1974 Downtown National Historic District
Although Cheyenne was originally established in the 1857, much of the early town had been destroyed by fires over the years and it was not until the late 1800s that masonry structures were introduced. The current Downtown District of Cheyenne was built between 1872-1920s and represents Cheyenne's first half century of growth. Cheyenne belongs to a breed of American towns established at the same time as the westward movement of the Transcontinental Railroad. Most of these towns were "tent towns," and often were called "Hell on Wheels." Cheyenne grew from a tiny frontier "tent town" through Seat of Territorial Government, and eventually became the Capitol City as Wyoming became a State.The Downtown District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 with an amendment made in 1984. This district was the core business district of the City. It consists of 68 buildings located on all or portions of approximately 11 city blocks and lies between 15th and 18th Streets south and north and Central and Pioneer Avenues east to west. One whole block was torn down in the early 1970s to construct the Municipal Parking Lot.The architectual style of this district is best described as eclectic with heavy emphasis on commercial Victorian. Some of the key buildings in this district include; The Dinneen Building, 400 West Lincolnway (16th Street); The Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company Building, 1712 Pioneer Avenue; The Boyd Building, 1720 Carey Avenue; The Idelman Block, 222 West Lincolnway; the Warren Block, 206 West Lincolnway; The Coors Building, 1502 Capitol Avenue; They Hynds Building, 1602 Capitol Avenue; Lincoln Theater, 1607 Capitol Avenue; The Majestic Building Lincolnway and Capitol Avenue; The Plains Hotel, Lincolnway and Central Avenue; The Tivoli Building, 301 West Lincolnway; The Atlas Theater, 213 West Lincolnway; The Phoenix Block, 1518 Capitol Avenue; the Albany Hotel, 1506 Capitol Avenue; The former Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot (now Cheyenne Transportation Museum), 121 West 15th Street; The Becker Hotel, 214 West 15th Street; and the Rex Hotel, 202 West 15th Street.
Marker is at the intersection of Lincolnway and Capitol Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Lincolnway.
Courtesy hmdb.org
