Contact

NR By County Test

Casper

 

Brian Beadles
Historic Preservation Specialist
(307) 777-8594

Try a different County or Location

  • Rialto Theater

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Rialto Theater is a prominent commercial brick structure located in downtown Casper. The building, originally constructed as the New Lyric Theater in 1921, illustrates the amount of capital that could be invested in a recreational structure in a thriving Wyoming city. The design of the Rialto is typical of a 1920s commercial-style motion picture theater located in a small but prosperous city. In 1921 an entrepreneur by the name of Henry Brennan constructed the movie house based on his successful vaudeville theater located in the west-center of town. Brennan's new theater, named the New Lyric, was unsuccessful reputedly because the new location failed to attract Brennan's old clientele, patrons of the local saloons. The theater was sold to new owners and remodeled in 1922. When the Rialto Theater opened its doors in 1922 to show silent movies, it had lots of competition from the six other theaters that also served the City of Casper. The Rialto soon became the premier movie house in Casper with an elaborate exterior and first-run movies accompanied by a women's orchestra. The Rialto is significant because of the important role the theater played in the city's recreation and entertainment industry. Its association with the growth and development of Casper, through the city's boom and bust history, illustrates the role recreation and culture played in Casper.

    Rialto
     

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Thursday, February 11, 1993
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA2189  

     

  • Roosevelt School (North Casper School)

     
     

    Read All About It:

    Roosevelt School, originally named North Casper School, was designed by the state-renowned firm of Garbutt, Weidner and Sweeney of Casper in 1921. The school building brings together elements of state-of-the-art architecture and social change to form a unique time piece in Casper's history. Smaller and stylistically overshadowed by the daunting Natrona County High School, which was designed by the same firm and constructed within a few years of Roosevelt School, this building was produced by the same forces of economic growth and community service. The school was built in 1922 and added to in 1924. It had its origins in the dramatic expansion of the population of Casper during the petroleum boom of the immediate post-World War I period in which the student population increased by 700%. In particular, it served as the neighborhood center of a part of town that suffered neglect and privation, and that was characterized by constant turnover and a transient population. It is significant because of its direct association with the growth of education in Casper.

     
    Roosevelt

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Thursday, January 30, 1997
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA2542  

     

  • South Wolcott Street Historic District

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The South Wolcott Street Historic District is among Casper's oldest neighborhoods and was the preferred area to live for the city's early prominent citizens. It is located immediately to the south of the downtown toward the base of Casper Mountain. The earliest houses in the district date to 1905 while the majority were built between 1910 and 1924 in association with Casper's first energy boom. The district is a visually cohesive neighborhood exhibiting a high degree of architectural integrity. It is made up almost entirely of single family homes with uniform setbacks displaying the design and workmanship of the era. Other features such as the wide tree lined streets and an occasional hitching post ring at the curb also contribute to the historical fabric of the district. Houses in the district include excellent examples of Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival, both of which were popular during the early years of the twentieth century. The district also has representatives of the Bungalow/Craftsman, and American Foursquare styles, as well as a few examples of Prairie style. The South Wolcott Street Historic District is significant for its associations with the development of Casper, both initially as a regional stock raising center, and later as the center of oil exploitation activities in the state. It is also significant because it represents several of Wyoming's political and civic leaders. These include Governor Bryant B. Brooks, and United States Senator Patrick Sullivan, both of whom were long time residents in the district. In addition, the district was platted by Governor Joseph M. Carey, who had earlier served as Wyoming's first United States Senator.

     
    South-Wolcott

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Wednesday, November 23, 1988
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA1760  

     

  • Split Rock

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The historic significance of the geologic developments leading to the formation of the Sweetwater River Valley is that they produced a break in the Rocky Mountain chain. That break became an important part of a major central east-west overland route that extended from the Missouri River to and through the Rocky Mountains. Along that route--the Oregon Trail--fur trappers, goldseekers, homeseekers, merchants and troopers rode horseback or in wagons, walked, or pulled and pushed handcarts during the century that lasted from 1812 to 1912. The former date is the year the Astorians under Robert Stuart followed the trail from west to east on their journey from the mouth of the Columbia River. The latter year is said to be the one in which the last wagon train passed over the trail. There were at least three prominent landmarks along the trail. At the eastern end of the Sweetwater Valley was Independence Rock, a large protruding granite mass. The rock was a midway point in the journeys of those bound for the West Coast. Five miles west of Independence Rock is a second Sweetwater landmark, Devils Gate. Fifteen miles upriver from Devils Gate is Split Rock, the last of the three granite landmarks along the Sweetwater. To some, such as pioneer photographer W. H. Jackson, its summit was not a split rock but was seen as ''Twin Peaks''. For a day or two following their passing of Split Rock, emigrants could look backward at the V-shaped notch as they moved up the Sweetwater Valley toward South Pass. At the base of the pass the Sweetwater country was left behind and the emigrants crossed the Continental Divide, moving into the Pacific watershed and entering the long-anticipated Oregon Country.

    Split-Rock
     

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Wednesday, December 22, 1976
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA212  

     

  • Townsend Hotel

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Townsend Hotel is a five story structure at the core of the Casper business district important both for its historic association with the oil industry and for its unique architectural character. Since its construction in 1923, the Townsend has been a focal point in the business district and a hub of social and political life in Casper. The concrete structure, along with brick and cast stone facade, and marble, ornate brass and plaster moldings is a rare example of the technology, craftsmanship and architectural expression of the period. In 1923 Charles H. Townsend, an original Casper pioneer, banker and businessman, contracted Barbutt, Weidner and Sweeney architects to design the hotel with the finest dining, meeting and dancing facilities in the area. Its construction was directly related to energy exploitation, which has long been a significant contributor to the broad patterns of Wyoming and United States economic and political history. The Townsend was Casper's favorite place for concerts by popular local artists, gala dances, fine dining, service club meetings, and political rallies. It was also a base operation for visiting journalists and dignitaries, and was used by the commissioned officers and USO during World War II.

    Townsend
     

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Friday, November 25, 1983
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA1286  

     

  • Tribune Building

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Tribune Building was constructed in 1920 by J. E. Hanway for the Casper Tribune. The three-story brick building represents the Italian Renaissance Revival style of architecture. It is one of the most important buildings in the central business district of Casper because of the role it played in communications and commerce as a continuously operating newspaper facility for over forty years. The Tribune Building housed Casper's major newspaper from 1920 to 1963. The newspaper served as the major source of daily local, regional, and national news for the community until the gradual dominance of television in the 1950s and 1960s. It was also an important source of advertising and promotion of local and regional business and industry.

    Tribune
     

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Friday, February 18, 1994
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA2305  

     

  • Turner-Cottman Building

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Turner-Cottman Building is an important retail and office building that represents the physical and commercial growth of downtown Casper. The building was designed by famed Wyoming architect Leon Goodrich in 1924 for Fred Cottman and Adah Turner-Cottman during a time of growth and expansion of Casper. The Cottmans achieved status in the area for developing a large sheep raising operation in the county. At the time of the building’s construction, Casper was rapidly growing due to expansion of the sheep industry and the rapid exploration and development of nearby oil fields. Casper became a center for shipping and oil field activities.

    Turner-Cottman
     

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Tuesday, December 01, 2015
     
    Location:
    Casper
     
    County:
    Natrona County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48NA5227  

     

Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office Menu

HomeHome

About UsAbout Us

Events & TrainingEvents & Training

ProgramsPrograms

Online ToolsOnline Tools

HelpHelp

Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office

The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office documents, preserves, and promotes Wyoming’s heritage with our preservation partners.

 

Get a Compliance Letter...

Help with Funding...

Get a Poster or purchase Archaeology wear...

How do I list a property on the NRHP?...

How do I find forms?...

Contact Us...

 

What's New

Visit Us On Facebook