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

by Edwards, Daniel

  [144] Extension Agreement between Helen T. Dees and J.H. Smith, 22 December 1954, Book 1473, p. 633, EPCCO.

  [145] Interview with Robert Gotwals of Palmer Lake, 31 August 2008.

  [146] “Historic Old Palmer Lake Ranch House Being Razed,” Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, 24 August 1958.

  [147] Minutes of the Town Council of Palmer Lake, Record Book 4, p. 331.

  [148] CSG, 15 May 1960, p x. A shorter piece appeared in Denver’s Cervi’s Journal, 25 May 1960, p. 40.

  [149] CSG, 15 May 1960, p. x.

  [150] “Articles of Incorporation of Estemere, Inc.,” Secretary of State Daily Recordings, Corporation Records, Roll 31A, Colorado State Archives.

  [151] Ibid. p. 1.

  [152] “Sterling Dryden Palmer Lake Man Died Thursday,” CSG, 01 September 1962, p. 6 and “Palmer Lake Man Dies At Home,” The Free Press, 31 August 1962, p. 16.

  [153] “Famed Palmer Lake Mansion Renovated,” RMN, 28 February 1965.

  [154] Photos found in a drawer at Estemere in 1999.

  [155] Letter from Victor Insko, Mid-America Investment Company, 08 January 1980, Estemere File, PLTO.

  [156] Attachment to Application for Rezoning, Mid America Investment Co., 11 January 1980, PLTO.

  [157] “Victorian Village, Palmer Lake, Colorado,” prepared by Rudy Woodruff, landscape architect/planner, 11 January 1980.

  [158] “Village plan splits Palmer Lake,” CSG, 17 March 1980.

  [159] Ibid.

  [160] “Palmer Lake Residents Air Pros and Cons of Victorian Village Project,” El Paso County Tribune, 20 March 1980.

  [161] “Record of Proceedings, 31 March 1980,” PLTO.

  [162] “Estemere Plan Gets Approval,” Tribune (Monument, CO), 03 April 1980.

  [163] “Community volunteer moves on,” Tribune, 25 June 1998.

  [164]“Estemere, an Amendment to the Existing PUD Plan of Estemere, Consolidation and Restoration of Estemere Mansion and Grounds,” George and Mary Henson, 27 September 1994, PLTO.

  [165] Planning Commission Workshop, 19 October 1994, PLTO.

  [166] “Commission kills Estemere proposal,” Tribune, 03 November 1994.

  [167] Town Council Regular Meeting Board of Trustees, Thursday, 03 November 1994, PLTO. “Plan to refurbish Estemere bites the dust—for now,” CSG, 08 November 1994.

  [168] Letter from Bud Ford to the Mayor and Council of Palmer Lake,” 07 December 1994, PLTO.

  [169] “Estemere still alive,” Tribune, 08 December 1994.

  [170] Planning CommissionWorkship Notes, 14 December 1994, PLTO.

  [171] “Estemere up for grabs,” Tribune, 17 August 1995.

  [172] Letter from Jim L. Peterson to Chuck Jones, 02 February 1996, PLTO.

  [173] Letter and attached drawing from Dan Fraley to the Town of Palmer Lake, 13 February 1996, PLTO.

  [174] Record of Proceedings [Palmer Lake Planning Commission], 24 October 1996, PLTO.

  [175] Letter from the Town of Palmer Lake to James L. Peterson, 15 November 1996, PLTO.

  [176] Application for Registration of Trademark or Servicemark, 03 May 1997, Colorado Secretary of State.

  [177] “Landmark mansion for sale in Palmer Lake,” Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, 05 February 1996.

  [178] Untitled [?] piece copyrighted by Freedom Newspapers, Inc., 31 August 1997.

  [179] The structure of Estamere I occupies the lower right-hand corner of Block 50 of the 27 November 1883 plat of Palmer Lake signed by William Finley Thompson and William A. Bell.

  [180] RMN, 09 July 1888, p. 5.

  [181] Daniel W. Edwards, Dr. William Finley Thompson: Dental Surgeon and Founder of Palmer Lake, Woodbridge, VA, 2008, pp. 12, 15, 16, 28.

  [182] Denver Republican, 01 January 1889.

  [183] RMN, 09 July 1899, p. 12.

  [184] Pitts, The Estemere Estate of Palmer Lake 1887-1999, places the removal of ½ of the Carriage House in 1950, but there is evidence that Blietz removed it in 1947.

  [185] Personal conversation with Don, Gail, and David Blietz 15 Aug 2002. They supplied this photo as proof of the house’s existence.

  [186] Several of the next photos were provided by Winnie Metzler.

  [187] “Estemere Mansion Dignified Relic,” Colorado Springs Free Press, 01 December 1963, pp. 5-6.

  [188] This and other details below are taken from the Free Press article of 01 December 1963.

  [189] CSG 04 May 1946.

  [190] We have not been able to trace this book.

  [191] Source: El Paso County Treasurer or Assessor’s Office. There is not necessarily any direct or constant relationship between the assessed value of a property and its market value. The assessed value did not include the value of the furnishings of a house, although sometimes an additional figure for “personal property” was recorded.

  [192] Market value refers to what a person is willing to pay for a property and what the buyer is willing to accept at a specific point in time.

  [193] The value of real estate for Lots 50-52 in the original plat of the Town of Palmer Lake was $895. No entries appear for value of personal property. However, the land on which the Glen House and other buildings on Lot 53 stood was valued at $3,550, suggesting that one entry combined the values of the land and any structures thereon.

  [194] The value of Lots 50-52 was $945.

  [195] This would reflect the value of the completed Estamere III.

  [196] See footnote 3 above. Perhaps Eben Smith disputed the assessment amount and got it reduced.

  [197] Kim and Roger Ward report they paid $700,00 for Estemere and spent over $2,000,000 in renovating and restoring Estemere from 1998 to 2010, not including “time-value-of money,” nor insurance, utilities, or taxes.

  [198] QCD=quit claim deed; Rls TD=release of trust deed (upon full payment); TD=trust deed; WD=warranty deed. Note: This table may not be entirely accurate and is not intended to be a legal land title document.

  [199] The true amount of the property transaction is often not shown in earlier years. Today there is a legal requirement that the deed contain the actual amount of the transaction.

  [200] Refers to the book and page number of the document. Microfilm reels are in the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, Colorado Springs, Colorado.