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The Governor’s Mansion

I am at Colorado governor Bill Ritter’s official residence — the controversial governor, who was “skewered” for recognising state workers’ unions and transgenders’ rights. This is the 100th anniversary of his ̵ 6;Colorado’s Home’ and he has thrown open its massive double doors to anyone who wants to gawk at its interiors and catch a whiff of its history.

Lydia, greets us . She and her friends are volunteers. They introduce the artefacts and weave an alluring story of the men and women who lived, added to and renovated the complex as Denver grew to be the capital of this Rocky Mountain state.

In 1861, 23-year-old Walter S. Cheeseman arrived in Denver on an ox-cart from New York to replace his brother in the drugstore business. He prospered in spite of a devastating fire, cultivated upper-end citizenry, invested in Denver rail, established the city’s water distribution systems, built the Cheeseman dam, and at 46, married the lovely widow Alice Foster and had a daughter, Gladys.

Cheeseman bought the best address in the city to build a house for his daughter, but died before his grand blueprint could rise in brick and mortar. In 1907, six months after his death, Mrs. Cheeseman and Gladys began work on the 27-room mansion. This red brick house on Logan Hill, with its white trim, Roman Ionic columns, mahogany woodwork, dark oak floors, terraced lawns and the six-foot wrought iron fence was an instant hit. In 1908, invitees gathered in the drawing room to watch Gladys marry John Evans from the governor’s family. Mrs. Cheeseman died in 1923 and the house was sold. Claude and Edna Boettcher made significant alterations. Boettcher broke walls, enlarged rooms, replaced furnishings, added artefacts, and transferred vanloads of antiques from his Florida estate.

Silver, marble jade, amber, china and crystal sparkled everywhere. A parking lot came up, so did an elevator. Music, dance and food flowed in the palatial drawing room. When Boettcher died, the Foundation he started to promote education and research gifted the mansion to the State. The government enlarged the garden, and Governor Owens’ wife Frances raised enough private funds for a thorough restoration of the mansion. A wheelchair-accessible walkway takes us to the renovated carriage house. No horses whinny there now; the large halls and the garden are leased out — the king’s ransom you pay for the privilege will allow you, along with bragging rights (“I saw the gov in the room upstairs!”) the use of official china.

“It’s a woman-centric house,” says Lydia. “The Cheeseman women built it, Boettcher bought and transferred it to his wife.” Jeannie walks us into the much made-over room on the left. “This started life as John Evans’ office, became Mrs. Cheeseman’s music room, Boettcher’s billiards room and settled down as the bar. Now it is a photo gallery.” Standing near a collection she says, “These are the wives of the governors. ” We enjoy the photographs. They trace women’s clothing trends in the last half century.

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