A building completed around 1908 and for generations housing law offices in downtown Fort Collins may soon be extensively repurposed as a restaurant.
Located at 160 W. Mountain Avenue, the one-story structure measures some 9,000 square feet and has been designated as a Class C building. It was purchased by businessman William S. Hill in the early 1930s and subsequently used as offices for Hill’s son and grandson, both of whom were lawyers.
Now a plan is underway to update the structure and turn it primarily into restaurant space, with a portion of the building given over to retail.
The project belongs to descendants of the Hill family as well as the Fort Collins-based Wayside Real Estate and is currently under review by the City of Fort Collins.
The building is part of a block of contiguous structures, all of which were once mostly retail, but in recent years have become taverns, coffee shops, and eateries.
Originally, the structure was the home to the Barkley, Bouton, and Crain Hardware Company before it was transformed into office space and has undergone several facade changes through the decades.
Before any repurposing work can begin on the structures, notes the newspaper Coloradoan, the “city’s historic preservation office will need to issue updated findings related to the building’s status as a historic resource.”
Renderings of the repurposing show a building with an exposed original cornice and side patio facing out onto N. Mason Street. Upon completion of the project, the structure, which also has a basement level, will be officially called the William S. Hill Building.
If the project secures city approval, it is expected that work on the structure will begin soon with a general 2024 completion date.
By Garry Boulard
