Colorado takes a unique approach to ensuring state history remains accessible through the years, and now Gunnison County’s own 19th-century landmark stands to benefit from statewide historic preservation efforts.
Colorado Preservation Incorporated named Gunnison County’s Hartman Castle to the 2026 list of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places. Added to the list alongside the castle were Bent’s Old Fort in Otero County, La Morada in Costilla County, Ordway Pharmacy in Crowley County and the Pearl Theater in Chaffee County.
Completed in 1894, Hartman Castle served as the home base for Alonzo and Annie Hartman in the early days of the burgeoning community. Annie designed significant portions of the castle and hosted Monday Afternoon Clubs there, which bled into women’s suffrage activism as well.
To Pamela Williams with the Hartman Castle Preservation Cooperation, it’s the legacy of people like Annie that makes Hartman Castle such a remarkable place.
“I think we can now tell the story in a more inclusive manner, where we’re involving what it was like for all the people – for the women, for the Native Americans, for the men, for the children. We can tell a more complete story,” she said.
She added Alonzo was considered a friend of Chief Ouray and often hosted the Ute leader and his wife, Chipeta, at the castle.
Breathing new life
There are multiple advantages to joining Colorado Preservation’s Most Endangered Places list. Colorado Preservation works with groups endeavoring to save old properties like the castle, and the organization has managed to support preservation efforts at 149 historic sites since 1997.
With funding that state-sanctioned gambling pours into the State Historic Fund, Colorado Preservation has effectively saved 57 of the 149 listed properties. Many of the properties remain active projects, and the organization continues to offer support even after properties are deemed to be saved.
“It’s different for every single endangered place,” said Katie Peterson, director of the endangered places program. One property in San Luis simply needed a new owner. Another, in the town of Fraser, required substantial repairs because it was caving in on itself.
To save Hartman Castle, the first step will involve purchasing the property from its private owners. The sale price currently sits at $675,000. But additional expenses associated with requirements like closing costs, insurance and installing security put the estimated total to save the castle at $740,000.
Williams said the nonprofit supporting the preservation has already raised approximately 84% of what it needs to save Hartman Castle.
The value of history
With help from Colorado Preservation, and the expectation that the castle will soon be eligible for additional grant funding, Williams said she hopes to use local resources to turn the old site into a new source of economic vitality for Gunnison County.
“We want this to be an economic driver for Gunnison,” said Williams. “We know it works. We just need to get there.”
Williams said heritage tourism in the United States is a $124 billion-per-year industry, with projections that it will grow to a $196 billion market by 2034. She pointed to historic preservation in nearby Pitkin and Crested Butte as positive economic opportunities. She said she hopes Hartman Castle can contribute to Gunnison County in the same way, and eventually galvanize other preservation efforts around town.
Per Williams, 90% of donations to preserve the castle have come from within the county, and 26 states have also sent contributions to the campaign. From nostalgia for the bygone days of the old west, to stories about Western Colorado University students once using the castle for legendary parties, to efforts that aim to diversify the lens through which history can be viewed, broad appeal spurs support for the campaign, Williams said.
“We have so many wonderful historic buildings in Gunnison County that could use some attention,” she said.
To support Hartman Castle, visit https://hartmancastle.org/product/online-donation/
Editor Bret Anne Serbin can be reached at editor@gunnisontimes.com
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