[144] Extension Agreement between Helen T. Dees and J.H. Smith, 22 December 1954, Book 1473, p. 633, EPCCO.
[145] Interview with Robert Gotwals of Palmer Lake, 31 August 2008.
[146] “Historic Old Palmer Lake Ranch House Being Razed,” Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, 24 August 1958.
[147] Minutes of the Town Council of Palmer Lake, Record Book 4, p. 331.
[148] CSG, 15 May 1960, p x. A shorter piece appeared in Denver’s Cervi’s Journal, 25 May 1960, p. 40.
[149] CSG, 15 May 1960, p. x.
[150] “Articles of Incorporation of Estemere, Inc.,” Secretary of State Daily Recordings, Corporation Records, Roll 31A, Colorado State Archives.
[151] Ibid. p. 1.
[152] “Sterling Dryden Palmer Lake Man Died Thursday,” CSG, 01 September 1962, p. 6 and “Palmer Lake Man Dies At Home,” The Free Press, 31 August 1962, p. 16.
[153] “Famed Palmer Lake Mansion Renovated,” RMN, 28 February 1965.
[154] Photos found in a drawer at Estemere in 1999.
[155] Letter from Victor Insko, Mid-America Investment Company, 08 January 1980, Estemere File, PLTO.
[156] Attachment to Application for Rezoning, Mid America Investment Co., 11 January 1980, PLTO.
[157] “Victorian Village, Palmer Lake, Colorado,” prepared by Rudy Woodruff, landscape architect/planner, 11 January 1980.
[158] “Village plan splits Palmer Lake,” CSG, 17 March 1980.
[159] Ibid.
[160] “Palmer Lake Residents Air Pros and Cons of Victorian Village Project,” El Paso County Tribune, 20 March 1980.
[161] “Record of Proceedings, 31 March 1980,” PLTO.
[162] “Estemere Plan Gets Approval,” Tribune (Monument, CO), 03 April 1980.
[163] “Community volunteer moves on,” Tribune, 25 June 1998.
[164]“Estemere, an Amendment to the Existing PUD Plan of Estemere, Consolidation and Restoration of Estemere Mansion and Grounds,” George and Mary Henson, 27 September 1994, PLTO.
[165] Planning Commission Workshop, 19 October 1994, PLTO.
[166] “Commission kills Estemere proposal,” Tribune, 03 November 1994.
[167] Town Council Regular Meeting Board of Trustees, Thursday, 03 November 1994, PLTO. “Plan to refurbish Estemere bites the dust—for now,” CSG, 08 November 1994.
[168] Letter from Bud Ford to the Mayor and Council of Palmer Lake,” 07 December 1994, PLTO.
[169] “Estemere still alive,” Tribune, 08 December 1994.
[170] Planning CommissionWorkship Notes, 14 December 1994, PLTO.
[171] “Estemere up for grabs,” Tribune, 17 August 1995.
[172] Letter from Jim L. Peterson to Chuck Jones, 02 February 1996, PLTO.
[173] Letter and attached drawing from Dan Fraley to the Town of Palmer Lake, 13 February 1996, PLTO.
[174] Record of Proceedings [Palmer Lake Planning Commission], 24 October 1996, PLTO.
[175] Letter from the Town of Palmer Lake to James L. Peterson, 15 November 1996, PLTO.
[176] Application for Registration of Trademark or Servicemark, 03 May 1997, Colorado Secretary of State.
[177] “Landmark mansion for sale in Palmer Lake,” Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, 05 February 1996.
[178] Untitled [?] piece copyrighted by Freedom Newspapers, Inc., 31 August 1997.
[179] The structure of Estamere I occupies the lower right-hand corner of Block 50 of the 27 November 1883 plat of Palmer Lake signed by William Finley Thompson and William A. Bell.
[180] RMN, 09 July 1888, p. 5.
[181] Daniel W. Edwards, Dr. William Finley Thompson: Dental Surgeon and Founder of Palmer Lake, Woodbridge, VA, 2008, pp. 12, 15, 16, 28.
[182] Denver Republican, 01 January 1889.
[183] RMN, 09 July 1899, p. 12.
[184] Pitts, The Estemere Estate of Palmer Lake 1887-1999, places the removal of ½ of the Carriage House in 1950, but there is evidence that Blietz removed it in 1947.
[185] Personal conversation with Don, Gail, and David Blietz 15 Aug 2002. They supplied this photo as proof of the house’s existence.
[186] Several of the next photos were provided by Winnie Metzler.
[187] “Estemere Mansion Dignified Relic,” Colorado Springs Free Press, 01 December 1963, pp. 5-6.
[188] This and other details below are taken from the Free Press article of 01 December 1963.
[189] CSG 04 May 1946.
[190] We have not been able to trace this book.
[191] Source: El Paso County Treasurer or Assessor’s Office. There is not necessarily any direct or constant relationship between the assessed value of a property and its market value. The assessed value did not include the value of the furnishings of a house, although sometimes an additional figure for “personal property” was recorded.
[192] Market value refers to what a person is willing to pay for a property and what the buyer is willing to accept at a specific point in time.
[193] The value of real estate for Lots 50-52 in the original plat of the Town of Palmer Lake was $895. No entries appear for value of personal property. However, the land on which the Glen House and other buildings on Lot 53 stood was valued at $3,550, suggesting that one entry combined the values of the land and any structures thereon.
[194] The value of Lots 50-52 was $945.
[195] This would reflect the value of the completed Estamere III.
[196] See footnote 3 above. Perhaps Eben Smith disputed the assessment amount and got it reduced.
[197] Kim and Roger Ward report they paid $700,00 for Estemere and spent over $2,000,000 in renovating and restoring Estemere from 1998 to 2010, not including “time-value-of money,” nor insurance, utilities, or taxes.
[198] QCD=quit claim deed; Rls TD=release of trust deed (upon full payment); TD=trust deed; WD=warranty deed. Note: This table may not be entirely accurate and is not intended to be a legal land title document.
[199] The true amount of the property transaction is often not shown in earlier years. Today there is a legal requirement that the deed contain the actual amount of the transaction.
[200] Refers to the book and page number of the document. Microfilm reels are in the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
An 1880s Victorian Mansion in the Colorado Rockies: The Estemere Estate at Palmer Lake Page 32
