Ogilbee House

Ogilbee House. . Dr. Henry McDonough and Gerturde Ogilbee first came to Manitou Springs for their honeymoon in 1887. They decided to move here in 1888 because of Dr. Ogilbee's poor health. Ogilbee and his practice thrived, allowing them to have local contractors, Gillis and Jones, build this American Four Square-style home in 1900. Foursquare houses have four rooms upstairs and four rooms downstairs., Ogilbee selected the site because of its central location for patients. The house was to sit farther back in the lot, but excavators ran into solid rock. Like with period homes, the exterior was originally brown shingles with white and black trim. The foundation and retaining wall are Manitou greenstone, a stone quarried between 1890 and about 1940, and found only in this area. The west side kitchen was added soon after 1900; the north side upstairs porch (1910) provided outdoor space for their invalid son. In the late 1920s, the house was stuccoed and the shake shingle roof replaced., Ogilbee was a force behind the development of the public library and Soda Springs Park. He lived to be 83, confirming his belief that Manitou Spring is the best place in the country to live because of its high altitude, fresh air, and healing waters., The Ogilbee House is listed as contributing to Manitou Springs’ 1983 National Register and 1980 Local Historic Preservation Districts.