Judson Moss Bemis House

Judson Moss Bemis House, also known as Hearthstone Inn, is a historic Queen Anne house in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Judson Moss Bemis House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties No. 5EP.196
Judson Moss Bemis House
Location	506 N. Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Coordinates	38°50′28.56″N 104°49′31.05″W
Built	1885
Architect	Joseph Dozier, W. F. Ellis
Architectural style	Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake
NRHP reference No.	79000598
CSRHP No.	5EP.196
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	1979[1]
Designated CSRHP	1979[2]

Judson Moss Bemis family

Judson Moss Bemis and his wife, Alice Cogswell Bemis, moved to Colorado Springs in 1881 for her health. She may have had tuberculosis. (See Tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs).[4]

The house was built in 1885 and became the permanent home of Alice Bemis and their daughter, Alice; Judson Moss Bemis lived in the home several months a year and conducted business and lived the rest of the year in Boston. He was the founder of J. M. Bemis Company.[4]

In Colorado Springs, Bemis founded the Business Administration and Banking School, was a trustee of Colorado College and donated monies for the Jackson and Bemis Halls. Alice Cogswell Bemis founded the Day Care Center in 1897. The couple's daughter, Alice Bemis Taylor, donated monies to Colorado College, helped fund the construction of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Colorado Springs Day Nursery, and provided scholarships. She was the first woman trustee of Colorado College, founded the Bemis-Taylor Child Guidance Clinic,[4] and in 2010 was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.[5]

The house

The Bemis House, designed by W. F. Ellis, is a blend of architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Stick architectural styles. The three story home originally had 10 rooms and a partial basement, and received additions in 1886 and 1887. In 1935, the home was converted into an apartment house with 10 apartments based upon designs by architects MacLaren and Thomas.[4]

Hearthstone Inn

Dot Williams and Ruth Williams purchased the Bemis House and the neighboring historic home to create Hearthstone Inn. The second house was built in 1900. For a period of time it was a boarding house for individuals with tuberculosis. The buildings were restored and renovated as an inn with a restaurant and 25 rooms. The architects for the project were Al Feinstein of Colorado Springs and William Odum of Dallas. The inn and its antiques were purchased by David and Nancy Oxenhandler in 1999 for $1,925,000. In 2005 it was sold to Griffis/ Blessing Investment Services.[4][6][7]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. El Paso County - Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Archived 2013-12-24 at the Wayback Machine. History Colorado. May 21, 2013.
3. National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado. American Dreams. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
4. "Judson Moss Bemis House - NRHP Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
5. "Alice Bemis Taylor". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
6. Naomi P. Kraus (22 February 2005). Frommer's USA. John Wiley & Sons. p. 695. ISBN 978-0-7645-8791-7. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
7. Jim Bainbridge (November 16, 2005). "Historic inn sold Hearthstone will reopen after renovation". The Gazette (accessed via HighBeamResearch.com). Colorado Springs, CO.