Hughes-Anderson Building

Hughes-Anderson Building. . The commercial building at 824-826 Grand Avenue was constructed in 1888. The brick building was initially occupied by a hardware store and an agricultural implement shop on the first floor, furnished rooms on the second floor, and a tin shop in the basement. , During the 1890's, Edwin S. Hughes moved into the building with his Glenwood Bottling Works. He bottled aerated drinks such as ginger ale, sarsaparilla, and beer. He also had a small plant adjacent to the Yampa Spring to bottle and ship mineral water world wide as a health tonic. , In 1894, Hughes expanded into the liquor business. The address of 824-826 was now Hughes Wholesale Liquors. In addition to the Hughes liquor outlet, the south half of the main floor was occupied between 1898 and 1904 by the city fire department. After the death of Edwin Hughes in 1915, the Hughes Wholesale Liquor was managed and later owned by brother-in-law Joe F. Benedeck. Beginning in the 1930's, it became Benedeck's, a wholesale merchandise store that remained through the early 1970's. , At this same time, Iola Rooms occupied the upper floor of the building. There were twenty-eight furnished rooms to rent from the 1880's through the 1950's. In 1917 (during the Spanish Flu Pandemic), these rooms served as an emergency hospital for the county. , The long family ownership of the building finally changed hands in 1972 when Myron Brockway purchased the building. His ownership was not for long. He sold the business to Phil and Joan Anderson in 1980. Their business, Anderson's Pants Pocket, was already located in the south lower corner. The Andersons did some needed repairs and updates to the building. A new roof, the second floor was completely refurbished for offices. In 1989 and 1992, the exterior stucco was added to the side and front of the building. Although many updates have been made to the building over its 100 plus years, the original cast iron storefront can still be seen through the windows.