Carpe Construction

05/31/2026

As Historic Preservation Month comes to a close, we are grateful for the opportunity to help carry forward pieces of La Junta’s history.

This month, we highlighted why preservation matters, how Historic Preservation Month began, and why the recent local designations of Chestnut Apartments and 902 Belleview Avenue are meaningful for our community.

For Carpe Construction, preservation is about more than buildings. It is about stewardship. It is about honoring the people who came before us, investing in the places we already have, and making sure future generations can still see and feel the history of this community.

Thank you for following along. We are excited to keep sharing the work, the stories, and the progress.

La Junta’s history is worth preserving — and its future is worth building.

05/31/2026

Do you have a memory of 322 Santa Fe Avenuee/ Chestnut Apartments or 902 Belleview Avenue in La Junta?

One of the best parts of historic preservation is hearing from the people who remember these places — former residents, neighbors, families, workers, students, nurses, business owners, and community members who know pieces of the story that may never appear in an official record.

Buildings hold history, but people carry the stories.

If you remember either of these properties, we would love to hear from you. Comment below or send us a message. Your memories help us understand these places more fully and preserve not just the buildings, but the human stories connected to them.

Landmark Location. Heart of the Junction. Home.

05/30/2026

One of the best parts of working with historic buildings is discovering the details.

Brick patterns. Stone trim. Porch columns. Old window openings. Rooflines. Floor plans. Handwritten records. Newspaper references. Layers of change.

Historic buildings were made by people whose work is still visible generations later. Even when a building has been altered, neglected, or damaged, those details often remain — waiting to be understood and brought back into the story.

Preservation requires patience. It asks us to look closely before we tear out, cover up, or replace. It asks us to respect the craftsmanship that came before us while still making buildings safe, functional, and ready for modern use.

That balance is where the work gets interesting!

05/29/2026

Historic preservation is not just sentimental. It is practical.

Many historic buildings were built with durable materials, thoughtful craftsmanship, and details that are difficult or expensive to recreate today. When those buildings can be repaired and reused, the community benefits.

Adaptive reuse means giving an older building a continued purpose — housing, offices, retail space, community space, or another use that fits today’s needs while respecting the building’s historic character.

For small towns, this matters. Reusing historic buildings can help address housing needs, bring activity back to older neighborhoods, support local contractors and tradespeople, reduce demolition waste, and preserve the character that makes a place feel like home.

At Carpe Construction, we believe preservation is one of the most hopeful forms of construction: it says the past still has value, and the future is worth investing in.

05/27/2026

The history of 902 Belleview Avenue reaches far beyond the walls of the house.

The home was built by John W. Fisher, a prominent figure in early La Junta. Fisher founded the JW Fisher hose company and is credited with the first volunteer fire department in the state of Colorado. 902 Belleview was later important to the Mennonite community that played a role in the city’s history. The application notes that the Mennonite community established a significant presence in the Arkansas Valley, including a hospital and nursing school, and that 902 Belleview later served as lodging and teaching space for nurses connected with the Mennonite Hospital. In 1973, Sallie and Tom Hibbs purchased the property that became the International Cultural Exchange, hosting students from around the world to learn English and enrich the lives of all people of La Junta.

That kind of layered history is one reason local designation matters. Preservation helps communities remember not only the “big” stories, but also the everyday places where people lived, worked, studied, healed, and built relationships.

902 Belleview is not just a beautiful old house. It is a piece of La Junta’s community memory.

05/23/2026

Historic Property Spotlight: 902 Belleview Avenue

902 Belleview Avenue is another Carpe Construction property recently approved for local historic designation in La Junta.

The home was completed in 1906 and originally served as a residence. Over time, it was connected to several important chapters of local history, including use as a residence, rental property, lodging house, and a place tied to the Mennonite community and the former Mennonite Hospital and Sanitarium.

Architecturally, 902 Belleview reflects late-19th-century Victorian design, most closely aligned with the Queen Anne style. Details include its brick construction, varied rooflines, porch features, and distinctive tower elements.

This is exactly why preservation matters: a single home can tell stories about architecture, health care, immigration, education, housing, and community life.

05/20/2026

The story of 322 Santa Fe Avenue/ Chestnut Apartments is full of La Junta history.

The Chestnut House was completed in 1908 by Edward Chestnut and Martha Chestnut. La Junta-based Blankenship Brothers construction firm was responsible for several prominent buildings in La Junta and Otero County in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including The Chestnut. Original architectural drawings by architect John Gwyn, showing the planned rooming house with its porch, brickwork, and overall form, have guided the vision for bringing the Chestnut back to life.

That is what makes preservation so fascinating: one building can open the door to contractors, architects, business owners, renters, families, artisans, maps, city growth, and changing housing needs.

Old buildings are not silent. We just have to be willing to listen.

05/17/2026

Historic Property Spotlight: 322 Santa Fe Avenue / Chestnut Apartments

The Chestnut Apartment Building at 322 Santa Fe Avenue has been part of La Junta’s story for more than a century. The building was completed in 1908 and has operated over time as either a lodging house or an apartment building. It as a two-story apartment building with red pressed brick, sandstone trim, raised basement windows, and a distinctive porch facing Santa Fe Avenue.

One of the things we love about this building is that it reflects La Junta’s growth during an important period in the town’s development. The historic designation application notes that the building is locally significant for its role in the development of the city as an important stop for the railroad and as an example of early twentieth-century architecture.

Buildings like this remind us that housing has always been part of downtown life. Preserving them is not just about saving architecture — it is about keeping historic buildings active, useful, and connected to the future of La Junta.

05/13/2026

What does “local historic designation” mean?

Local historic designation is a formal recognition that a property has historic, architectural, cultural, or community significance. It says: this place matters to the story of our town.

For Carpe Construction, the recent local designations of 322 Santa Fe Avenue / Chestnut Apartments and 902 Belleview Avenue are meaningful because they recognize both buildings as part of La Junta’s history — not just as old structures, but as places connected to people, neighborhoods, architecture, and community development.

Historic designation does not mean a building can never change. In fact, preservation often requires change: repairs, rehabilitation, safety updates, and new uses. The goal is to make those changes thoughtfully, so the historic character of the property is respected while the building continues to serve the community.

Application Historical Designation Bylaws of the Historic Preservation Advisory Board Certified Local Governments (CLG) are municipalities that have demonstrated, through a certification process, a…

05/11/2026

Thank you City of La Junta for recognizing National Historic Preservation Month and recognizing the four structures on the Local Registry of Historical Places. Carpe Construction is proud to be part of the most recently designated structures. Contact us through this page or Maureen Rikhof if we can answer any other questions about the process or our two designated buildings!