History as Place For most people, history is a concept confined to books in classrooms or a channel on television. What these people do not realize is that historic events and concepts can be represented by far more than text and moving images. Buildings can be a great representation of history, whether designed in a noteworthy architectural style or associated with a significant historic person or event. Buildings and other historic sites can give the words in a book a greater sense of meaning and put the past into context. The National Register of Historic Places, overseen by the National Park Service was set up by the federal government as a way to recognize the importance of place in history through buildings and sites with historic significance. This significance can be local or national to find its way onto the National Register. In Denver, Colorado, two listings on the National Register bring a sense of personal memories and attachment along with their architectural merit. These two buildings, the U.S. Custom House and the Paramount Theatre share the same architect, Temple Hoyne Buell.! For over half a century, prominent architect Temple Hoyne Buell lived and practiced in Denver, Colorado. Over the course of his lifetime Buell produced countless designs, saw some of them tom down and some of them recognized and preserved. Buell was alive to see the U.S. Custom House and the Paramount Theater listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the years 1979 and 1980 respectively. Though the NPS placed the U.S. Custom House and the Paramount Theater on the National Register primarily for their architectural significance, they also give a sense of place to the memories of many Denver residents. Historiograp! "The U.S. Custom House is also known as the Federal Building, and the Paramount Theater ean also be spelled Paramount Theatre, For continuity inthis paper I will refer to them as their names appear on the ‘National Register of Historie Places Nomination Forms, I will refer to them abbreviated as Custom House ‘or Paramount.2 “The act of preserving buildings and site because of their historic significance did not start with government regulation, and is certainly not limited to Colorado as seen in the book Giving Preservation a History: Histories of Historic Preservation in the United States edited by Max Page and Randall Mason. One essay from the book in particular, “Historic Preservation, Publie Memory, and the Making of Modern New York City” by Randall Mason, looks at the reasons behind preservation in New York City before preservation legislation, Mason identifies the concept of specializing memory as the main reason behind preservation in 1920s, New York City, He defines this concept as “preserving and expressing historical memory in material form.” Buildings are a large material representation of history, and as Mason goes on to argue can be intertwined with history concerning architecture, economics or society. In his essay Mason quotes Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, a leader of the prominent New York City preservationist group the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. “No matter how well a story may be told in words,” Bush-Brown writes, “there yet remains something ‘unexpressed, which form and color alone can portray.”* This idea of specializing memory is still seen in preservation today, and has helped justify preservation legislation such as the National Register of Historie Places. Inher book The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History Dolores Hayden stresses the study of physical urban spaces to better understand history. She notes that urban planning and building is much more than just technical planning and placement, but has a distinctly human element.’ To build her argument Hayden pulls on fields of study besides 2 Randall Mason, “Historic Preservation, Public Memory, and the Making of New York City,” in Giving Preservation a History: Histortes of Historic Preservation in the United States, eds. Max Page and Randall ‘Mason (New York: Routledge) 2004, 140. 3 Mason, “Historie Preservation, Public Memory, and the Making of New York City,” 142. “ Mason, “Historic Preservation, Public Memory, and the Making of New York City,” 140. “Dolores Hayden, The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History (Cambridge: The MIT Press) 1997, 20.3 history, such as geography and environmental psychology. In incorporation multiple fields, Hayden finds that “[pJeople make attachments to places that are critical to their well being or distress. An individual's sense of place is both a biological response to the surrounding physical environment and a cultural creation.”* Although Hayden does not address preservation specifically, her argument supports that people want to preserve spaces they associate with important memories, whether those memories are personal or incorporate a community. National Register of Historie Places ‘The Paramount Theater and the U.S. Custom House were two of 1.300 historic sites that have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado. The National Register of Historic Places was established under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 in order to give recognition to buildings and sites that have historic significance to the United States ata local or national level.’ It was set up to be administered by the National Patks Service on a national level, and in Colorado by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.* The administration at the state level was a way to provide resources to individuals and organizations interested in constructing a National Register nomination. ‘The OAHP has been a particularly important resource to those nominations that incorporated architectural historic significance. The OAHP offices have collected resources such as building surveys, photos, and in some cases architectural drawings and newspaper clippings. Architectural reasons for a nomination have been found in the site surveys and architectural * Hayden, The Power of Place, 16. “John H. Sprinkler, e., “Of Exceptional Importance’: The Origin of the ‘Fifty-Year Rule’ in Historie Preservation,” The Public Historian 29, no. 2 (Spring 2007): 82, http:/!0- ww jstor ore skyline. uedenver.edustable/pdphus/10.1525itph 2007.29 2.81 pdfPacceptTC=true (accessed March 11, 2012) 1 Office of Archacology and Historic Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties,” bisp://www historycolorado.org/sites/defaule/iles/filevOAHP/erforms edumat/pafs/1501 pdf (accessed March 22, 2012), 3.4 drawings, and association to an historie person or event are often recorded in their collection of newspaper clippings. The staff members have familiarized themselves with the National Register nomination process, and have aided individuals and organizations in their compilation and submission of nominations. ‘The process of nominating a property often began ata grassroots level instead of at a government level. Those who initiated nominations have had a historic connection to 8 physical site, and the recognition by the National Register of that significance hes helped to The site’s value must have been designate the sites significance to a wider range of the publi proven as significant in one or more of the areas of “American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture”? In the state of Colorado, sites accepted onto the National Register were also automatically placed on the State Register of Historic Properties, giving another level recognition to the power of place in history. Every designated property was reviewed by a state review board “composed of professionals in the fields of American history, architectural history, architecture, prehistoric and historic archeology, and other related disciplines.”"° This review board determined that properties hold historic significance for more people than just those who nominated the properties. “Though the process usually started at a grassroots level, if approved at a state level the state government takes over. In Colorado the State Historic Preservation Officer submitted the majority of the properties, but the Federal Preservation Officer submitted those properties {federally owned like the U.S, Custom House. Before the property is submitted for review to the NPS local officials and property owners are alerted of the properties pending nomination (if they were not the ones to submit the intial nomination.) Those nominations opposed by the —_—— + Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties tothe National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historie Properties,” 3 weber of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties tothe National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historie Properties,” 33 ‘owners of the properties were dropped, which almost happened to the Paramount when partial ‘owner, Larry P. Melnick opposed the nomination.'! Pending nominations have been posted on the Federal Register and opened to public comment in favor of or opposing the property being on the National Register of Historic Places.'? Overall the most important opinion considered was that of the property owners. Always weighing the property owners’ opinions has been an attempt not to undermine their rights. Properties in the National Register have enjoyed other benefits was well as recognition of historic significance. Listed properties have been able to receive consideration in the planning of federal projects or projects with federal involvement, have been eligible for both federal and state tax benefits, and federal preservation grants. Not to undermine the rights of property owners, there have not been any federal requirements to maintain a listed property or open it up to the public, Aside form removal from the National Register, owners have not been penalized for demolishing or altering their designated properties, or letting them fall into disrepair.'* In some cases, local governments and communities have applied protective ordinances or laws to National Register properties, or designated them as state or local landmarks that might mean required maintenance or protection from demolition."* U.S. Custom House ‘The U.S. Custom House is an interesting National Register nomination, its architectural significance coming from the designs of Buell as well as two other architects, James Wetmore and G. Meredith Musick. It was built in a Renaissance Revival Style, featuring white Colorado °*T, Michael Carrigton, to Arthur C. Townsend, August 5, 1980, Denver Colorado, file SDV.190, Office of Archavology and Historic Preservation Records, History Colorado Center, Denver, CO. ” Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historie Properties,” 3-4 ® Offic of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historie Properties,” 5. * Office of Archaeology and Historie Preservation, “Information on Nominating Properties tothe National, Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historie Properties,” 5,6.6 ‘Yule marble on the fagade facing the streets around it.'* It is part of the Federal Complex in Down Town Denver, and physically takes up the entire block between 19" and 20 Streets, and California and Stout Streets. The large scale of the building and its symmetry are often seen in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, as is the flat roof with a crowning balustrade and the evident masonry construction showcasing Colorado Yule marble.'* It was designated to the National Register on October 16, 1979.7 Looking at the history of the building, the historic significance from 1931 seems to be merely its architectural style. Yet following the actions of local architects and members of the Denver Chamber of Commerce, its significance also comes from ties to Colorado that go beyond its physical placement in the state. The original building was designed in the recognizable Renaissance Revival style by New York architect James Wetmore, and funded by the federal government. Buell was not happy that the commission for a Colorado building went to an out of state architect. After he found out Wetmore would be designing the Custom House he wrote to one of the U.S. Senators from Colorado, Lawrence C. Phipps expressing his sentiment. “The feeling among the profession in Denver... is that the firms here are equally capable of handling work of this character as those in the East selected by the Supervising Architect’s office, and that we should be given an ‘opportunity of doing it.”"® This was not the first letter Buell has sent to Senator Phipps. After the proposal for the U.S. Custom House was announced in 1926, Buell sent letters to Senator Phipps, U.S. Representative N, Vaile and to some of his past clients asking for recommendations in an attempt to get federally funded commissions like that of the Custom 25 Thomas J. Noel and Barbara 8. Norgren, Denver the City Beautifl and Its Architects, 1893-1941 (Penver: Historic Denver, In.) 1987, 108. ' Pennsylvania Museum & Historical Commission, “Italian Renaissance Style 1890- 1930,” -ntp://www, portal. state-pa.us/portal/server pt/community/late_19th__early 20th_century_revival_period’2 390ftalian_ renaissance _revival_style/294791 (accessed April 14, 2012). Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Architectural Site Detail U.S. Custom House~ Federal Building,” hitpu/oahp historycolorado.org/compass/OAHP/M_Display.asp (accessed March 6, 2012), "® Temple Hoyne Buell to Senator Lawrence C. Phipps, February 13, 1930, Denver, Colorado, box 27, file folder 7, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.House.'® Buell’s failed efforts to obtain a federal commission did not deter him from influencing the design of the Custom House, or continue efforts to obtain other federal commissions. Though Buell was not the original architect for the U.S. Custom House, he was influential in the getting the federal government to approve the use of Colorado Yule marble, a local material emphasized on the National Register nomination. ‘The original design plans for the U.S. Custom House did not call for marble, but limestone from Indiana on its fagade facing the streets surrounding the building. Denver’s Chamber of Commerce, including Buell, pushed for Colorado Yule marble in its place.” If'a Colorado architect could not bring federal funding into the state by gaining the commission of the Custom House, building materials from Colorado could bring in federal money. The Denver Chamber of Commerce successfully pressured Senator Phipps and Representative W.R. Eaton to present the option of using Colorado Yule marble in place of limestone, Buell’s personal push as a member of the Chamber of Commerce is seen in his correspondence with Senator Phipps, who writes to Buell: “Tam always anxious to secure business for Colorado citizens, as well as the use of the [s]tate’s products, and it might be well for you to discuss the matter in a personal interview with the Supervising Architect fof the U.S. Custom House].”*!_ Will Wood, a Representative from Indiana opposed the option, because the limestone would have come from the state he represented. Ultimately, Buell’s efforts along with the rest of Denver’s Chamber of Commerce ” See for example Temple Hoyne Buell to Senator Lawrence C. Phipps, November 15, 1926, Representative Wm. N. Vaile, November 16, 1926, Denver, Colorado, box 27, file folder 7, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO. ® United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for Federal Properties U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 10, http://oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153~ ¢ Nomination pdf (accessed March 6, 2012), 2" Lawrence C. Phipps to Mr. Temple Bucll, February 17, 1930, Denver, Colorado, box 27, file folder 7, ‘Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.paid off, increasing the price of the project by $200,000 and bringing more money from the project into Colorado.” ‘The local connection the Custom House had with Colorado was made stronger with two local architects, Temple Buell and G. Meredith Musick designing the addition. Not long after the Custom House was completed in 1931 that the building became too small for all the organizations that resided in it”? ‘This time, Buell’s efforts to obtain a federal commission ‘were successful. In 1935 Buell, in association with G. Meredith Musick, received the commission for the U.S. Custom House addition." This project was administered by the Public Works Administration and “supplied considerable economic support to Colorado during the Depression,” both through the continued use of Colorado Yule marble and local architects obtaining the addition contract."* Buell and Musick's design of the addition, which nearly doubled the size of the entire building, blended seamlessly with Wetmore’s original design. Both the architectural style and materials would be consistent throughout the building’s fagade, with the seams between the original and the addition near-invisible. The most riotable aspect, of the addition were two penthouses housing elevator shafts at the rear of the building, while standing taller than the rest of the five story building they maintained the Renaissance Revival Style. Though these penthouses were not made with the same marble fagade, they mirrored the ® United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historie Places LnventoryNomination Form for Federal Properties US. Custom House (Dever: Office of Archaeology and Historie Preservation, 1979), 10, btp//oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- ¢, Nomination paf (accessed March 6, 2012). #* United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form for Federal Properties US. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historie Preservation, 1979), 11, htp//oahp historycolorado.orgOAHP_Images/SDV/1S3/SDV_153- ¢, Nomination paf (accessed March 6, 2012). 2 Job description, Denver, Colorado, box 27, file folder 7, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO. 2% United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form for Federal Properties U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology ‘and Historie Preservation, 1979), 11, htpVoahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/5DV_153- «Nomination pat (accessed March 6, 2012).9 same arched windows seen on the first floor and the decorative balustrade crowning the fourth floor while they kept the symmetry of the original design. The National Register nomination id not neglect the architectural significance of the addition, stating: “Visual integrity was enhanced rather than compromised with the 1937 additions” The Italian Renaissance design and the local building materials used in the U.S. Custom House that got it listed on the National Register were further enhanced by the compilation of Buell and Musick in the addition. ‘The building underwent other additions and alterations identified in the nomination, but none on the scale of Buell’s and Musick’s design. Some of these smaller alterations included installing an air conditioning system in 1967 that minimally impacted the exterior. A steel fume hood installed on the brick facade of the interior courtyard did not impede the more significant marble fagade facing the street. In 1979 a handicapped entrance installed in the basement in the back of the building did require removing a window, compromising the symmetry of the back of the Custom House2’ These later alterations had little-to-no impact on the notable Colorado Yule marble on the building's fagade facing the street or the Italian Renaissance Revival aesthetic. The most notable alteration after 1937 was actually not planned atall. The U.S. Custom House has been located in downtown Denver’s Federal Complex, which has been the site of many political demonstrations over the years, Most of these demonstrations focused their efforts on other buildings in the complex, but on December 23, 1975, the protest group Continental Revolutionary Army detonated a bomb in the first floor ® United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 5, http:/oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- ¢ Nomination pat (accessed March 6, 2012). *" United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology ‘and Historic Preservation, 1979), 4, htp://oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- «¢ Nomination pdf (accessed March 6, 2012),10 men’s room of the Custom House.”* The damage caused by this explosion “required rebuilding (with modern materials),” but once again did not negatively impact the architecturally significant fagade of the building.” ‘The Custom House also housed numerous government agencies, some of which, like the ULS. Custom Service, are referred to in the National Register nomination.” ‘These agencies and their importance to the government have often been overlooked by most civilians and certainly overshadowed by the physical presence of the building’s design elements that warrant the primary reason for the designation. However within the nomination, there is one sentence that hints at a service of the U.S. Custom House associated more with civilians than those working at the government agencies inside the building. The nomination states that: “Many area residents have identified with the building personally due to one of its ongoing uses as a U.S. Armed Forces induction station and thousands have been inducted from this location.” ‘These “[miany residents” referred to are more than just the inductees, but their families and friends as well. Most people walking past the U.S. Custom House are those working in or otherwise have business in the Federal Complex and pay it little mind, but for those associated with the Armed Forces from Colorado might very well find sentimental value in this imposing marble-clad building, 2 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historie Places Inventory Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Custom House (Deaver: Office of Archaeology ‘and Historie Preservation, 1979), 12, hitp:!/oahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images‘SDV/153/5DV_153- ¢, Nomination.pdf (accessed March 6, 2012). * United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historie Places Inventory-Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 4, htp:/oahp historycolorado.ory/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- ¢ Nomination pdf (accessed March 6, 2012). 5 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 11, http://oahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- Nomination pdf (accessed March 6, 2012).u ‘The buildings physical placement in the Federal Complex also adds to its sense of historic significance. It is surrounded by other large and imposing Renaissance Revival and Neoclassical buildings, architectural styles that are often used in the design of federal buildings." This helps contribute to the overall cultural identity of Denver with a prominent federal as well as state government presence. The federal connection usually only brings people to the Custom House if they have business with an agency insides of for U.S. Armed Forces inductions. In contrast the Paramount Theater attracts people because of its entertainment and enjoyment values, which plays into a nomination followed more closely and supported by the general public than the Custom House’s nomination. Paramount Theater Of Buell’s building designs in Denver, the Paramount Theater is on of the most well- known, Buell himself regarded the Paramount as “one of his finest designs” and lived to see its designation to the National Register of Historie Places.” It is located on Glenarm Place between 16" and 17" Streets. The theater’s nomination to the National Register in 1980 was followed closely in the newspapers unlike the U.S. Custom House, and provoked a sense of nostalgia for many Denver citizens. It was appreciated as a prominent Denver building immediately after its opening in August 30, 1930, but fell out of favor until the late 1970s and its listing on the National Register brought it once again recognition as a beautiful addition to the Denver cityscape. Plans for the Paramount Theater started in 1928 when the New York-based Publix Theaters Corporation contacted Buell to see if he was “in a position” to design a movie theater in Jackie Craven, “What Is Neoclassical Architecture?: How Architects and Builders Borrowed From the Past,” About.com Architecture, htp;//architecture.about. com/odineoclassical/a/What-Is-Neoclassical- Architecture-htm (accessed May 1, 2012). * Noel and Norgren, 192,12 Denver.? Buell was in a position to take the commission. He designed it in an Art Deco style which stressed verticality and featured decorative elements inspired by natural and geometric shapes both in the interior and on the exterior."* ‘The interior decorations featured a painted ceiling in the theater, a grand gilded staircase, a twin console Wurlitzer Organ, and silk tapestries on the theater walls by artist Vincent Mondo. The Wurlitzer Organ and decorative artwork of Vincent Mondo were characteristic of all theaters commissioned but Publix ‘Theaters Corporation.® Setting the Paramount's Wurlitzer Organ apart from the sixteen others that were built for Publix Theaters was the fact that it was a twin console. The theater opened on August 30, 1930 to great fanfare, a newspaper add called it the “Theatre Perfect”, and another newspaper story listed it among “several of the major building additions to Denver during the last year” along with another of Buell’s designs, Horace Mann Junior High School.°* Many of these decorative elements were recognized in the historic significance of the building’s Art Deco aspects, not justin its architectural exterior, but interior decoration as well27 The twin console Wurlitzer Organ also held significance because by 1981 it was one of two left in the entire United states, the other housed in the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.* Theodore C. Young to T. H. Buell & Co. Attention Mr. T. H. Buell, September 22, 1928, Denver, CO, box 17, file folder 5, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO. 3" Noel and Norgren, 76. % United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historie Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paramount Theater (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 5-6, htip/oahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/190/SDV_190- ¢ Nomination pdf (accessed March 6, 2012). 35 See for example newspaper clippings, box 19, file folder 11, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO. 2” United States Department ofthe Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paramount Theater (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979) 3 -4, http://oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/190/SDV_190- ¢ Nomination.paf (accessed March 6, 2012). paramount Hosts Concerts,” Denver Post August 16, 198113 While the National Register nomination for the U.S. Custom House covers the decades from when it was built up until the 1970s, the Paramount's nomination does not report anything of significance after the 1930s. ‘This is in part to the lessened attendance and attention of the theater after the 1930s. ‘The attendance and overall condition of the theater declined in the 1950s as more people moved to the suburbs and went to suburban movies theaters or stayed home and watched TV for entertainment.” In 1953 the company leasing and managing the theater, Wolfberg Investment Company, gave the Paramount a facelift in the hope of modernizing it and attracting more audience members."° The facelift included wood paneling on the walls which was a popular fad at the time, but did little to help the declining Paramount Theater. Newspaper and magazine articles covering the Paramount in later decades repeatedly refereed to the makeover as tacky."' Despite the financial drain of the theater on Wolfberg Investment Company, the company’s President John Simms wouldn’t give up hope. In 1979 he told a Rocky Mountain News reporter “I’ve grown up with the Paramount... I was an usher there, a janitor. Thave a lot of good memories about the theater. [love it. It’s been a big part of my life.” Simms remained attached to the theater even though it was a financial drain on his company because of the sense of nostalgia it invoked in him. As an adult in 1979 he could look back to the times he spent there throughout his lifetime. It was in the late 1970s that the Paramount Theater once again gained the attention of the Denver public and inspired a National Register nomination for two very different reasons. One of these reasons, Gibson Jazz Concerts, happened on a regular basis and helped draw an audience to the theater, while the other was a one time occurrence, and helped raise awareness ® “Paramount Hosts Concerts,” Denver Post, August 16, 1981. “ susan Calhoun, “A Paramount Count Case,” Westword, February 25 to March LL, 1982, 9. + Sce for example article by Sandra Widener “The Incredible Paramount Movie Palace! (Hurry! Last 4 ‘Months),” Westword, April 8, 1978, 7. © Pamela Avery, “Like Phoenix, Paramount Rises from Ashes,” Rocky Mountain News, January 28, 1979, see. “Now”,4 of the theater's historic significance in Denver. In 1977 the Paramount started booking live performances, including the popular and reoccurring Gibson Jazz Concerts which significantly increased overall theater attendance."* But the main event bringing the Paramount once again into the public eye was a fire allegedly set by a burglar in October of 1978." The media attention from the fire also brought attention to the Paramount's artistic qualities and the idea that they needed to be resorted and preserved. At the time of the fire, the Paramount was the last movie palace theater of seventeen that had once existed in Denver.’ Now Simms’ good memories and nostalgic connection to the 1930s theater were shared by other Denver adults who had grown up attending shows at the movie palaces. Some feared that the theater was more likely to be demolished than saved as seen with the Central Theater a few years before. ‘This fear was brought to the forefront because Joe Gould who had owned the Central Theater was also a partial owner of the Paramount.“° Fortunately, the insurance company overseeing the theater designated that the fire damage should be repaired. The insurance company’s decision to restore the Paramount was mentioned in multiple newspaper articles, but they did not mention then mane of this insurance company or the reasoning behind their decision.” ‘This initial fire damage repair by the insurance company sparked a public campaign to restore the original Art Deco interior. The “tacky” wood paneling applied to the interior walls in 1953, which many newspaper reporters wrote of with disdain, ultimately helped to protect some of the original 1930s decorative details. Denver Post writer Anita Creamer reports: “The paneling lining the walls of the auditorium was rained, but workers stripping through the rubble found the theater’s original murals, columns, and gilt-detail charred and sooty but in good © «Paramount Hosts Concerts,” Denver Post, August 16, 1981 and Susan Cathoun “A Paramount Court Case” Westword, February 25 to March 11, 1982, 9. avery, “Like phoenix, Paramount rises from ashes.” J, Sebastian Sinisi, “Stars Join Paramount Party,” Denver Post, November 14, 1985, sec. C. “© Susan Calhoun “A Paramount Court Case” Westword, February 25 to March 11, 1982, 9— 10. “avery, “Like Phoenix Paramount Rises from Ashes.”15 condition.* Almost two years after the fire, on August 8, 1980 the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in time to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.” It’s addition to the National Register was to recognize its beautiful Art Deco exterior and interior, but also to commemorate a time in American history when silent films were popular and viewed in the opulence of movie palaces instead of in a family’s living room or a boring boxy movie ‘theater.*° The Paramount Theater is also an example of how properties on the National Register can be altered without penalty. When it was originally built, the theater’s main entrance opened onto 16” Street through its neighbor the Kittredge Building. The lease to that entrance expired in 1984, and due to the Kittredge Building owner's proposed rent increase and shorter-term lease the Paramount Theater did not renew it." The loss of this entrance sadly also meant the loss of the theater’s gilded grand staircase, The main entrance was moved to what used to be the smaller back exit and stage entrance facing Glenarm Place. Now, in the space where the Paramount ‘Theater's main entrance used to be is a restaurant named ‘The Paramount Café.** In 1988 the Denver City Council designated the theater a local city landmark. Buell attended the Denver landmark ceremony on November 16, 1988, and was presented with the landmark plaque by Denver Mayor Pefia. This is the first newspaper report of Buell involving himself “© anita Creamer, “Restoring the Paramount Theater, the Emerald in the Queen City’s Crown,” Denver Post Magazine, March 27, 1983, ‘° “Momentums,” Larimer Square SO, August 8, 1980, 8 “ United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paramount Theater (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 5, http://oahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/190/SDV_190- ¢ Nomination,paf (accessed March 6, 2012). Joanne Ditmer, “Paramount Tiff Hurts Downtown,” Denver Post, May 2, 1984. ® United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paramount Theater (Denver: Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1979), 5-6, http://oahp.historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/190/SDV_190- ¢ Nomination pat (accessed March 6, 2012). ‘Art Deco Landmark” Denver Post, November 17, 1988, box 19, file folder 14, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.16 in any way with the preservation of his buildings. He was absent from the narrative of the Paramount Theater's restoration in the newspapers, and only mentioned as “a well-known Denver architect” in the National Register nomination.’ With the local historic recognition came stricter alteration and demolition criteria than seen with the National Register; only in this case those regulations came four years too late.°* ‘Temple Hoyne Buell the Person Temple Hoyne Buell was still a prominent member in Denver when the Paramount Theater and the U.S. Custom House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but his prominence was not attributed to his buildings’ historic designations. Temple Hoyne Buell ‘was bom into a prominent social family in Chicago on September 9, 1885, and he grew up there.** Before World War I he attended the University of Illinois, graduating with a Bachelors in Architecture.*” He then went to Columbia University to receive his Masters in Architecture.** Buell went to France to fight in World War | and survived a poison gas attack that severely weakening his lungs.” He returned to Chicago after the war, but Buell’s weakened lungs prompted him to move to Colorado in 1921 for tuberculosis treatment.” Buell was quoted in a Rocky Mountain News article reflecting on his move to Denver: “{Gletting TB was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me... Doctors said I had a choice, Denver or United States Department ofthe interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Paramount Theater (Denver. Office of Archaeology and Historie Preservation, 1979), 5-6, htp://oahp historycolorado.orw/OAHP_Images/SDV/190/SDV_190- ¢Nomination.paf (accessed March 6, 2012). 5 Joanne Ditmer, “Paramount Designated as Official City Landmark,” Denver Post, October 28, 1988, see. E © Olga Cutis, “The Man Who Gave Away $25,000,000,” Empire Magazine, January 7, 1968, 10. * Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado: Biographical Sketch,” ‘http://www historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/Guides/Architects_buell.pdf (accessed February 17, 2012). ® Noel and Norgren 192. ® Noel and Norgren, 192. © Marty Meitus, “Temple Buell: among architects he’s the granddaddy of “em all”, Rocky Mountain News, June 1, 1984.Ww Colorado Springs.... Being an architect, I thought there’d be more buildings in Denver.”*" Only about a year after moving to Denver, Buell began working part time as an architect and over the following decades became one of Denver's most well-known architects,” Through architectural work and investments in land and real estate Buell, became a wealthy and prominent man in Denver. According to History Colorado’s Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP), Buell practiced architecture for 70 years, and for 68 of those, he was living in Denver. He designed buildings in the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska and Utah. Socially, his name appeared in the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News multiple times for being spotted at this party or that charitable event. He was a member to professional and social organizations, from the American Institute of Architects and the Denver Chamber of Commerce to the Denver Country Club.* Despite his social and ‘economic standing, there are no records of Buell using his influence to promote the nomination if his building designs to the National Register. However, Buell did use his economic standing in other philanthropic ways, namely donations to educational institutions. In the 1960s people in Denver found out just how wealthy Buell really was, when he donated $25,000,000 worth of his assets to the Colorado ‘Women’s College in the form of an irrevocable trust agreement. When interviewing Buell, Rocky Mountain News reporter Mary Meitus writes of a “misunderstanding” between Buell and Colorado Women’s College, after which they “parted ways.” The college closed a few years © Meitus, “Temple Buel.” ® Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado: Biographical Sketch,” hitpiwww historycolorado.org/sites/defaul/files/fileOAHP/Guides/Architects_ buellpaf (accessed February 7, 2012), 1 © office of Archacology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado,” 1. Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado,” 2 © Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado,” 2. Curtis, 10,18 later.” Though this was the largest and most locally publicized example of Buell’s philanthropy, it was far from the only one, In her article for Empire Magazine covering Buell’s gift to Colorado Women’s College and the man himself, Olga Curtis commented that Buell was a “steady but unpublicized contributor to various Denver charities."** Some of his other larger gifts included $100,000 to the Schoo! of Architecture and Planning at University of Colorado at Denver, and $5,000,000 to Columbia University for the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture.” Buell’s wealth and philanthropy helped him stay in the public eye through the majority of his life in Denver, and sparked interest in his building designs because people wanted to know more about the man in the newspaper's society pages who could give away millions of dollars. Following an article in Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine called “The Singular Mr. Buell” which announces his $25,000,000 gift to Colorado Women’s College is s shorter article titled “The Buildings that Buell Built” giving a survey of some of the buildings Buell designed.” Pairing these articles together gave curious Colorado residents a way to identify why Buell is a prominent social figure in Denver and how he became wealthy enough to donate such a large amount of money. As an architect, Buell did not limit his designs to one architectural style. In Denver he is best recognized for his Art Deco buildings, such as the National Register listing the Paramount ‘Theater.”' Although another National Register listing he helped design is the U.S. Custom House in an Italian Renaissance Style.”* ‘The architect himself admitted to his firm’s deign © Meitus, “Temple Buell” © Curtis, 10 © Gift to UCD in Denver Post, July 14, 1988, sec. B;_ gift to Columbia in article by Paul Goldberger, “Columbia Given $5 Million for Architecture Center,” New York Times, April 21, 1983. The Singular Mr. Buell” and Kate Lester Jones “The Buildings that Buell Built,” Coforado Homes & Lifestyles, September/October, 1968, 81-84, 85-87. ™ Noel and Norgren, 134. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form for Federal Properties U.S. Custom House (Denver: Office of Archaeology19 variety, as seen in an interview with Thomas J. Noel and Barbara S. Norgren, authors of The City Beautiful and Its Architects, 1898-1941. “We don’t fight over architectural styles,” Buell remarked when interviewed in 1986, “the client is always right.””* ‘That last remark of “the client is always right” is perhaps a testament to Buell’s many commissions of varied architectural styles throughout his career as he was willing to design in the style the client most desired. He passed away in Denver in the year 1990 at the age of p4, after working almost all his life in Denver as an architect.”* ‘Though Buell was a rather influential in building designs and developments in Denver, he does not appear in the efforts to get his buildings in Denver on the National Register. The only record of him involved in his buildings’ historic recognition is newspaper articles reporting his presence at the 1988 ceremony declaring the Paramount Theater a local Denver landmark. = He did not seem interested in the preservation or destruction of any of his buildings, and Harold Curmine remarks on Buell in 1968: “I think it’s rather amazing that Mr. Buell has designed and built these buildings, and that now some are being toen down and he’s still practicing, He has seen them come and go, and he is still going on.””* It does not seem that preservationists courted Buell (o participate in their nomination efforts. They probably wanted to keep the nomination emphasis on Buell’s skills as an architect and not on his social or economic status in the late 1970s. This mentality is probably best reflected in the remarks of Jennifer Moulton, an architect and the president of the preservationist group Historic Denver, after Buell’s death in January of 1990. “Certainly in the design community, he’ll always be ‘and Historic Preservation, 1979), 3, http://oahp historycolorado.org/OAHP_Images/SDV/153/SDV_153- ¢ Nomination paf (accessed March 6, 2012). "Noel and Norgren, 192. ™ Office of Archacology and Historic Preservation, “Architects of Colorado,” 2. 7 See for example “Art Deco Landmark” Denver Post, November 17, 1988, box 19, file folder 14, Temple Hoyne Buell Architectural Records, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO. 7% Kate Lester Jones, “The Buildings that Buell Built,” Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, September/October 1968, 8720 best remembered as an architect,” Moulton remarked. “His school work and the Paramount ‘were absolutely wonderful and endure over time.””’ Moulton does not say “architectural community,” but “design community,” which suggests she is commenting on Buell not only as a fellow architect but also as a preservationist. Conclusion The listings of the Paramount Theater and the U.S. Custom House on the National Register of Historic Places are a testament to the historical significance and m ries people associate with specific places. The buildings’ impressive architectural features caught people’s attention fifty years after the buildings were built, and the historic associations with those buildings people have had over the past five decades helped the Paramount and the Custom house gamer their National Register listings. The Custom House stands in remembrance of attempts to get Colorado citizens and materials connected to Colorado buildings through government commissions, and to those inducted into the Armed Forces over the course of many decades. ‘The Paramount Theater holds memories of entertainment and opulence spanning over generations, from those who went there in the 1930s to see silent films to those who went there in the 1970s for jazz. concerts. ” Denver Post, “Architect lauded for special mark left on Denver” Denver Post, January 4, 1990, sec. A.