry cabins share the rustic style, although materials vary from stone to log depending on the environment. The cabins and stations are frequently found in remote locations, which increases the rate of deterioration. Despite the extreme environment and the isolated conditions, the cabins and stations are, for the most part, well maintained by the rangers and visitors. The Willow Park Patrol Cabin (#0027) and the adjacent stable (#0258) originally served crews maintaining Fall River Road. As the park's popularity grew, Fall River Road proved inadequate to handle the number of visitors who congested its route each summer day.
To remedy this, the park built Trail Ridge Road between 1927 and 1933. W.L. Lafferty, United States Highway Engineer, supervised the construction by C.A. Colt and Sons (on the east side) and L.T. Lawler (on the west side). It was an engineering feat: eleven miles of its route lies above 11,000 feet and four miles lies above 12,000 feet. Still, the grade does not exceed seven percent. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous highway in the nation and contributed to the development of the National Park highway/parkway system.
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Construction Period:
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Construction Period:
| Historic
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Chronology:
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Physical Event
| Begin Year
| Begin Year AD/BC
| End Year
| End Year AD/BC
| Designer
| Designer Occupation
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1.
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Built
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1926
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AD
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Hull, Daniel P.
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Landscape Architect
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2.
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Preserved
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1983
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AD
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1983
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AD
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NPS
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Function and Use:
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Primary Historic Function:
| Barn
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Primary Current Use:
| GENERAL STORAGE
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Structure Contains Museum Collections?:
| No
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Other Functions or Uses:
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Other Function(s) or Use(s)
| Historic or Current
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1.
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Road-Related
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Historic
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2.
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Maintenance Facility
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Historic
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3.
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Barn
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Current
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Physical Description:
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Structure Type:
| Building
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Volume:
| 2,000 - 20,000 cubic feet
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Square Feet:
| 330
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Material(s):
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Structural Component(s)
| Material(s)
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1.
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Walls
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Log
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2.
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Foundation
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Stone
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3.
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Framing
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Log
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4.
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Foundation
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Earth
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5.
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Roof
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Shingle
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Short Physical Description:
| One-story, rectangular plan log shed with saltbox gable roof clad in wood shingles. The logs are saddle-notched with sapling chinking. Front facade is open and divided into three bays.
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Long Physical Description:
| The one-story, log structure has a saltbox gable roof clad in wood shingles that double every fifth course. The log rafter tips and purlin ends are exposed. The stable is open and divided into three bays. The logs have sapling chinking and sawn log ends. The largest diameter logs sit at the foundation; the smallest logs sit in the gable. Corners are saddle-notched except the open façade which is piece-sur-piece construction. A log restoration took place in 1983. The foundation is stone corner blocks supporting log sills. The landscape has a small corral of logs on the east elevation.
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