Mary Elizabeth (Hocker) Williams founded this subdivision in 1892 on behalf of herself and her three children. Her husband Leander was a true pioneer, arriving in Denver just a few months after the city was formed. He established the city's first sawmill, and homesteaded 160 acres near Cherry Creek.
Leander moved to the Arkansas Valley in the 1860s to working on freighting and stock raising. There he met and married the Indiana-born Miss Hocker. The couple returned to Denver in the 1870s and soon had three children. But Leander died in 1884, leaving Mary responsible for the family and, ultimately, the founding of the subdivision which would become her family's most lasting achievement.
"Williams Driving Park Addition" honored not only the family but also the tradition of horseracing in the area. In the 1870s, Gentlemen's Driving and Riding Club provided space for wealthy to ride, race, dine, and gamble. After the club's 1882 bankruptcy, however, little remained of "fast living" in this area, save the remnants of a horse stable still visible at 461 Humboldt Street.
Flowery Growth
The devastating Panic of 1893 curtailed development until 1901, when Nellie Ludlow Flower purchased all of Block 21. It wasn't unusual for women to own property, as they shielded the financial interests of their husbands. That was certainly true in this case, as John Sebastian Flower was one of Denver's most powerful real estate men.
As two-time head of the Denver Real Estate Exchange and a close friend of fellow realtor Robert Speer, Flower supported Speer's political ambitions. He also served as a civic leader in his own right, as member of the planning board, civil service commission, and director of Clayton College. His impact on Denver can still be seen in the imposing Pioneer Monument at the corner of Colfax and Broadway and the Greek columns in Civic Center Park, both of which he helped to erect.
Most important for this history, Flowers was also directly responsible for the construction of 493 Franklin Street. On November 16, 1903, he requested two building permits: one for 493 Franklin and a second for 472 Humboldt. Though the homes were not mirror images of each other, both would be built by contractor W B Brown.
With an estimated cost of $3000, 493 Franklin was more expensive than the ordinary Denver Square. The builder would likely have taken special efforts to please the local realty kingpin, painstaking designing the built-in shelves and cabinets that now grace this the spacious brick residence.
The home was built slowly. It wasn't until June 15, 1904 that they were ready to connect to the city's water supply. At 2:30 pm on that date, the tap was completed and the house was finally habitable.
Rental Times
With only 3 homes on the block, early years at 493 Franklin must have felt more like a country estate than a stolid city tenement. Nevertheless, the home was not immediately occupied by its owners, and instead served as a rental unit for the first dozen years of its existence.
The first male owner of the property was Walter Songster, who from 1907-1914 used the investment at 493 Franklin to supplement his work as a travelling salesman. Seven years later, he sold the property to Minnie Triplitt, who retained it for just one year.
William Robert Torbert bought the home in late 1915, perhaps because he enjoyed the area. Working in loans and later as a travelling salesman, Torbert lived with his wife and two children first at 719 Franklin and then later at 638 Franklin. Unfortunately, he would achieve more fame in 1942 as president of National Savol oil company, when he was accused of "cheating and swindling, false pretenses and
Notes from Denver Assessor's inspection of 493 Franklin Street (1949-63)
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confidence game." Prosecutors charged that he defrauded investors out of $45,000 by persuading them to accept stocks in his own company which "was and is no value whatsoever."
493 Franklin was certainly of value, however, when Torbert sold the property in March 1916 for $6000, nearly double its original value. Such appreciation was far out of line with the generally-flat real estate market, and one wonders whether this deal or Torbert's re-purchase of the property three months later for the same price was truly on the up and up.
Roaring 20s
Three months later in August 1916, for the reported price of $1835, Esther Florence (Hillman) Gaumer became the home's newest female owner. Like earlier residents, her husband was a financial mover-and-shaker. After starting out from Ohio and working as a teacher in Kansas, Wilbur Banker Gaumer relocated to Texas in 1910, where he lived up to his name as president of Midfield Savings Bank.
W B, Esther, and their children Phoebe and John (ages 10 and 1, respectively) became the first owner-occupants at 493 Franklin, where they lived for nearly 20 years. The 1930 census revealed the upper middle class nature of their neighborhood. As Gaumer was selling real estate, 479 Franklin was owned by a proprietor of a dry goods store, 473 Franklin was headed by a lawyer, and 471 Franklin was home to a railroad agent.
Despite solid financial credentials in the neighborhood, the Great Depression hit the nation hard, and by 1936, the Colorado National Bank had to foreclose on 493 Franklin. Yet Gaumer seems to have landed on his feet, moving out to Alamosa to sell insurance and develop real estate. In fact, a short street in western Alamosa honors a familiar name, as it is called"W B Gaumer Street."
Re-Rentership
After the Gaumers left town, the home returned to its rental past. Owners Raymond and Marjorie M Newell, David and Amy Main, and Thomas and Marjorie W Fletcher all leased 493 Franklin from 1937-1966.
Given the rarity of home ownership at the time, this use wasn't terribly unusual. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, especially, 20% of the homes on the block were rentals.
The renters at 493 Franklin weren't single men or elderly women (as often found elsewhere in Denver), but families. Among them were Otto J & Anne M Boehm, Oscar L & Charlotte A Strieby, and Mark S & Nellie Waggener.
493 Franklin had retained its value over time. On September 7, 1949, inspector Howard Lang surveyed the site for the Assessor's office and found the home in "fair" condition. The home's brick was painted and the wooden roof featured asphalt shingles with no insulation. The garage was unfinished and sported a dirt floor. A modern 3-fixture bath had a "metal & plastered" shower stall, but the 2-fixture toilet was "old fashion." The basement was also being fully remodeled. Altogether, the home was judged to be worth $2980, just $20 less than its original construction price.
Home Sweet Home
Two days after Christmas 1966, the daughter of legendary attorney Farrington Carpenter moved in. Farrington's biography was larger than life, and his work as a rancher, district attorney, and state revenue director were hailed throughout the state. His complete narrative was told in the Colorado Historical Society's 1984 Confessions of a Maverick: An Autobiography.
Rosamond (Carpenter) Zars had already gained renown for some of her own exploits. In 1955, she left Denver on the famed California Zephyr to give birth to her firstborn son on the family ranch in Hayden, Colorado. But the boy was impatient, and arrived while the train was en route. The news made the local papers and even hit the national Weekly Reader in 1962. The young Reed Zars suspected would be his biggest claim to fame, but it wasn't: he's now one of the most celebrated environmental lawyers in the West.
While Rosamond was living at 493 Franklin and raising her two young boys, the 42-year-old divorcee worked towards a master's degree from the University of Denver. She taught there as well, instructing students on Middle Eastern history.
But city life didn't suit her. Rosamond remarried and moved to the San Luis Valley to become a sheep herder, traveling along the White River with the flock and her family in tow.
Post Script
All of the foregoing makes clear that much has already happened in this home. With city founders (Leander Williams), influential developers (J S Flowers), dynamic bankers (Torbert and Gaumer), and numerous pioneering women, 493 Franklin has a long story to tell.
But if history is any guide, it should be equally clear that the future is likely to bring something entirely new, and that the past is merely prelude.
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