107-109 W. 2nd St. – Loveland Light, Heat, and Power

When he purchased the Farmers Milling and Elevator in 1893, Lee J. Kelim installed equipment to produce electricity for the mill. The coal-fired steam boiler produced more electricity than milling operations required, allowing him to sell the excess to the city to light its intersections and to merchants for evening store hours. In 1905, Mr. Kelim sold the mill and constructed the Loveland Light, Heat & Power Company—with its ornate exterior—just south of the mill. (A 1930s second story addition was lost to an arsonist’s fire in 1984.)

Demand for power soon outstripped the plant’s production. At the new Washington School dedication in November of 1905, simmering emotions came to a boil when the power failed, effectively aborting the ceremony. Community negativity pushed Mr. Kelim to sell out. He moved east of Loveland, founding the town of Kelim with a new mill and elevator.