Pat Klein sent me one of his always-fascinating drone photos of the CoorsTek demolition site. It inspired me to do some research on the history of the site. Using a combination of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, the 1884 Birdseye View map, and old Colorado Transcripts, I discovered the following.
According to the 1886 Sanborn Fire Map, the building at the corner of 9th and Washington was a carpenter's shop. That was gone by the time the 1890 Fire Map was published, but a new building had a appeared at 8th (the railroad tracks) and Washington, labeled Hay & Grain. That building remained on the Fire Maps through the 1919 edition.
A new building, labeled Mach(ine) Shop appeared halfway along that block on the 1906 Sanborn map. In 1911, it was relabeled "Repository," and by 1919 it became "Auto Repair Shop."
The last Sanborn Map was published in 1938. By that time, the Hay & Grain building was gone but the Auto Repair Shop had been enlarged. A couple of houses (marked "D" for Dwelling), three garages ("A" for Automobile), and a store (marked "S") had been built on that property.
Now we switch over to what I learned from old Transcripts. The first reference I found to the auto repair business was in 1923. An article said that Marvin Swena, the manager, was building a 20×30 tile and stucco addition to add space to store cars. The business was located at 815 Washington Ave.
A 1925 ad said that the North Side Garage was now an agency for New Star and Durant Cars (“with the million dollar motor”). “Our Service Station is complete in every detail, from repairs to gasoline, oil and accessories. McComb Tire and Tubes–None Better."
From 1935-1945, the same building operated as the Noble Garage and Top Shop. From 1948-49 it was Johnson’s Super Service.
In 1950 it became Hugo Buerger Buick, and remained so until that business moved to 8th Street in 1960. At that point, the building was torn down.
In later years, Coors Porcelain/Coors Ceramics/CoorsTek constructed several buildings to house their ceramics business. Now those are coming down, in preparation for the Clayworks project.
