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Olde Town Arvada Walking Tour
Historic Olde Town Arvada is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Follow along for a walking tour of several historic sites.
City of Arvada
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Olde Town Station/Plaza - G Line
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Arva-Pride Flour Mill
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Arvada Water Tower
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Grandview and Wadsworth Intersection
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The Arvada School
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Clear Creek Valley Grange
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Olde Town Square and Arvada Library
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Shrine of St Anne Catholic Church
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McIlvoy Park/House
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Oldest house in Olde Town Arvada
Olde Town Station/Plaza - G Line
This location is roughly the same location as the .04 Trolley which operated from 1902 to 1950 connecting Arvada to Golden in the west and downtown Denver to the east. Today, the Olde Town Station/Plaza is a robust hub for the G Line rail line that connects Arvada to Wheat Ridge to the west and Downtown Denver and beyond to the east.
Arva-Pride Flour Mill
Built in 1926 by workers using only hand tools, the flour mill was the brainchild of Eugene Benjamin who leased the land from the Colorado & Southern Railroad for $48 a year. He recognized that agriculture was a big industry in Arvada at that time and that building a flour mill next to a rail line would be a win-win for himself and the farmers, who then sold their grain to the flour mill. It operated as a mill until 1951 when the milling industry shifted to concrete silos along highways. The Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, renovated by the Arvada Historical Society and opened as a museum to the public.
Arvada Water Tower
Looking to the west is Arvada’s most recognizable and photographed landmark. The Olde Town Arvada Water Tower was built in 1910 as a water storage system to aid with the growing population: 840 at that time. When in use, it held 150,000 gallons of water. It was decommissioned in 1977 and fell into disrepair until the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority rescued and restored it, adding a pocket park and plaza beneath it. That, and the great views of the mountains, have made it a popular gathering place for weddings, picnics and photo opportunities. It also serves as a navigational tool marking the heart of Arvada for people unfamiliar with the area. In 2019 it was fitted with the latest generation of LED lights to reduce the energy usage and cost for lighting. The water tower lights are specially equipped for themed lighting and used to commemorate special events and holidays year round.
Grandview and Wadsworth Intersection
The intersection at Grandview and Wadsworth was bustling with commerce and activity! The intersection itself is noteworthy because, in 1941, the first electric traffic signal in all of Jefferson County was installed there!
Along the southeast corner (7530 Grandview Ave), known as the Fuller Block, was a bank, a hardware store and a grocery store. The bank opened in 1896 with $10,000! And the same building still houses a bank today!
Just across the street on the northeast corner is the A. L. Davis Block (7535 Grandview Ave.) - In 1916, A.L. Davis built the two-story building between Grandview and the alley to the north to house his Dodge Brothers and Chevrolet automobile sales and service business. He was the owner of the first automobile dealership in town. The building looks quite similar to how it did in 1916!
The Arvada School
In 1876, the first Arvada school was a frame one room schoolhouse and seated about 50. It was replaced by a brick school house, which seated 125 in 1882, and was used as a school until 1920 when it became a movie theater until the mid 1950s. In 2001, the building underwent extensive restoration and is now a popular bar and restaurant capitalizing on the schoolhouse theme! A fun fact is that during renovations, it was discovered that the original school face was hidden by a false storefront. When the original school face was restored, there was a great effort to locate and re-place the plaster “T” above the door, which had been removed and stored offsite.
Clear Creek Valley Grange
Built in 1874, this building is the oldest remaining building in Olde Town Arvada. It is also the second oldest grange hall in the United States. The hall was used for Grange and other community activities until the mid-1960s. Since then it has changed hands and purposes a few times.
Olde Town Square and Arvada Library
The northeast corner of 57th Avenue and Wadsworth Blvd. housed the J. W. Metz Lumber Company. In 1960, a terrible fire destroyed the building. The fire was so intense that it was feared the entire business section south of it would be destroyed. Fire departments from Broomfield, Golden, Lakewood, Prospect Valley, Westminster, Wheat Ridge and Southwest Adams County helped the Arvada Volunteer Fire Department fight the fire. The site became a parking lot for many years and was eventually redeveloped into the Old Town Square for use as a community hub, which now hosts festivals, the interactive fountain and a farmers market in the summer, the annual lighting of the holiday tree and ice skating rink in the winter, and picnic areas year ‘round.
The northwest corner at 57th and Webster was the site of the very first King Soopers grocery store in Colorado opened in 1947. The location now houses the Arvada Library, which opened in 2006 and will soon be undergoing renovations to meet the continued growing needs of the community.
Shrine of St Anne Catholic Church
Built in 1922 by a 50 member parish and has been a Catholic church since its inception. The church bell still rings every day at noon.
McIlvoy Park/House
Built in 1897 by Dennis and Clemency McIlvoy, this residence was surrounded by beautiful gardens. In 1919, after Dennis’s death, Clemency donated her home and grounds to the town of Arvada with three stipulations: land must become a park, must always be used for public purposes, and NO ALCOHOL. Became the first park in Arvada’s now robust parks system boasting 100 plus parks.
Oldest house in Olde Town Arvada
This was the home of one of Arvada’s founding fathers, B.F. Wadsworth. The house was built in 1874 and is the oldest remaining house in Olde Town Arvada. It long served as home and practice for early Arvada doctors, including Dr. Richard Russell, who was highly instrumental in passing the 1904 Articles of Incorporation, served as Arvada’s first mayor, was the director of the First National Bank, was president of the Arvada School Board AND was an officer of the Arvada Chamber of Commerce! Today, the building is home to commercial space.
If you are interested in a more comprehensive tour which includes dates, names and styles of architecture, contact the Arvada Historical Society 303-431-1261. Tours are given by appointment.
Photographs used in this walking tour are courtesy of their owners to include Arvada Historical Society and City of Arvada.