Restoration Proposed for Historic Owl Creek Stapleton Homestead, AT

“That home has always held my imagination,” Pitkin County Commissioner Michael Owsley said during the October discussion. “To see it deteriorate to the state it's in now is sad. For me, the primary purpose is the restoration of a historic resource. I want that to occur.”


ASPEN REAL ESTATE — A dilapidated house off Owl Creek Road between Aspen and Snowmass Village that dates back to Aspen's early ranching days would be the focus of an extensive restoration effort as part of a development plan submitted to Pitkin County on Thursday. Owl Creek Ranch homeowner James Gordon has proposed seeking the county's historic designation for the old house, built by William E. Stapleton in 1913, and its restoration. The application also proposes construction of a new, 5,750-square-foot single-family home on the 5-acre lot and the demolition of a vacant cabin that was to serve as worker housing but is no longer habitable. Gordon is seeking the removal of a deed restriction on the lot that limits its use to worker housing. In exchange, he would either pay $489,525 into the local worker housing program or acquire a condo in the Aspen area that could serve as replacement housing for a local worker.
By Janet Urquhart, Feb. 3, 12 AT

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Photo: Courtesy of Stapelton Family and Aspen Times