HISTORY & SIGNIFICANCE Historic Context Statement of Context
Harbeck-Bergheim House is associated with the themes of residential architecture and culture within the City of Boulder, as well as in the wider context of the United States. This house is significant for its eclectic mix of Colonial Revival and Edwardian Vernacular styles, both of which were popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The residence is a finely crafted and well-preserved example of these styles. Harbeck-Bergheim House is significant for the role it has played in the social and cultural life of Boulder since 1899. The Harbeck and Bergheim families' commitment to the growth of Boulder’s downtown and clothing market is still shared through the preservation of the Harbeck-Bergheim House. Background History Harbeck-Bergheim House was built between 1899 and 1900 by John H. Harbeck. 6 Mr. Harbeck was a chain store owner and stockbroker from New York. Harbeck and his wife, Kate, lived in Boulder during the summers. After Harbeck’s death in 1910, Mrs. Harbeck ordered that their pets' graves located in the backyard of the house were not to be disturbed even after her death, which occurred in 1931. As part of her will, Mrs. Harbeck donated $50,000 to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Boulder (now the Boulder Humane Society), which funded the construction of the Boulder Humane Society and became the final resting place for the Harbeck’s pets years later. 7 The house sold in 1936 to a local investor for fraternity or apartments, but the City denied this due to zoning restrictions. The surrounding lots were sold to William Beach in 1937. Beach was a local businessman who donated the property to the city of Boulder to be repurposed as a park. Shortly after, Milton and Violet Bergheim purchased the house in 1939. Mr. Bergheim owned and operated a prominent clothing store along Pearl Street from 1891 until 1966. The Bergheims resided at the house until 1969, when they leased it with an option to buy to the City of Boulder. The City of Boulder completed the purchase of the property in 1979. 8 The building was repurposed into for mixed-use accommodating classes, special events, and fundraising activities, etc. for more than 5 years until the property was leased to the Boulder History Museum in 1985. 9 The building and property were maintained as a museum until 2018. Shortly after the museum relocated to a new property, the structure was leased to its current occupants in 2020—the Women’s Wilderness Institute, a local non-profit organization. 10 Definition of the Context Harbeck-Bergheim House is associated with the themes of Architecture, Community Planning and development, as well as Social History within the City of Boulder. The building maintains high historic integrity and reflects both the Colonial Revival and Edwardian Vernacular styles, popular during the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The Harbeck and Bergheim families' collectively had an impact on the community development and social history by becoming the main benefactors of the Boulder Humane Society (Harbecks) and owning one of Downtown Boulder’s first clothing stores (Bergheims). The Boulder Humane Society remains a major organization to the Boulder community, while the Bergheim clothing store remains located along Pearl street but operated by a different clothing company.
6 City of Boulder, History at a Glance (City of Boulder) 2019, 1. 7 Colorado Historical Society. 1206 Euclid Avenue Historic Building Inventory Records, 2. 8 Ibid. 9 City of Boulder, History at a Glance (City of Boulder) 2019, 1. 10 City of Boulder. Harbeck-Bergheim House.
3-7
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator