H.S. Leach House

The H.S. Leach house, 2596 W. Alamo, c. July 1904. The girls are Merle Phillips, age 15 (later Mrs. Ernest Montgomery), and Thelma Phillips, age 12 (later Mrs. Myron Dietter).

he H.S. Leach House, located at 2596 W. Alamo Avenue, is a picturesque Victorian cottage constructed in 1889 by early Littleton resident, Hiram Leach. Hiram was a miller and stockbroker who worked at the Rough and Ready Flour Mill. An item in the Littleton Gazette, February 22, 1889, stated: "Mr. H.S. Leach has his dwelling house on Malinda Street about ready to move into. The gentleman has shown good taste in the arrangement of the rooms which are all handsomely finished on the inside and there are many items that are necessary to the convenience of a model house."

The Leach House is considered one of the best-preserved homes in Littleton and it is a fine example of a Queen Anne styled cottage. A multi-colored exterior was common in this style of home. The one story house has a large front gable with ornamentation that conceals the roof timbers. Fish scale siding on parts of the house adds decoration. There is a sunburst design over the porch that was common during the time it was constructed, and dentils under the eaves. Queen Anne styling often mixed features of other styles, and the rounded front windows of the home borrow from the Italianate style. The Queen Anne cottage was typically a small house built without hallways and with a small vestibule. The halls were not necessary in the Leach House since central heating was available at the time, provided by a boiler in the basement with simple vents leading through the floors. Inside the house, the door hinges are made of brass with a scroll design. The attic was finished at a later date. A stone foundation provides stability to the house.

The Leach house, c. 2001

Hiram and Sarah Leach lived in their home for fifteen years. A noteworthy event took place in 1897 when the first meeting of the Littleton Women's Club occurred at the house. Hiram Leach was active in local politics, serving as one of Littleton's first trustees in 1890. He was also a longtime member of the Weston Masonic Lodge and served on a committee to form Littleton's first volunteer fire company.

Hiram Leach sold his home to William and Mamie Phillips in 1903. The Phillips family kept the house until 1957, when it was sold to Mary O. Pool, who rented out several of the rooms. Mary Pool sold the home in 1975 and it has had several owners since that time. Attorney Michael Bahr is the current owner and uses the house as office space. Over the years several changes were made to the home, including the addition of a garage, a sunroom and a bathroom. The Leach House has been designated a Littleton Historic Landmark for its significance to the history of Littleton and its unique Queen Anne style.

Bibliography

Littleton (Colo.) Independent. The Littleton Independent Publishers, 1888-

Littleton Historical Museum. Vertical File.

Photographs courtesy of the Littleton Historical Museum, unless otherwise noted; to order copies, contact the Museum at 303-795-3950.

Compiled by Rebecca Dorward
Edited by Phyllis Larison and Lorena Donohue

Updated January 2004