An 1880s Victorian Mansion in the Colorado Rockies: The Estemere Estate at Palmer Lake

by Edwards, Daniel

  The following year (1965), the “once-in-a-hundred years” tornado and flood struck Palmer Lake, and Estemere suffered severe damage (see Chapter 9). Doris then realized how lucky she had been not to have purchased the property the year before, as she would not have been willing to spend the time and money needed to repair Estemere. Had she owned Estemere in 1965, Doris probably would have had the house demolished after the flood, or sold the property to a developer, who would have done the same thing, or to individual buyers, who would have built new homes on the property. Thus, by a quirk of fate, the Carriage House and other buildings on the property were not torn down, and when the flood came, Estemere itself was saved, because by then it was in the hands of a family that was willing and able to spend the money necessary to begin restoring the mansion to its former elegance.

  Personalities of Estemere (1950-1964)

  Leonard M. Bentley

  Leonard Bentley was born in Lane County, Kansas, on 22 March 1902. He was a rancher and active in the real estate market in Cañon City, Colorado, when, in 1948, he was elected to the Colorado House representing Custer and Fremont counties. Later, he served in the state senate from 1953 until November 1956. Two months before that date, he had purchased Estemere from Helen Dees, whom he later married. It is unlikely that Bentley ever spent more than a few days at Palmer Lake. As a Republican state senator, Bentley surely knew Leon Snyder, a nationally prominent Colorado Republican from Colorado Springs, and it was Snyder’s older sister to whom Bentley sold Estemere in the spring of 1957. Bentley and his second wife moved from Arkansas to Amarillo, Texas, in 1960, and he died there at the age of 89 on 06 September 1991.

  Walter F. Clausing

  Walter Clausing was born in Westphalia, Indiana, in 1895. He and his wife, Bertha, married in Oklahoma in 1917. They moved to Palmer Lake about 1940. Clausing was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, a 32nd degree Mason, and a life-member of the Eastern Star. Clausing was a realtor, sold homes, and developed tracts of land in the Tri-Lakes area. For a while he represented the Boggs Realty Company. He was the real estate agent involved with the Estemere property at least from the mid-1950s to 1964. Walter Clausing died in Simla, Colorado, on 15 March 1989 at the age of 93.

  Helen Tot Dees

  Helen Dees was born in Georgia on 19 July 1906; her maiden name was Mauldin. She married Willie Lee Dees in Texas, and they had two daughters, Avonne and Billie, and one son, Ronny, who was born in Amarillo in 1931. Helen was divorced about 1936 and later came to Florence, Colorado, where she owned a health spa and swimming pool. She moved to Estemere in 1950 and made it her permanent residence. Her two grown daughters visited her from time to time. Ronny Dees lived in Palmer Lake with her a short time, but by 1952 he was in the Air Force and stationed in Korea. When he returned, Ronny Dees married Wanda Krueger of Palmer Lake. Helen sold Estemere in September 1956 to Leonard Bentley, whom she later married. The couple did not live in Estemere for long, if at all, but left for Arkansas and later settled in Amarillo, Texas, where Helen Dees Bentley died on 05 May 1986 at the age of 79.

  Ada S. Knapp

  Ada Snyder Knapp was born in Alma, Nebraska, in November 1888 and graduated from the Nebraska State Normal School in 1911. She married George Knapp and was living in Chicago by 1920. Knapp was a railroad civil engineer, but he died before 1930. Ada stayed in Chicago where she taught in the public schools for many years. After she retired, Ada moved to Colorado Springs about 1954 to live with her brother, Leon, at 10 Polo Drive near the Broadmoor Hotel. She owned Estemere from April 1957 (when she bought it no doubt at the request of her brother) to June 1958 (when she sold it to her brother). Ada Knapp died in Colorado Springs on 06 April 1962 at the age of 74.

  Leon H. Snyder

  Leon Snyder was born in Alma, Nebraska, on 25 June 1892 and was a graduate of the University of Nebraska. He came to Colorado Springs in 1919 and practiced law there for more than 50 years. Snyder was El Paso County attorney from 1942 to 1961 and served as Republican national committeeman from Colorado during the 1940s and 1950s. He was appointed state counsel for the Colorado Association of REA Co-operatives in 1950. Snyder was a Mason and was elected grand master of Colorado Masons in 1961. He also was a member of the Elks, the American Legion, and the El Paso Club. Snyder, who had gone fishing in South Park for many years, began working in 1957 to help preserve the remaining historic structures in Park County, and set up the South Park City Historical Foundation for that purpose. The Foundation purchased land at Fairplay and supervised the moving of buildings from their locations (some being in ghost towns) to South Park City, which opened in 1959 during the Colorado Centennial. Snyder owned Estemere from 1958 to 1964. He never carried out his idea of developing “Estemere Estates,” but did invest money in fixing up Estemere, whose condition had deteriorated badly by the time he purchased it. Leon Snyder, who never married, died in Colorado Springs on 27 August 1973 at the age of 81.

  [In 1957 Sage Books of Denver published Palmer Lake a Historical Narrative by Marion Savage Sabin. Sabin has a chapter on William Finley Thompson with references to Estemere. Pertinent pages, and some of Sabin’s handwritten notes, are on the DVD. There are some inaccuracies in Sabin’s account that we have tried to correct in Dan Edwards’ biography of Dr. Thompson and in this book on Estemere.]

  There are more items related to this chapter on the DVD.

  Chapter 9

  A Vacation Home for the Leonard Family

  (1964-1986)

  Joan and Donald Leonard Buy Estemere

  Donald E. Leonard was a lawyer working in Lincoln, Nebraska. Don’s wife, Joan Follmer, had grown up in Colorado Springs, and her father, Bryce Follmer, worked in Denver for the Rock Island Railroad. Bryce was getting ready to retire and looking for a retirement home. The Follmers knew about Palmer Lake, and when the family saw that Estemere was for sale, they made an offer. Don Leonard purchased Estemere on 01 September 1964 for $40,000. Don and Joan Leonard had three young boys, Bill, John, and Jim, who were to spend many summers at the house.

  When Don bought Estemere, there was very little furniture in the house, as previous owners had carried off, and auction houses had sold, most of the more valuable pieces. In the spring of 1965, the new owner had a crew repairing the property; the plans included

  restoration of the house and grounds, repair of the long-unused lawn fountain, restoration of the artworks that grace the grounds and redecorating.[153]

  On 21 May, Estemere was one of several buildings open to the public for the Palmer Lake-Monument “Old and New Home Tour.” Tickets cost $1.00. Less than a month later, the Palmer Divide was hit by a tremendous wind and rain storm, with many tornados spouts touching down. The violent storm toppled big trees, destroyed the Palmer Lake water system in the reservoir canyon, and heavily damaged some houses in town. One tornado apparently became a waterspout by picking up water from the nearby lake. It dumped its water on Sundance Mountain, which caused water and mud to pour down into Estemere. Jim Leonard recalled that the water and debris collapsed the Kitchen floor and heavily damaged the entire northern part of the house. Suddenly, the value of Leonard’s investment and the future of the mansion seemed in jeopardy.

  The deluge washed an eight to ten foot mound of decomposed granite gravel against the back wall of the Kitchen, filled the basement with mud and water, and deposited 12 inches of mud on the floor of the Kitchen, family room, and the Dining Room. The Music-Room floor between the Parlor and the Billiard Room collapsed. Oral history relates that fish and frogs, picked up from the lake, were found in the house and rocks were on the roof.

  The dining table’s legs still show the high water mark—12 inches!

  In the immediate aftermath of the flood, crews from the Air Force Academy brought up tanks of drinking water for the town and helped to clean up and remove some of the gravel from Estemere’s premises.

  Don Leonard’s law firm had an office in Denver, so he was able to spend much of the summer at Estemere, whil
e commuting to work in Denver. The Leonard boys worked around Estemere. They built rock retaining walls behind Estemere, worked on the grounds, painted, and helped with projects inside the house. Their father paid them for their efforts. Don himself did not do physical work on the property; he was the idea man, the planner, while Joan was interested in antique furniture and selected a lot of furniture for the house. A pool table was brought from Lincoln. [What happened to the pool table Doris Sharkey recalled in 1964?] Having seen the original lions (which were removed to Eben Smith’s mausoleum at the Fairmount Cemetery in Denver) in early photographs of Estemere, the Leonards purchased a pair of metal lions in New Orleans. The family returned to Lincoln at the end of every August so the boys could resume their schooling.

  Staff from the county assessor’s office visited Estemere several times during the next few years to see how the repairs were proceeding. They noted that only 25 percent of the house, and six rooms, were usable in June 1967; repair work was continuing very slowly. Early in 1968 the assessor’s office noted

  ½ story unfit for occupancy, 5 G [ground?] and 8 [?] FLR (floor) RMS (rooms) complete (1308 square feet) except for flooring and being lived in. No B [basement?] since only 1 ½ story, poor condition, the rest of [ground floor] unfinished.

  Improvements to the house were valued at $13,077 in June 1969 and $20,783 in September 1971. The county assessor confirmed that all of the 1965 flood damage at Estemere had been repaired by the end of September 1971. No additional value was recorded in early 1975 (when the value of the land was recorded at $12,125), so the “actual value” of the Estemere house and property at that time was $32,908.

  Don Leonard had a man come from England to repair the stained glass windows in the billiard room that his son, Jim, especially liked. The bust of Admiral Dewey had always been on its perch in that room. Jim remembered bats in the tower. The boys stayed in a bunkhouse in the Carriage House. Estemere was a great place for three boys to spend their teen-aged years. Jim Leonard said Estemere was his parents’ “labor of love.”

  The Leonards spent every Christmas at Estemere from 1969 to about 1985. Don would entertain his business partners and friends from Nebraska at Estemere. The boys had an annual party in July and invited friends from Lincoln. Some of them had helped build the rock retaining walls. Hence, the party was called “Rock Stars.” Bill Leonard bought a silk-screen apparatus to make designs for distinctive T-shirts; later “Estemere” T-shirts were made with a special silk-screen. The boys made friends with a biker gang that hung out in Monument; girls from the town came to join in the fun. There were softball games and other competitions.

  Leonard had hired a caretaker at Estemere in the early 1970s, who oversaw such projects as building a garage, installing a new furnace, and putting in a waterfall and fountain behind the house. About 1978, Vic Insko was hired as caretaker; he did not live on the grounds, but in a house above Estemere.

  Christmas at Estemere—Don Leonard and Son.[154]

  A “Rock Stars” Party?

  A Leonard son (?) and friend wearing Estemere T-shirts.

  Duane Hanson’s 1977 Photos

  In 1977, Duane Hanson, who lives across the street from Estemere on Thompson Place, took numerous photos of the interior of Estemere for an insurance quote he was preparing for Don Leonard. Duane graciously provided the photos to us to scan. These photos are a great pictorial study of how Estemere looked during the Leonard’s tenure. Due to the quantity of photos, and the need to display them with good resolution, they are included on the DVD.

  Don Leonard and Mid-America Investment Co.

  Don Leonard had established and become president of the Mid-America Investment Company in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July 1964. The purpose of the firm was to engage in a general contracting and building business by buying, selling, mortgaging, and leasing all types of real and personal property. Authorized capital stock was $10,000, and the firm’s attorneys worked at the law office where Leonard practiced. The notice of incorporation was published in February 1965, suggesting that Leonard may have had the idea of using company finances to begin renovating Estemere. Later, the firm developed and managed properties in Nebraska and other states.

  Mid-America Investment Co. became the legal owner of Estemere on 05 January 1973 when Don and Joan Leonard “sold” (i.e., transferred) the property to the firm. In November 1975, the Estemere property was put up as collateral for an $80,000 20-year loan (promissory note) Mid-America Investment Co. secured from a Denver bank. The company executed another deed of trust, again giving some of the Estemere property, but not the house itself, as security, in February 1979 in order to obtain a $52,500 20-year loan from a Denver savings and loan association. By this time, Don was engaged in a number of Nebraska development projects such as shopping centers.

  Plans for a Victorian Village at Estemere

  Leonard was always interested in theme parks like Disneyland, pioneer villages, and farmers’ markets. In 1979, he came up with the idea of constructing a “Knott’s Berry Farm East” development on a 40-acre tract southwest of Lincoln. The project would include woodland, a working orchard and truck-farm, and a country store. During the summer, students would sell honey and other products produced at the turn-of-the-century farm, while workers dressed in authentic historical garb would mill grain, press cider, and perform other traditional farm tasks. Leonard received the necessary zoning change, but it is not known whether this Nebraska farm project was completed and operated successfully. Joan had thought about establishing a doll museum at Estemere. A concrete proposal for Estemere surfaced in early 1980.

  Hi-Co, Mid-America, and Don Leonard

  Don Leonard had also incorporated the Hi-Co Development and Construction Company in Colorado. That firm, along with Mid-America Investment Co., proposed to develop a “Victorian Village” on the Estemere property in January 1980. The application for rezoning the property (signed by Victor Insko) elaborated on Leonard’s ideas:

  The concept would be to have a representative village of the late 1800’s with residents, out buildings, grounds, and shops typical of the period. The Grand Manor house [Estemere] and nursery displays would be available for tours, and shops would have products typical…of the era….

  It is…important that we begin now to provide for the orderly preservation and upkeep of this fine, historic property. At least twice before, Estemere has been in a state of desperate need for repairs.

  Since the extensive damage of the 1965 flood, the Estemere property and grounds have been restored almost in total with loving care and affection by the Leonard family and their friends. It is now time that the landscape and plants be given careful consideration, since many of the deciduous trees have long since passed their prime. There must be a long-range and effective plan for replacing those plants that have already had to be removed…. It is estimated that about one thousand trees and shrubs will have to be planted to restore the landscape….

  [W]e believe that this project could provide the thrust, with proper historic zoning of the central section of our town [Palmer Lake], for upgrading and restoring properties. We would like to join with other members of our community perhaps in forming a non-profit corporation called “Historic Palmer Lake Incorporated” which could serve as a vehicle to assist in the development overall in the community.[155]

  In its formal application for rezoning, the applicants gave specific examples of activities they envisioned for the Victorian Village:

  Tours, Cottage Industries of Jewelry making, Glass Blowing, Candle Making, Chandelier and Lighting, Art Gallery, Wrought Iron, Photography, Leaded Glass, Restaurant-Bar-Catering, Greenhouse…, Antique repairing-recovering-restoring-duplicating-display and sales, Cabinetry, Handi-crafts, Gunsmithing, Stove Shops, Toyshops, Miniatures, [and] Collectables….[156]

  The application asked that the current “high density residential” zoning for Estemere be changed to “planned use zone” that would allow commercial use of the property. A map of the proposed
Victorian Village showed that existing buildings on the property (cottage, carriage house, chapel, garage, and the Estemere mansion) would be retained. Added would be a 1½ story administration building; a section added to the carriage house for restrooms; three buildings for shops; a “twin towers” building; a play house and play yard; a native plant and wildlife garden; an orchard; a Victorian garden; a plant nursery; a greenhouse; a bowling green; two gazebos; a barbecue/kitchen; a gatehouse; and parking spaces for 157 vehicles.[157] The proposed new structures would add 33,880 square feet of buildings to the 9,704 square feet of existing buildings, while parking areas would take up 65,700 square feet, leaving 180,826 square feet for landscaped areas. Clearly this would be a commercial development the likes of which Palmer Lake had never seen, surrounding and including the “Crown Jewel”—Estemere—one of the oldest buildings of the town.