When the historic preservation movement was becoming codified in our national law and consciousness, around the 1930 -1950s, Victorian buildings seemed far too new to be worth preserving. Instead, much of the focus of the movement was upon even older buildings. But over time, as preservation gained steam, an understanding began to develop that Victorian era buildings were also worth saving — that they exemplified a time in our national history that we wanted to remember. We’re at a similar inflection point in historic preservation today. Though most people “get” saving an ornate Victorian building, the idea that something constructed during our own life times doesn’t seem as deserving of preservation. Yet there are characteristic features of buildings from the middle of the last century that can tell us quite a bit about our history as a nation, a state, and a community.

The classic brick ranch-style house at 1300 Emigh was built in 1961, when there were only a little over 25,000 people living in Fort Collins.  This simple, one-story house has a low profile side-gabled roof, in keeping with the Modern esthetic of the time. A breezeway connects the house to the garage and allows for an extra car to be protected from rain and hail.

While simple on the outside, the inside is filled with original classic mid-century details that will delight fans of the era. The living room has a three-sided fireplace, complete with original brass sconces. Fireplaces, which had fallen out of favor during the turn of the century, had begun to gain favor again as Frank Lloyd Wright and others connected the importance of hearth and home (quite literally). The kitchen has been remodeled, but the current owners kept the lighting fixtures and the functioning Nutone intercom system with radio. Many of the toggle switches throughout the home are original.

The house changed hands several times before its purchase in 1970 by Vahe and Elsie Boyajian, who had moved to Fort Collins from Massachusetts with their two sons. A musician and music teacher with a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, Vahe Boyajian became a tax preparation specialist later in life. Friends remember his grand piano in the living room and wonderful music parties. Elsie died in 1998, but Vahe enjoyed the comfort and support of his many close friends and neighbors. He died in 2015 at age 103.Jeffrey and Sherry Temple bought the house in 2015. Lovers of mid-century style, they brought their collection of furniture and décor to complement the architecture. They installed cork flooring in the living and dining rooms, accurate for the era, although not original. The Temples opened up the walls in the living, dining rooms and kitchen, bringing light and room to those spaces. Sherry’s collection of Fiestaware provides ribbons of glorious color to the kitchen. Bedrooms all have original floors and closet doors. The master bedroom and bathrooms are updated but retain their mid-century feel.

Sources

The two older black and white photos of the house are from the county assessor records, which are kept at the Archive at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.

Parts of the descriptions of the house was provided by Poudre Landmarks, who are hosting the Historic Homes Tour on September 14th, 2019.

Some of the information on ranch style houses came from Wikipedia.

To learn more about Modern architecture in Fort Collins, check out this Northern Colorado History article, “Post War Architecture of Fort Collins.”

There are also two great reports that were written for the City of Fort Collins that are worth checking out: “Fort Collins E-X-P-A-N-D-S: The City’s Postwar Development, 1945-1969” and “Fort Collins Postwar Development, 1945-1969, Survey Report.”