Husung Hardware
a.k.a. 5AL246
625 Main St., Alamosa, COHusung Hardware meets criterion C for its architectural significance as it possesses the distinctive characteristics of Art Deco, a style not well represented in Alamosa County or in other small towns across Colorado. The building's terra cotta-clad façade is highlighted with hard-edged low-relief ornamentation that includes chevrons, volutes, and stylized sunrises. The elongated pilasters that culminate in the stepped parapet successfully convey the vertical emphasis that is also characteristic of the Art Deco style. Occupying only a small lot in Alamosa (population approximately 8,000), this well-preserved building is considered one of the best small-town expressions of Art Deco in the state.
By the late 1920s, new stylistic influences emanating from Europe impacted American architecture. Art Deco was "the first widely popular style in the United States to break with the revivalist traditions represented by the beaux-arts and period houses. It was a style that consciously strove for modernity and an artistic expression to complement the machine age" (Poppeliers et al). Art Deco is characterized by a linear hard-edged or angular composition, often with a vertical emphasis, and highlighted with stylized decoration (Blumensen). Art Deco was essentially a style of decoration that was applied to furniture, jewelry, clothing, handicrafts, as well as architecture.
As a conscious rejection of historical styles and a popular form of ornamentation, Art Deco flourished in America's larger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami Beach. The most elaborate examples of the style in Colorado are found predominantly in the state's largest cities (i.e., De Colorado Springs). Most of Colorado's small town buildings characterized as Art Deco exhibit a simple form with understated verticality and restrained ornamentation. There are some exceptions to this trend-- most notably the 1932 Chaffee County Courthouse in Salida and the 1931 Gunnison Town Hall. However, both of these examples are public buildings, while Husung Hardware represents a commercial application of the style. A search of the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) database illustrates an interesting pattern. In Colorado's small towns, the Art Deco style was most often reserved for courthouses, municipal buildings, and schools; the style was less frequently used for commercial buildings. Husung Hardware's intact terra cotta facade with its characteristic stylized detailing makes this building a well-preserved example of the Art Deco style. An analysis of the OAHP database indicates Husung Hardware is one of the best small-town expressions of Art Deco identified to date.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.