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Collins Block

Collins Block – Aspen Lumber and Supply
A two-story brick building on a street corner seen from the opposite corner. It is lit by the sun from the right. At the street the sidewalk is sheltered by a roof supported by round white columns; the building's exterior there is faced in rough stone. Medium-sized trees are planted along the street. At the flat roofline is a wide black and white cornice; in the background at right is a wooded mountaintop.
North and west elevations, 2010
A map of Colorado in light yellow showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County, in the west central region of the state.
A map of Colorado in light yellow showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County, in the west central region of the state.
A map of Colorado in light yellow showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County, in the west central region of the state.
A map of Colorado in light yellow showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County, in the west central region of the state.
Location within Colorado
Location 204 S. Mill St.,
Aspen, Colorado
Coordinates 39°11′22″N 106°49′9″W / 39.18944°N 106.81917°W / 39.18944; -106.81917Coordinates: 39°11′22″N 106°49′9″W / 39.18944°N 106.81917°W / 39.18944; -106.81917
Built 1891–93
Architectural style Victorian, Neoclassical
MPS Aspen MRA
NRHP reference # 87000191
Added to NRHP March 6, 1987

The Collins Block is a historic commercial building located at 204 South Mill Street in Aspen, Colorado. It is a brick and stone structure erected in the early 1890s.

It was the last major construction project in the city before the silver-mining industry, mainstay of Aspen's economy, collapsed following the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The classically inspired decorative touches, such as a colonnade-supported roof over the sidewalk and an elaborate cornice, are the only ones on a commercial building in the city. They anticipate the wider embrace of the Classical Revival style in other cities that began a few years later.

For much of its existence it housed a lumber supply store. Local developer Harley Baldwin, owner of the neighboring Brand Building, bought it in 1988. After renovations, he began leasing space within the buildings to upscale retailers, earning the two the combined nickname of "Gucci Gulch". The Caribou Club, a members-only restaurant and Aspen institution, is located in the basement.

The building is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of East Hopkins Avenue and South Mill Street. Other commercial structures, historic and modern, fill the built-out blocks. To the immediate east is the Brand Building, with Aspen City Hall on the opposite far corner. Both are listed on the Register. At the south end of the opposite block of Mill is another listed building, the Wheeler Opera House, opposite a pedestrian mall.

Like most of its neighbors (except the Wheeler), the Collins Block is two stories high. The north frontage, along East Hopkins, is five bays long with the western facade seven. Rusticated sandstone, interrupted by several storefronts and a recessed corner entrance with column, faces the first floor on both sides. A flat wooden roof extends out to cover the sidewalk on both sides, supported by smooth round wooden Tuscan columns.


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