Grant–Humphreys Mansion in

Denver 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 ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, was built in 1902, in the Neoclassical style of architecture by Boal and Harnois, for

James Benton Grant James Benton Grant (January 2, 1848 – November 1, 1911) was an American mining engineer, Confederate soldier, and the List of Governors of Colorado, third Governor of Colorado from 1883 to 1885. He was born in Russell County, Alabama and died ...

following his one term as the third

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

(1883–1885). The house has been home to two families.

Grant history

Grant is best known for his role in the ore smelting industry, the first in

Leadville The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

, and then in Denver, where the Grant Smelting Company, located two miles northeast of downtown Denver, boasted the tallest furnace stack in the country and the third-largest in the world. Mr. Grant's wife, former

Mary Goodell Grant Mary Goodell Grant (; July 9, 1857 – April 12, 1941) was a prominent socialite and local Denver civic leader who was also the first lady of Colorado during the Colorado governorship of her husband James Benton Grant. Early life Born Mary Mattes ...

, was prominent in Denver society. She was a member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

and helped to found a home for destitute children. Following her husband's death in 1911, she continued to live in the house six more years, selling it in 1917 to Albert E. Humphreys.

Humphreys history

A.E. Humphreys is remembered as "The

Wildcatter A wildcatter is an individual who drills wildcat wells, which are exploration oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. Notable wildcatters include Glenn McCarthy, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., Mike Benedum, Joe Trees, Clem S. Clarke, ...

Deluxe" and the "King of the Wildcatters" for his successful discovery of oil in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. He was also well known for his philanthropic activities, which were shared by his wife, Alice. The couple came to Denver in 1898 with their two sons Ira and Albert E. Jr. Ira married Lucille Pattison, and they lived with the senior Humphreys in the house until the deaths of his parents. Ira was the mechanical genius of the family, while A.E. Jr. enjoyed the managerial side of the family oil business. Both young men were fascinated with airplanes and opened Denver's first commercial airport in 1918 at 26th Avenue and Oneida Street in North Park Hill, ten years prior to the Denver Municipal Airport that was eventually to become

Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado, from 1929 to 1995. It was a hub for Continental Airlines, the original Frontier Airlines, People Express, United Ai ...

. In 1919, Ira Boyd "Bumps" Humphreys formed the Curtiss-Humphreys Airplane Company. In 1941, Ira invented the Humphreys Spiral Concentrator, which was used extensively in the mining industry for the separation of minerals and heavy metals in low grade ores. And, in 1969, Ira and Albert were both inducted into the

Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame The Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame was established by the Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) in Denver, Colorado, USA, on November 11, 1969 for the State of Colorado. The original and first ten Colorado aviation pioneers were inducted ...

, which is located in the

Colorado Aviation Historical Society The Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) is located in Denver, Colorado and was founded in 1966. CAHS home is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The Society acquires, restores, preserves and provides for public display, aircr ...

's Heritage Hall at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, Colorado.

Curatorship

The

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 ...

took possession of the mansion, a bequest of the late Ira Boyd Humphreys, in 1976. The walls were originally covered in

damask Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

which fell into disrepair and has since been removed.

References

External links

Grant–Humphreys Mansion
History Colorado
Mining-Related Properties in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Colorado Historical Society, December 1, 2006

Denver Public Library blog entry about the Omaha & Grant Smelter smokestack demolition {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant-Humphreys Mansion Houses completed in 1902 Houses in Denver National Register of Historic Places in Denver History Colorado Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Neoclassical architecture in Colorado Governor of Colorado