Look ahead for a grand, reddish-brown stone house with a steep gabled roof and a front porch framed by thick pillars-Edgeplain stands with its distinctive patterned stonework right next to the sidewalk.
Welcome to Edgeplain, also known as the Arthur House! Take a good look at those beautiful, chunky stones-the blocks are all different colors, some rough, some smooth, and they look like they were pieced together by a very picky, very artistic giant. Picture yourself stepping back to the 1880s, the wind whistling across open prairie, when this house was brand new and literally at the edge of untouched plains.
It all began with Lyman Bass: a hotshot lawyer from New York, partner to no less than Grover Cleveland (yes, the President!) and trusted by the mighty railroad builder William Jackson Palmer. Bass came to Colorado Springs for his health-back then, people believed the crisp, dry air could cure tuberculosis. It worked for Buffalo Bill, so why not Lyman? Wanting to make the most of the fresh mountain air, he wanted a house that was just as special. He picked the spot, hired architect A.C. Williard, and spared no expense-$115,000, which, in today’s money, could probably buy you a pretty fancy spaceship. Edgeplain was a showstopper: colored masonry, shiny tinted mortar, jeweled glass windows, luxurious paneling-imagine fireplaces tiled with intricate designs, and the gentle hum of a pianist at a soiree inside while carriages clatter past outside.
After Bass passed away, the house changed hands until it landed in the next chapter of its remarkable life-owned by Chester Alan Arthur II. His father had been President, but Chester Jr. took to luxury like a duck to water. He was called "the Prince of Washington" for a reason: fancy receptions, presidents popping by for dinner (even Theodore Roosevelt!), and Colorado’s socialites jostling to get inside Edgeplain’s doors for lavish parties. Chester Jr. came for his health too, struggling with asthma and bronchitis, but he brought style-and even a love of polo, making it the sport to watch in town.
Edgeplain passed to families like the Abrahams and the Shavers, who brought their own stories and painted another layer of history in these walls-Charlotte Shaver, for instance, was a keen gardener and painter, filling the house with green smells and splashes of color. But when the Shaver daughters sold it to Colorado College in 1962, Edgeplain found a new purpose as a home for students-probably less formal wear these days, a lot more pizza. Where music and laughter once echoed from high society, you’re more likely to hear the shouts of roommates arguing over whose turn it is to do dishes. That’s Edgeplain-full of life, stories, and just a tiny bit of presidential sparkle.
