Welcome to Loveland's Residential Historic Walking Tour!

In addition to some important community buildings like schools and churches, this walking tour features some historic homes that were either given Loveland historic landmark status for their individual significance to the community or that contribute to Loveland's West 4th Street and West 5th Street Historic Districts. See below for more information on these historic districts.

West 4th Street Historic District

The homes of the West 4th Street Historic District are comprised of a relatively homogeneous group of one story brick bungalows constructed in the Clearview 2nd Addition. The homes were constructed in the 1920s by Loveland contractor William W. Green, and they reflect the prosperity of the community at that time. Mr. Green is credited with construction of approximately 150 houses in Loveland, and was a co-applicant in platting the Clearview 2nd Addition in August 1919. Research has identified that a number of these homes were occupied by some of Loveland’s distinguished citizens of the 1920s -1940s.

The homes of this district are most notable for their varied architectural elements, and for their similarities – most are one story bungalows constructed of buff-colored brick. The homes in the district represent three architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Craftsman. While most of the homes in this district exhibit features that are distinctly representative of their style, there are a few examples where a blending of the styles has occurred.

West 5th Street Historic District

Early residents of West 5th Street made their livelihoods as bankers, realtors, insurance agents, lawyers, pastors, and architects as well as trade vocations such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters and contractors. Several teachers, many of whom were employed at nearby Loveland High School, also resided in the neighborhood over the years. Other residents gained employment at the local Great Western Sugar Company factory, established in 1901, and at the Empson Canning Company facility, established in 1908. Many residents were also engaged as proprietors or employees of downtown Loveland businesses, including hardware stores, groceries, lumber yards, dry goods stores, and shoe stores.

The neighborhood's mixed socioeconomic status was reflected in its varied architecture, where stately 2½-story Edwardian and other prominent Late Victorian-era style houses were erected next to humble hip-roofed wood frame cottages. Known as "hipped-roof boxes," these modest homes represent a predominant housing type, throughout Loveland and elsewhere, in the years prior to 1910. By the late 1910s though, Bungalow and Craftsman style homes had become most popular in the neighborhood, a trend which would continue well into the 1930s. Early residences in the area also included predominantly brick 1½-story Classic Cottage style and 2½- story American Foursquare style houses. Other late nineteenth and early twentieth century dwellings were built as modest vernacular wood frame homes, with few stylistic influences. The late 1920s and 1930s then saw the construction of several English-Norman Cottage style houses, most notably in the 400 and 500 blocks of Harrison Avenue. Finally, some of the neighborhood's most recent homes, built in the 1940s, were constructed in the Minimal Traditional style of architecture.