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Alan Berney Fisher (1905, Denver 1978) was an American architect based in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, working primarily for the firm of
Fisher & Fisher Fisher & Fisher was an architectural firm based in Denver, Colorado named for partners William Ellsworth Fisher (1871–1937) and Arthur Addison Fisher (1878–1965). The firm was founded in 1892 by William Ellsworth Fisher as William Fisher, A ...
founded by his father. He was active in
historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
in the state. In 1892, the firm that became Fisher and Fisher was founded by Alan Fisher's father, William Ellsworth Fisher. In 1907 the firm became "Fisher and Fisher" when William's brother, Arthur Addison Fisher, joined and it continued until Alan Fisher's death in 1978. Throughout the firm worked on dozens of notable buildings. Of 67 existing buildings in Denver credited to the Fisher firm, 50 are individually listed, within districts, or have been determined eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
; three quarters of the firm's identifiable remaining work in the city. This makes this architectural firm's legacy unsurpassed by any other in Colorado. Rodney Davis was part of the firm for 11 years beginning in 1956, after which Alan Fisher partnered with John D. Reece and Hillary M. Johnson until his death in 1978.Architects by Design, p. 2. Among his own designs are the Ship Tavern in the Brown Palace Hotel, a nautical-themed
pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
that he designed in celebration of the
repeal of Prohibition The repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933. Background In 1919, the requisite number of state legislatures ratified the Eig ...
and the Sisters of Charity Postulate chapel in the Seton Center. Becoming active in historic preservation, Alan Fisher was a founding member of the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission in 1967, and its chairman from 1970 to 1973. He renovated the
Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...
in
Central City, Colorado The historic City of Central, commonly known as Central City, is a home rule municipality located in Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, Colorado, United States. Central City is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gilpin County. ...
, recreating the musician's gallery it had originally had. Fisher was an alumnus of the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
. He married the sculptor Gladys Caldwell Fisher in 1936.Elizabeth Schlosser, ''Modern Sculpture in Denver (1919–1960): Twelve Denver Sculptors'', Documents of Colorado art, Denver: Ocean View, 1995, , p. 39.


References


Further reading

*Site Files Database, Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation,
Colorado Historical Society History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado un ...
, Denver. *Student, Annette L. (1999) Historic
Cheesman Park Cheesman Park is an urban park and neighborhood located in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States. Geography Cheesman Park is located in central Denver, southeast of downtown. The Park has inexact borders, as it is framed on three ...
Neighborhood. Denver: Historic Denver Inc. . *Wilk, Diane. (1995) Wyman Historic District. Denver: Historic Denver Inc. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Alan 1905 births 1978 deaths Architects from Denver Modernist architects Organic architecture Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Preservationist architects 20th-century American architects 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers