In the city of Golden, Colorado, the Colorado National Guard Armory stands as a landmark built in 1913. Its walls are adorned with rustic cobblestones, a result of cost-cutting measures that switched the design from brick or granite to a free local resource. Some locals and experts predicted the building would collapse as it rose, yet it remains a distinctive structure that inspired a unique local architectural movement lasting until the 1940s.
The Armory was designed by James H. Gow as a castle to honor the emblem of Company A of Engineers. The building may have also been inspired by the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England. Some names, including that of resident Col. Joseph C. Taylor, are engraved on a stone along the building's eastern face. The lower level preserves a walk-in safe from the era when the building housed the local post office.
Owned by Calvary Episcopal Church, the building has served many roles, including a hospital during the 1918 influenza epidemic and a Civil Works Administration headquarters. Today, the first floor houses Cafe 13, a local coffee shop. The second floor provides student housing for the Colorado School of Mines, while the third floor and the fourth floor tower are home to Connects Workspace, Golden's only coworking space.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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