Montrose, CO — City Councilors have voted unanimously to place a pair of historic structures located on the City of Montrose’s own Register of Historic Places.
The historic Montrose Electric Light & Power Co., the original electric power generation station in Montrose located at 44 S Grand Ave, along with the Montrose Radium Ore Sampler, located at 112 W Main Street, were each added to the city’s register Tuesday evening during the City Council’s regular meeting.
On November 3, 2022, the City of Montrose Historic Preservation Commission considered applications for historic property designations for both buildings and voted unanimously to recommend the structures to the City Council for approval as historic properties.
In his presentation to City Council on Tuesday, City Planner William Reis said each structure meets the historic register criteria. The Montrose Electric Light & Power Company structure was built in 1904 and its construction is representative of industrial construction of the early twentieth century in its brick composition, flat roof, cornice with molded brick, and segmental-arched openings with stone lintels with keystones. It is associated with the history of utilities in Montrose.
Located on the same block, the Montrose Radium Ore Sampler, erected in 1918, was at one time reportedly the only commercial radium sampler in the world and reflects Montrose’s history in the radium ore market. The building’s size, height, and gabled roof design reflect its use as an industrial facility.
With the two additions, the city’s list of local historic places has grown to 12 since the program was created in the fall of 2019.
City of Montrose Register of Historic Places:
- City Hall: 433 South First Street, added on September 17, 2019
- Potato Growers Association Building: 39 West Main Street, added on October 1, 2019
- The Missouri Building: 347 East Main Street, added on March 17, 2020
- The Block Building: 345 East Main Street, added on March 17, 2020
- The former BPOE Lodge Building: 107 South Cascade Avenue, added on November 17, 2020
- Montrose Fire Department No. 1 Station: 24 South Uncompahgre Avenue, added on June 1, 2021
- Historic Montrose County Jail: 271 South First Street, added on July 6, 2021
- Denver and Rio Grande Depot: 21 North Rio Grande Avenue, added July 20, 2021
- S.H. Nye Building: 428 East Main Street, added March 1, 2022
- Knights of Pythias Building: 33 South Cascade Ave, added November 1, 2022
- Montrose Electric Light & Power Co,.: 44 S Grand Ave, added December 6, 2022
- Montrose Radium Ore Sampler: 112 W Main Street, added December 6, 2022