Greeley Business District

Greeley Business District. . , During the 19th century, downtown Greeley served a population of 2,000 and consisted of one block of 8th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. The first two buildings on 8th Street were the Emerson and West Bank and Monk's Boots and Shoes, followed by a rambling assortment of frame and adobe buildings constructed nearby. The November 1870 edition of the Greeley Tribune carried advertisements for 46 businesses in the seven-month- old town. Grain elevators and mills, produce warehouses, and ice plants were built on either side of the railroad tracks. With six local factories, the tanning of buffalo robes was Greeley's major industry of the time. , After the city's largest hotel was destroyed by fire in 1880, many residents and businesses began replacing frame structures with brick buildings. Following the depression of the 1890s, Greeley enjoyed more than three decades of growth and prosperity. In 1905, architect Bessye Smith designed the Coronado Building. Irrigation advocate D. A. Camfield constructed new buildings downtown and renovated the Oasis Hotel into a 100-room modern hotel bearing his name. Greeley's first post office was built in 1914, closely followed by a new courthouse and a movie theater. A public library and new City Hall were built north of Lincoln Park between 1907-1908. , During the 1930s and 1940s, commercial building slowed. In the 1960s, any of Greeley's commercial and residential landmarks were razed and replaced by contemporary buildings and parking lots. Today, historic preservation has sparked a renewed interest in downtown Greeley and the city's remaining historic commercial and residential architecture.