Did you know?
Eugene Groves had a unique relationship with Charles Boettcher, who was fasicnated with the use of concrete in home construction because of his Ideal Cement Company. Ideal Cement was used in several other cutting-edge structures, including the Boettcher Conservatory at the Botanic Gardens.
The Holland House, Denver's Newest Landmark
On August 16th, 2010 Denver City Council unanimously approved the designation of the Holland House in the University Park Neighborhood as an individual landmark, protecting it from demolition in perpetuity.
The Landmark application for this property was prepared by Historic Denver intern Annalise Kehler with help from Historic Denver staff Alice Gilbertson and Historic Denver Board Member Rosemary Stoffel. Historic Denver would like to thank the home's current owner, Shirley Kenneally, for her desire to complete the designation process and for the care she has given this important Denver landmark.
In the 1930s, architect Eugene Groves constructed four concrete houses using a building technique he patented in 1937 (see Fig 1), the Holland House (1932/1933), the Sherman House (1935), the Nordlund House (1938), and 1350 Ivy St. (1941). The system utilized pre-cast concrete studs and beams, concrete slab floors, and concrete stucco over wire mesh walls. This patented technique eliminated the need for wooden structural members. His goal in this invention was to design for “simplicity, economy, and efficiency.” Groves established the Concreter Corporation to build structures using his patented system. His goal in constructing these homes was to demonstrate how concrete could be used to create simple, low cost, efficient, durable, and fireproof buildings. Each home has a variety of built-in concrete cabinets and cubbyholes. Even kitchen countertops, tables, seating, and bed units were made of reinforced concrete. The Holland House was the first of these unique structures to be built and the first to be designated an individual landmark.
Mary Holland: The First Owner
Mrs. Holland, the original owner of the home, was born in Albion, Michigan on August 18, 1874. She began her career teaching in Albion and Detroit, and moved to Denver in 1911. Although she is most known for her work with Colorado’s underprivileged children, she was devoted to the cause of welfare for most of her life.
Before she moved to Colorado, Mrs. Holland married Daniel G. Holland of England, and had two children, William Yates Holland, born in 1906, and Hester Holland, born in 1904. It is unclear whether or not Mr. Holland came along to Colorado with the rest of his family. Census records from 1910 indicated Mr. Holland as the head of the household in Michigan, and Census records from 1920 indicated Mrs. Holland as the head of the household in Denver at a day nursery, with no mention of Mr. Holland. By 1930, Census records indicated Mrs. Holland as divorced, and living at 1331 E. 14th Ave. with her two children.
When Mrs. Holland first came to Colorado she was involved in the establishment of the Craig Colony, a treatment center for tuberculosis patients. She also had a hand in organizing the Garfield Community Center as well as the Lincoln Park and Auraria Community Centers.
During World War I, she became a case worker in the Home Service section of the Red Cross, and was later named head resident of the Social Center Day Nursery. She later organized the Colorado Child Welfare Bureau, and became its first executive secretary.
When the Colorado Child Welfare Bureau was abolished, the Colorado Children’s Aid Society was incorporated in 1923. Mrs. Holland was also the first executive secretary of the Colorado Children’s Aid Society. She spent over 20 years there until her retirement in 1946. Under her leadership the society became a charter member of the Child Welfare League of America, and many of her friend’s homes became the first foster homes of Colorado.
Mrs. Holland also helped with the organization of the University of Denver School of Social Work. In 1938, Dean Peck’s Training School for Girls, located at 6925 E. 8th Ave., was renamed the Holland Hall for Girls in her honor. It has since been demolished.
In 1956, Mrs. Holland passed away, and the complete chain of ownership from 1956-1967 remains unclear. In 1967 the home passed to its current owner who has lovingly cared for it for over 40 years.
The Architect: Eugene Groves
The architect/builder of 2340 S., Josephine, Eugene G. Groves, was born February 9, 1882 in Dana, Indiana. He graduated from high school in Dana in 1900. While working as a bookkeeper for Overland Automobile Co. in Terre Haute, Indiana, he won a national design contest which awarded him a scholarship to study architecture at Harvard University. Groves practiced in New York and Gary, Indiana before his health prompted him to move to New Mexico, and later to Denver in 1914. It is said that while in New Mexico, he was exposed to Pueblo architecture, which later influenced some of his work in Colorado. It is also said that his struggle with tuberculosis prompted him to include outdoor patios and connections to fresh air and natural light in his residences.
Between 1915 through 1950, Groves developed an association with Colorado State University, where he designed numerous buildings and additions on the Fort Collins Campus including Ammons Hall (1922), the Military Science Building (1927), Johnson Hall (1936), and the Student Services Building (1948). During the Depression era, Groves was commissioned to do several projects funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) program, which was part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The New Deal programs were developed to provide relief to the destitute of America during the Depression. The PWA was one of the programs established under the New Deal in order to create jobs for workers in the building trades and construction supplies industries. The Akron Gymnasium (1938) in Washington County is one of the most recognizable examples of his work done during that time. Another recognizable building designed by Groves is the 1937 Johnson’s Corner gas station in Longmont. It is a unique Art Deco building made of poured, cast, and reinforced concrete. It is thought that the building was mentioned in Jack Kerouac’s book “On the Road.” During the 1940s and 1950s Johnson’s Corner was known as an eatery willing to serve all races in a time when most Longmont restaurants displayed “white trade only” signs in their windows. In December 1936 Groves submitted a patent application for a concrete construction technique that replaced wooden structural members with pre-formed concrete structural members. The construction system was patented June 15, 1937. He also created the Concreter Corporation in order to construct buildings using his patented system. According to some sources, Groves had a relationship with Denver industrialist and owner of Ideal Cement Company, Charles Boettcher. It is said that Boettcher would occasionally show up at Groves’ worksites and observe the construction process.
Groves was a member of the American Institutes of Architects, the Colorado Consistory and the El Jebel Shrine. He practiced in Denver for over 50 years. He died in October of 1967 at the Park Central Nursing Home, and was buried in Dana, Indiana.
Although Groves designed a number of educational and municipal buildings, the four residences (including 2340 S. Josephine) he designed in the 1930s and 1940s showcase his impressive use of concrete. Each house was built using his patented concrete construction system, and three of the four houses incorporated the recognizable concrete domes. Groves’ use of concrete in these residences was impressive because he managed to give it a warm, soft, and sculptural feel as opposed to a cold, sterile, and angular feel.
Around the same time Groves was studying architecture at Harvard, in 1906, Thomas Edison came up with the concept for an all-concrete house. He said “they would be fireproof, insect-proof, [and] easy to clean.” His idea was to make everything from “shingles to bathtubs to picture frames” out of a monolith of cast-concrete. Edison’s concrete homes were known as a failure, being difficult to build, ugly, and having extreme leaking issues. It is not clear if Edison’s concrete home concept had any influence on Groves’ use of concrete in the design of his single family residences in Denver, but he managed to successfully accomplish what Edison had attempted to do several decades earlier.
The House
In 1938, 2340 S. Josephine was featured in the Homes of the West magazine article titled “A Low Mileage House in Denver.” It describes the home as a collaboration between Mrs. Holland and Groves, in which she asked him to design a house for her “that would at the end of the professional day be a haven of beauty, comfort and convenience.” Groves took that request and produced the design of a house that would “ensure economy and permanency” by designing the house as efficiently as possible and using concrete in its construction.
This unique, single-story concrete home features 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and is 1,667 square feet. It sits on four lots, and is set back nearly 27’ from the street. The exterior of the house is covered in grey stucco, and the front façade has a small covered stoop approximately 3’ x 9’4” in size. The front door is framed by two concrete fluted pilasters, and the dome and chimney are visible from the street. The garden and outdoor patio are located at the back at the house. Outdoor living was important to Groves because of his experience with tuberculosis. The patio area is covered in natural stone, and features an awning for shade and a staircase leading to a roof top deck. There is one basement window facing the patio that has been replaced due to deterioration.
On the interior of the house there are three public rooms, the dining room and the sunroom, which are both under the main roof, and the living room, which is under the domed ceiling. The dining room features a very unique textured ceiling, a built-in telephone cove, and several built-in drawers and china hutches. The sunroom has east, south, and west facing divided light metal casements. It also features a slightly vaulted ceiling with a hand painted wooden inlay pattern. The living room is 14’ X 20’ in size. The dome over the living room is oval in shape and tiered.
The kitchen, or “food laboratory,” according to Groves, was designed to be efficient and compact. The cabinets were made of reinforced concrete. They originally had stainless steel doors and drawer fronts, but have since been replaced with wood. The original counter tops were linoleum, but have since been replaced with tile in the 1980s. Even details like built-in coves for salt and pepper shakers were thought out by Groves in the design of the kitchen. Although some of the surfaces in the kitchen have been updated, the majority of the space remains largely intact.
In the private area of the house there is a sitting room, dressing room, and a “health sleeping unit.” Groves’ “health sleeping unit” is a built- in cove made of reinforced concrete. It is large enough to accommodate a twin sized bed, and features a large operable window space complete with metal shutters so that fresh air and natural light could be controlled. The unit also includes built-in book shelves at the head and foot of the bed, and pull out drawers under the bed. There are two pocket doors that can be pulled together to close off the unit from the rest of the dressing room area in the colder months.
