Art and history merge in Breck

BRECKENRIDGE — The past will be present at the burgeoning Breckenridge Arts District Campus.

With the Tin Shop restoration complete, the town has moved on to the historic Fuqua Livery Stable located across the street from the artist-in-residence studio. Jeff Herbertz with Quandary Carpentry, who has worked on several historic restorations in Breckenridge, is heading up the project on the ground.

He began by taking the Fuqua building, which was built in 1880, apart in 11 pieces, in order to restore the foundation. It formerly consisted of one brick in one corner, which led to the entire building sinking about 8 inches. Herbertz poured a true foundation before piecing it back together, using a 65-ton crane to move the roof and sides.

“Everybody was kind of nervous,” Herbertz said. “But it came back together within an inch.”

Since it’s a historic structure, all the remaining work is being done on the interior leaving the historic exterior visible.

Inside, Herbertz and others working on the project moved out horse troughs and stables. They also found some other artifacts, like unique horseshoes with cleats (presumably for the horses to get traction on the High Country’s snow and ice) along with turn-of-the-century nails and an embossed jar.

The work is being financed partly by a grant written by Breckenridge town historian Rebecca Waugh through the state historical society.

The Fuqua Livery Stables, with a completion deadline of spring of 2008, will be home to three new art studios. Three glass sides will distinguish the building and Waugh has plans to add a panel exhibit explaining the historical significance of livery stables.

The town ultimately envisions, for the northwest corner of Washington and South Ridge St., “a pedestrian-friendly arts campus that will develop into the home for several resident artists and offer a variety of workshops and cultural events.” The Robert Whyte House and Tin Shop are now hosting all the Arts District campus events. When completed, there should be eight buildings with sidewalks connecting them.

Next on the agenda is to move the Quandary Antiques building from its current location across from the post office in Breck into the campus area. Herbertz will be doing this before the end of the year amid his work on the Fuqua building. He said the primitive log cabin won’t need much work after it’s moved. In the coming years, he will also restore the burro barn located behind the Robert Whyte House and an old outhouse located next to it.

Leslie Brefeld can be reached at (970) 668-4626 or lbrefeld@summitdaily.com.

From the town historian, Rebecca Waugh

Fuqua Livery Stable

This false-fronted livery and feed stable building was built for P.S. and Emma Bailey in 1880 for $600. The building was quickly rented to liveryman J. P. Fuqua.

He specialized in the care, feeding, and stabling of horses for pay. Carriages were also available for hire. The barn, which was constructed with vertical pine,

board-and-batten siding, boasted a characteristic hayloft opening above the wagon and pedestrian entrances where feed and grain were stored for Fuqua’s four-legged boarders.

In 1883, Emma Bailey transferred the property to William F. Forman, a feed and grain dealer. Willard Churchill and Warren G. Dyer, of the partnership of “Churchill & Dyer,” acquired the livery stable from Forman, and during the 1890s, the structure was known as the “Dyer Barn.” Later, William McAdoo purchased the property where he housed horses, wagons, cutters, mining tools, and other equipment.

After McAdoo’s death in 1921, local grocer Christ Kaiser purchased the property in a “public trust sale” on Feb. 15, 1926.

Kaiser used the barn for the same purposes. Sometime after his death in 1932, Robert A. and Lois G. Theobald acquired the former livery barn. The Town of Breckenridge currently owns the property.

Quandary Antiques building

This small log structure was built on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Perrin to the Breckenridge Fire Department. Consequently, the volunteer firemen built two, twin 18 foot-by-24 foot log cabins on two town lots to raffle off at their August 1952 No Man’s Land Celebration fundraiser. Raffle tickets were $1.

Dorothy Reibold of Glenwood Springs purchased the winning ticket for this cabin. Dorothy, husband Wayne, and children spent a few summers and one winter in this cabin.

In later years, Luna Shumacker of Texas, used it as a rental house until her death in 1979. Jim and Maureen Nicholls purchased the cabin from her estate in 1980. In 1983, Maureen moved Quandary Antiques into the building. Its twin cabin has been demolished.

Robert Whyte House and burro barn

Stagecoach travelers to Breckenridge in the 1880s could disembark on Ridge Street, and spend a comfortable night at the Grand Central Hotel, which once occupied a portion of this property. However, in December of 1884, a fire swept through Breckenridge’s business district.

After a night of horror, the blaze was contained, but the hotel, along with two other commercial buildings and a tiny dwelling on this corner, had been destroyed.

Robert H. Whyte, the former manager of the Grand Central Hotel, and his wife, Mary H., built this small frame house on Lot 9 as their home in 1889. After the fire, Robert Whyte operated a grocery store on Lincoln Avenue.

The burro barn and outhouse, located to the rear of the dwelling, were built at the same time.

The burro barn was enlarged sometime between 1890 and 1896. A false-fronted building, which was once used as a furnishings store was built along the Washington Avenue right-of-way by 1902.



After Robert and Mary Whyte’s deaths, their heirs sold the property to Kate McDonald in 1904. Nels Ostrum acquired the property from McDonald in 1915.

After 10 years, Nels and his wife, Marquerite, sold the property to Carl Kaiser, who used it as a rental property. After Kaiser’s death, his widow, Esther A. Kaiser, sold this large corner lot, with improvements, to George A. Graham in 1946.

Hella and Marian Ryplewski purchased the complex from Graham in 1957. Seven months later, they sold it to Rhoda B. and Clinton Dudley.

John J. and Zetha Randall acquired the property in 1960. The Town of Breckenridge purchased the property in 2002 from Daniel A. Mikolitis, who had owned it since 1978.