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Home > Colorado > Structures and Monuments in Which Colorado Stone was Used
Boulder, Colorado - the old Union Pacific Train Depot & Other Historical Buildings in and around Boulder built of Lyons Sandstone.
According to the City of Boulder web site in the “Amazing Facts” section, the pink Lyons sandstone “was quarried on Open Space and Mountain Parks. Stone from Anderson Quarry, near the mouth of Skunk Canyon...” This stone was used in the old Union Pacific train depot, which is located on Pearl and 30th Streets in Boulder, and in other historical buildings in and around Boulder.
Including Helms and Sewell Hall, many buildings at the University of Colorado were constructed from Lyons Sandstone from quarries on Mount Sanitas.
The University of Colorado Home Page
"Most of the buildings of the University of Colorado are faced with Permian Lyons Sandstone, which is widely used for buildings and flagstones throughout the Boulder-Denver area. The Univesity Museum, shown here, was established in 1902, and contains over a million scientific specimens, including many Colorado fossils and minerals. Exhibits in the Hall of Earth portray Colorado's geologic history.
| (This photograph is taken from Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 100.) |  |
The sandstone quarries located between Boulder and Loveland, provided the stone for use on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. According to this web site, the stone is not quarried as block dimension stone in the area but is fractured in layers. The color of the sandstone ranges from “red on the south to white on the north.”
The quarries located along the front range have been in operation since at least the 1880s. Although the quarries declined in 1912, there was a revitalization of the quarries in the 1930s and 1940s during the World War II years. The sandstone is described as “lying in shallow layers near the surface along the front range,” is relatively hard, and ranges in color “from purple to a deep dark red to almost white with the red colors found near Boulder and the lighter colors as far north as Loveland. The deep rich reds are more scarce as are the buffs streaked with iron oxide (stain faced).”
Limestone (from Indiana, Kansas, and Texas Quarries)
The stone most commonly used as window and door surrounds, lintels, coping, and other trim on campus buildings is predominantly limestone quarried in Kansas, although there are some examples of limestone from Kansas and Texas quarries as well. The colors of the limestones used “vary from variegated to gray, yellow (buff), and pink. A mixture of gray and buff is used on campus. Texas limestone can include fossils and can be more pink or yellow than quarries in other States. Kansas (limestone) provides a little harder and less absorptive stone than others, but can be ‘yellowish’ and of a sugar cube finish. Indiana (limestone) is grayer, but all limestone will yellow up over time.”
Colorado Springs, Colorado - Historical and Architectural Survey of Downtown Colorado Springs, 2003-04 - Survey Report, May 2004 (Revised) [The entire document is available: PDF]
According to this book, travertine quarried near Wellesville, Colorado, was used in the construction of the bus terminal building.
Denver, Colorado - the Capital Life Insurance Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
According to the Molly Brown House Museum web site, the cathedral is an example of the French Gothic Revival architectural style. Indiana limestone was used on the exterior of the cathedral. Italian Carrara marble was used for the carved altars, and “Colorado Yule marble makes up the vestibules, pillar bass, balustrades, baseboards, and confessionals.” Construction was completed in 1912.
According to the Denver Neighborhoods Walking Tour web site, the old State Museum building was a “Classic palace of Greek Revival detail.” The museum was built in 1913, and the architect was Frank Edbrooke. Originally it was located near the State Capitol but was later moved to 1300 Broadway. After restoration, the building was used as legislative offices. The four marble columns that support the entrance portico are “...(s)heathed in polished Colorado yule marble.”
Denver, Colorado - the Denver Courthouse (from the “Girl Scout Fact Sheet on Yule Marble,” Girl Scout Troop 357) Yule Marble was used in the construction of the Denver Courthouse.
According to this book the base of the Denver City Hall was constructed of Cotopaxi Granite which was quarried in Fremont County, Colorado.
According to this book, travertine quarried near Wellesville, Colorado, was used in the construction of the Denver General Hospital.
Denver, Colorado - the Empire Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Federal Reserve Bank Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the First National Bank. The First National Bank is constructed with a red freestone quarry at Morrison, Colorado. (From Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1882, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1883.)
Denver, Colorado - the Fitzsimons Army Hospital. The hospital was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Foster Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Gas and Electric Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
According to this book, travertine quarried near Wellesville, Colorado, was used in the construction of the Gates Rubber Company building.
Denver, Colorado - the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The cathedral was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado – the Jeppersen Terminal at DIA. Yule Marble from Marble, Gunnison County, Colorado, was used in the construction of the terminal. (From Yule Marble Quarry Slide Show, Dr. Vince Matthews, Senior Science Advisor, Colorado Geological Survey. (View the slide show using the recent versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.)
Denver, Colorado - the Metropolitan Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
According to this book, gray blocks of “Castle Rock Rhyolite” were used on the exterior of the Molly Brown house. Permian sandstone quarried at Manitou Springs, Colorado, was used for the red trim on the exterior, and Permian dune sandstone quarried near Lyons, Colorado, was used for the flagstone in the sidewalks.
Denver, Colorado - the Mt. States Telephone & Telegraph Co. Building. (The following information is from a colorized postcard, #163; unmailed) The back of the postcard reads: "The new building of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. of Denver is the tallest building in Colorado. It is telephone headquarters for the entire Rocky Mountain Region. It is constructed of Colorado materials: granite and travertine from the quarries of the state--bricks and terra cotta from Denver--steel from the Pueblo mills. The building stands on the site of the Pony Express Corrals of the early west. Its top floors look out on a range of snow-capped peaks several hundred miles in length."
Denver, Colorado - the New Customs House. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Old Customs House. The customs house was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Pioneer Building. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Post Office. The post office was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Schubert Theatre. The theater was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - St. Dominic (history) Quarries in Monte Vista, Colorado, and Boise, Idaho provided the dark grey, light grey, and buff-colored stone used on the exterior of St. Dominic's built in 1889.
Denver, Colorado - St. Elizabeth (history) The St. Elizabeth Catholic Church was constructed in 1878 of rusticated rhyolite (lava stone) from Castle Rock quarries at Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado.
According to this book, Aberdeen Granite quarried in Gunnison County, Colorado, was used in the construction of the State Capitol building and the steps that lead up to the entrances of the building. It also states that 283, 500 cubic feet of the Aberdeen Granite was used.
According to this book, the “colorful interior walls” of the State Capitol building are constructed of a limestone called “Beulah Marble.” This limestone is quarried west of Pueblo, Colorado.
Denver, Colorado - the Symmes Block. The Symmes Block was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - Tabor Block Cigar Store. The building was built entirely or in part from Yule Creek marble. (From Marble, Colorado: City of Stone, by Duane Vandenbusche and Rex Myers, 1970, 4th printing 1987.)
Denver, Colorado - the Tabor Opera House. The Tabor Opera House is constructed with a red freestone quarry at Morrison, Colorado. (From Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1882, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1883.)
Denver, Colorado – the Telephone Building, Headquarters of the Mt. States Telephone & Telegraph Co., “The new building of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. at Denver is the tallest building in Colorado. It is telephone headquarters for the entire Rocky Mountain Region. It is constructed of Colorado materials: granite and travertine from the quarries of the state–bricks and terra cotta from Denver–steel from the Pueblo mills. The building stands on the site of the Pony Express Corrals of the early west. Its top floors look out on a range of snow-capped peaks several hundred miles in length." (This quotation was taken from a colorized postcard photograph, No. 163; Sanborn Souvenir Co., Denver, Colo.; unmailed)
You can read about the architecture and ornamentation of the church in the “Our Story - Trinity United Methodist Church: Pioneers of Colorado Methodism” section of the “About Us” section of the web site. In this section it is stated that the church was designed in the “Modern Gothic architecture.” It is also stated that: “By using blocks of locally quarried Castle Rock rhyolite on the building’s face exterior, Robert Roeschlaub was able to stay true to the traditions of the ‘Arts and Crafts movement.’ This simply means that he looked to nature for inspiration. The rhyolite facing and sandstone trim allow the church to blend with its native surroundings.”
The Trinity United Methodist Church on Steve Mastin’s web site (photographs and history) According to Steve Mastin, the exterior of the Trinity United Methodist Church was “faced with locally quarried Castle Rock rhyolite.” The church was built in 188 in the Modern Gothic style.
According to this book, light gray Wall Mountain Tuff, quarried in Douglas County, Colorado, was used in the construction of the Trinity Methodist Church. The industry name for the tuff is Castle Rock Rhyolite.
According to Steve Mastin, the Veterans Monument was constructed in 1990 “of red sandstone from the Boulder area....”
According to Steve Mastin, the colonnade around the reflecting pool at the Voorhies Memorial was constructed from Turkey Creek Sandstone in 1919. The Voohies Memorial is located at the north end of Civic Center Park.
In the past Loukonen Bros. Stone Co. of Longmont provided the stone for the original portion of the church on the east side. The company again provided stone in 2001.
Loukonen Bros. Stone Co. of Longmont provided the stone for the building from December 2001 through March 2002.
“Designated as a historic district, Lyons has fifteen sandstone structures which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These were all constructed of native stone by master craftsmen between the early 1870s and 1917. They include commercial, residential and public buildings. There are still quarries operating today that provide beautiful sandstone and other products to the surrounding cities and around the country.”
According to Stone City Depot section of the Pueblo County Historical Society’s web site, the stone used in the construction of the Pueblo County Courthouse was Turkey Creek Sandstone quarried near Pueblo. The Colorado-Kansas railroad, completed in 1909, operated between Pueblo and Stone City. You can see a photograph of the Pueblo County Courthouse on the Colorado County’s Online web site.
In 1995 Doug Scott Sculpted this lifesize statue of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in Colorado Yule Marble. You can see the statue on permanent display at the Roy Rogers Museum.
St. Louis, Missouri - the Samuel Cupples House, located at 221 N. Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103 on the St. Louis University campus near Lindell and Spring Avenues. (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
<http://www.st-louis-cvc.com/factSheets/fact_samuelCupples.asp?PageType=4>
According to this web site, the Samuel Cupples house was constructed in 1890 of “purple Colorado sandstone and pink Missouri granite from the Elephant Rocks quarries in southern Missouri.” English stone carvers were brought to create the elaborate stone carvings including the limestone gargoyles.
According to this web site, the architect of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Chapel was John McDonald and the general contractor was Walter Peterson, both of Omaha. The Corner Stone was laid on December 27, 1991, and the first funeral service in Chapel was held on September 15, 1914. The Chapel underwent major renovation in 1990.
The marble used in the Chapel was supplied by the Colorado Yule Marble Company of Marble, Colorado. Marble was used in the Chapel in the interior in the floor, two large marble seats, desk and chair, and the four marble electroliers. The entire exterior was constructed of St. Cloud granite.
The center of the Capitol was built with Aquia Creek sandstone from Virginia. The Senate and House wings were built with dolomitic marble from Lee, Massachusetts. The Rotunda floor was built with sandstone from Seneca, Maryland. The columns of the wings were built with white marble from Cockeysville, Maryland. The center steps were built with granite from Renville, Minnesota. The west elevation steps were built from granite from Mount Airy, North Carolina. The west elevation balustrade was built with marble from Vermont. The interior balustrades and columns of stairs leading to the House and Senate galleries and wall of Marble room were built with marble from Tennessee. The east front exterior was built with White Cherokee marble from Georgia covering the original Aquia Creek sandstone. The 24 exterior columns were built with marble from Georgia. The interior columns, the Statuary Hall, the Old Senate Chamber and foyer were all built with marble from the Potomac in Maryland. The columns in the Crypt and those with the corn and tobacco leaves were built with sandstone from Aquia Creek in Virginia. The columns on the ground floor in the east addition were built with brecciated marble from Colorado.
Donor: The State of Colorado
Location: 290-Foot Level, East Wall, 27th Landing Dimensions: 4 feet by 2 feet
Inscriptions: "Colorado 1876"
Material: The Marble came from Yule, Colorado. The same marble was used for the outside of the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Sculptor: F. F. Edbrooke
Carver: Information not available
Date: The insertion of this stone began on October 23, 1913, but the dedication exercises were held August 1, 1914.
More Information: For the dedication exercises Congressman George J. Kindel was the speaker. His speech proved to be an argument against government restriction on business. Attending was Senator Edward Keating who rose to his feet in astonishment, declaring... "“I did not anticipate that the ceremonies... would be disturbed by the raven-like croakings.”
Sources: Park File
The Weber Quarry - Utah (photograph in the “Decorative and Dimensional Stone” section of the Wyoming Geological Survey web site) The university quarry provided the orange-buff sandstone in the wing beneath the red roof and the identification sign. Sandstone quarried at the Webber quarry in Utah was used in the construction of the rest of the building. Grey Indiana limestone was used for the trim. Lyons Sandstone from Lyons, Colorado, was used for the steps. Granite from the Ames Monument quarry (15 miles southeast of Laramie, Wyoming), was used to trim the capping on the low wall at the base of the west wing. There were other types of stone used in the interior walls and floors.
Commercial use of material within this site is strictly prohibited. It is not to be captured, reworked, and placed inside another web site. © . All rights reserved. Peggy B. and George (Pat) Perazzo.