Downtown Alamosa Historical Walking Tour
A stroll around Alamosa’s downtown reveals its history and small town charm. From red brick to pressed metal ornamentation and glazed colored tile, Alamosa is a study in the architectural trends that have passed through the nation since the 19th century—late Victorian, commercial brick, Mission Revival, and Art Deco styles stand side by side in this tightly constructed area. Main Street runs parallel to the railroad, which lies less than two blocks to the south. The town plat submitted in April 1878 by the president of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Alexander Cameron Hunt, claimed the San Luis Valley as the next stage of narrow gauge line development to Durango and Santa Fe, with Alamosa as its hub. From 1890 until c. 1940 passenger and freight trains steamed their way between Alamosa and Denver, Durango, Santa Fe, Salida, and Creede. The 1909 depot at downtown’s southern entrance and the historic brick and stone buildings that anchor downtown are reminders of the boom the town experienced in the early 20th century as the railroad brought commerce and a blossoming population to Alamosa.
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Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Locomotive No. 169 (1883); B-1 Business Car (1881) Cole Park, near Rio Grande bridge on Hwy 160 East State Register 2000 Built in 1883, this narrow gauge, coal fired, ten-wheeler steam locomotive remained in service for over 50 years. In 1939 it was taken out of storage to represent the D&RGW Railroad at the World’s Fair in New York. The increased pulling capacity and speed of the six large driver wheels made it one of the fastest narrow gauge engines built. In 1941 No. 169 came to rest in Cole Park, a gift to the city from the railroad.
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BPOE Elks Lodge #1297 (1956)
406 Hunt Ave
The Elks Lodge was established in Alamosa in 1912. The 1956 yellow brick building, their second lodge home, was partly funded through revenues from the Elks’slot machines, which were legal at the time. Hot water heat in the concrete floors was innovative and served the lodge for nearly 50 years. Inside a large mural by Jocelyn Lillpop Russell depicts elk in a mountain scene.
- WPA-era Pumphouse (1936)
306 Hunt Ave. (at Cole Park)
Originally a brick pumphouse, the building housed the City Jail and later the Police squad room and jailer’s quarters from the 1950s until 1994 when it became the local history museum. The San Luis Valley History Center Museum is now located at Hunt Ave. and Fourth St.
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First Public School Building in Alamosa (c. 1882), with later modifications, now Motor Parts 304 State Ave. (at State & Third) The Old Alamosa Schoolhouse built on the lots was sold to Alpha Ruby, the owner of the Colorado Theater Co., in 1907 and housed a dance hall from 1908 into the early 1920s.
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Carver House (1901)
315 State Ave.
The distinctive mansard roof and arched brick framing around the windows refer to the late Victorian style.
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church (1925-30) 607 Fourth St. State Register 2003; National Register 2003; Alamosa Historic Registry 2007 The parish hall was constructed in Mission Revival style by noted Denver architects William E. Fisher and Arthur A. Fisher in 1925. The sanctuary, which incorporates the Gothic windows from the old church, and the complex were completed by an unknown builder in 1930. State Historical Fund restorations 2004-9.