The Mann Sisters were a hit at Chautauqua,
by Silvia Pettem
When Ethel and Marion Mann were young girls, their mother would invite dancers to dinner, then urged her guests to "teach the girls a few steps."
The sisters' journey to stardom began in 1926 when Ethel won a dance contest. The prize was a year of dance lessons in New York City. Ethel, her sister, and their mother all moved from Boulder to New York. After Ethel's classes, she taught Marion everything she had learned.
While in New York, they watched cowboys at rodeos in Madison Square Garden and learned rope tricks from "cowboy philosopher" Will Rogers.
Bluebell Avenue resident had unusual past,
By Silvia Pettem
In last month’s “On the Corner,” I wrote that early real estate developer David Dobbins built four almost-identical brick bungalows, one on each of the southeast corners of Bluebell Avenue and 15th, 16th, 17th, and 19th streets.
The house at 1604 Bluebell was owned by Miriam Rieder who lived there from the late 1930s to her death in 1957. Rieder was an assistant professor of Romance Languages at the University of Colorado. She also was considered an eccentric, and she had an unusual past.
At the time, acres of undeveloped property surrounded Rieder’s home. She bought the land and preferred it wild and unkempt with native plants and flowers providing a sanctuary for ground-nesting birds. After one neighbor complained of her “weeds,” she wrote a scathing letter to the editor of the “Daily Camera.”
“What is the matter with people who are so blind that they see beauty, and utility, only in their own little clipped lawn?” Rieder asked. “How can people go to church and sit in pews and worship God, and then devote their weekdays to trying to destroy what He has generously given us to enjoy?”
Rieder regularly patrolled her property and carried a pistol to scare off intruders. Parents of neighborhood children complained that she chased and shot at them. In 1950, the then-61-year old woman pleaded guilty in court to “threatening the lives of young people,” but she claimed she only did it to frighten them off of her land.
The public was unaware during her lifetime that Rieder was the daughter of former German professor Mary Rippon. At CU’s recent May Commencement, the highly acclaimed Rippon received a long-overdue posthumous honorary doctoral degree. But in 1889, she had secretly married one of her adult students, and they had a child. That child was Miriam Rieder.
Rippon conveniently took a year’s sabbatical to Germany where Rieder was born in 1889. Then Rippon returned to CU and continued to teach. The little girl was left in orphanages and passed around an extended family of aunts and uncles for the first few years of her life. Rippon (who would have lost her job if her marriage had been known) never lived with her husband. Eventually he remarried and was able to raise their daughter.
When Rieder lived at 16th and Bluebell, she was separated from her husband Rudolph. Their son Wilfred is now deceased, but he spent most of his adult life on the East Coast. Think of Rieder, her birds, and her unusual background, as you drive by her former home.
Cutline: Miriam Rieder’s former home at 1604 Bluebell Avenue was one of four (initially!) almost-identical brick bungalows built by real estate developer David Dobbins.
Silvia Pettem is the author of “Separate Lives: The Story of Mary Rippon,” available in local bookstores and at www.thebooklode.com.
Growing up in Maine was crazy awesome sometimes on so many levels! Besides the coast, lakes and streams, the fiddleheads and lady slippers and the mountains in the mist, Maine had and still has the season of all seasons: fall and its epic foliage. Yeah, that meant summer was over and school started up after Labor Day, but I’ll never forget the glory of Maine in the fall with all the colors in the landscape and and textures of the town—once the tourists blasted off back to the flatlands in their Wagoneers and Volvos. Even as a kid, I remember taking it all in, a tingling of all the senses where the cool breeze and short days replaced the summer vibe and where maple leaves wave goodbye.
This fall, Colorado is giving Maine a run for its maple leaf money—oh my, it has been a rainbow record for spectral colors. The warmth of summer slips and I surrender to the cold. And I am ready..
The real estate market is also in a transition. In the summer of 2022, higher interest rates threatened the affordability for many home buyers and the drop in demand has caused a palpable lull in the marketplace. The first half of 2022 brought home buyers ready, willing, and able to compete for almost every home that hit the market. As we look at 3rd quarter numbers in 2023 compared year over year, we see a great stall from 2022 through 2023. In most cases today our home sellers have to be competitive with price, sometimes starting at 5% or 10% less than a year ago and expect to wait on the market a little longer.
The data collected can be quite different from area to area and product to product and some of that is linked to the fact that areas with fewer sales offer more volatility in their resulting data. Regardless of small differences in the data from area to area, know that the market is acting slower across all areas and that buyers seem to have the negotiating power in most case. Like any market, things change from city to city and from neighborhood to neighborhood but the stoke is high for 2024 with predictable lower interest rates and an opening up of activity. But it’s likely to be a long winter. If you’ve been on the sidelines as a buyer or seller maybe it’s time to act, 'cause if you let the moment pass, you should try it once again! It’s never too late to late to buy or sell.
I had a few listings this fall that saw buyers come in hot with strong prices and great terms. One of them in South Boulder had three offers with the winning offer at 8% over asking price. And we even set the high water mark with our price for the neighborhood at the time of listing. It was exciting to go there in this “weird” market. Cross your fingers it closes next week!
This month I’m featuring charitable organization called the WaterWheel Foundation. The WaterWheel Foundation chooses non-profits from a large sphere of needs including social services, primarily those benefiting women and children; environmental, with a focus on clean water and land conservation with public access; as well as food banks, urban gardening and the like. WaterWheel’s Touring Division has donated over $2,500,000 to more than 500 groups. Please give today!
Happy Halloween and don’t let the housing market spook you! and don’t forget to SMILE!
HATCH
Realtor®, RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement®, RE/MAX Hall of Fame®, GRI®, ABR®
RE/MAX of Boulder
303-513-2834
hatch@boulderco.com
http://www.jonhatch.com
Lead photo: East Boulder ash tree, by Jon Hatch
Our fledgling wrens and finches have flown their coops and so the back patio at the Red Door Ranch is quiet, save for the late summer cricket+cicada chorale. Mornings arrive damp and cool. The high summer sun sets lower and as such the school year begins and for better or worse, we arrive autumnal.
My business continues to thrive although at a slightly slower pace in July/Aug. It was wonderful to get out and enjoy the Colorado wild in this summer - gosh I love this state! It’s a state of mind actually. I was recently listed in the #10 spot for second quarter agent production by Real Producers Magazine of Boulder County. Thanks to those of you I’ve worked with this year for pushing my biz to the next level — it’s been so fun and rewarding!
In local real estate news, Boulder County experienced a 7.2% loss in inventory compared last year at this time. Median and average sale prices split the field with a 3.4% drop in the median while the average rose 1.9%. The fact that these numbers hover lower affirms the hitch in the giddy-up we experience in the current marketplace.
Average days on market rose 68.5% over last year from 35 to 59 days. Sellers this fall will need some patience with timing and pricing. But we are seeing an uptick in showings and there are still some competitive offer situations for properties that greatly appeal to that available buyer pool.
The percent of homes under contract this year has been averaging 34% and reflects a balance of power between buyers and sellers. General rule of thumb we use is we see appreciating markets above roughly 35% and depreciating markets below 30% under contract. While the market historically cools in July and August we are forecasting a calm yet productive fall season without major disruptions in the force.
I’ve got some fun listings coming soon; from Boulder to Longmont and up to Summit County for one of the most amazing homes and properties around — I can’t wait to share.
Alas, there is a property I do want to share today, and while it is not my listing it is an amazing home at 1055 County Road 200 in Poncha Springs up near Salida and BV. If you have friends or family looking to own a primary or second home in Chaffee County at the base of Monarch Mountain with Poncha Creek frontage and with acres of true Colorado landscape, then this is a property is a must see, and feel. And if trout fishing, mountain biking, rafting, trail running, hot springs and skiing is your jam, than turn the car around and get there now. Contact Jeff Post at First Colorado Land real estate office in Salida at 719-539-6682 or email post@firstcolorado.com. So why am I posting this? This sale is for good friends of mine moving back home to the Boulder area. Thank you for sharing!
This month’s charity for giving is the Chordoma Foundation. Chordoma is a slow growing cancer of tissue found inside the spine. Chordoma can happen anywhere along the spine. It is most often found near the tailbone or where the spine meets the skull. It’s Chordoma Foundation’s plan to bring about treatments that can prevent recurrence, eliminate tumors rather than just slow their growth, and preserve patients’ quality of life. If we all contribute what we can, these new treatments are not only possible, but probable. Please see how important this program is and give today!
Thank you and don’t forget to SMILE!
Jon Hatch
Realtor®, RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement®, RE/MAX Hall of Fame®, GRI®, ABR®
RE/MAX of Boulder
303-513-2834
hatch@boulderco.com
http://www.jonhatch.com
Lead photo: August evening storm in the BOCO, photo by Hatch
Chautauqua a win-win for Boulder
by Silvia Pettem
Ever since 1898, Boulder residents and visitors have participated in events at Boulder's Chautauqua, now in its 125th year. But the national, cultural, and educational movement is not unique to Boulder. It grew out of nineteenth-century camp meetings in New York state and provided classes, oratory, music, and entertainment to isolated communities.
In its early days, there were at least 150 of these gatherings all over the country. So, how did Chautauqua, initially a summer resort, find its way to Boulder? A longtime Chautauqua secretary once stated that the Boulder location was chosen after a committee of leading Texas educators "set out like knights of old in the search for the Holy Grail." They thought Boulder was "the loveliest little city in America." Also, its summers were cooler than at home.
Boulder voters quickly approved a bond issue to buy seventy-five acres of land, then leased the land to what at first was called the Texas-Colorado Chautauqua. Contractors then scrambled to build the dining hall and auditorium, as opening day was scheduled for July 4, 1898. Carpenters finished the auditorium's framing on June 22.
Then, with only twelve days to go, 75 men worked around the clock to complete the walls, roof, towers, stage, and benches. A reporter called the construction "the fastest work ever known in Boulder." On opening day, flags waved and bands played.
Many of the guests came by train and stayed all summer. That first year, they slept in tents. In the evenings, a lively pace of orators, entertainers, and musicians performed on stage. These performers "rode the circuit," traveling by train to gatherings in other parts of the country. In the daytime, families were kept busy with burro rides, railroad excursions, and hikes in the mountains.
Boulder's location is unique, but the Chautauqua name is not. The Iroquois word has multiple meanings, including “a bag tied in the middle” or “two moccasins tied together." It describes the shape of Chautauqua Lake, in southwest New York, at the site of the movement's first (and ongoing) location.
In 125 years, the Chautauqua Auditorium has seen an array of speakers, magicians and animal shows, colorful dancers, persuasive actors, and nearly every kind of singer and musician imaginable. Classical music has come back in style, and the films that started the first year have never stopped. The site was a win-win situation for everyone, even the Texans.
Silvia Pettem can be reached at silviapettem.com
Welcome to #52 From the Trail near Isabelle Glacier, high above the City of Boulder, Colorado!
I trust you’re knee deep into summer fun by now! The abundance of outdoor recreation, concerts, camping, backyard hang time and fishing trips make for the best time of year here in Colorado. As the biz typically slows in July it’s always nice to use the time to jump in feet first into our Planet Colorado. Our state really knows how to reboot the body and soul. I appreciate that so much as we roll into late summer and fall seasons where my business picks up steam again.
And now, what to think about this current real estate market? Recall it was just last June when we saw the peak of the crazy COVID and post-COVID mayhem. While the market is different now, like less frenetic and somewhat more balanced, it is not suffering—despite what you may have read, this market has a lumpy head. Yes, we are seeing some longer days on market, some price reductions and fewer multiple offer scenarios, but our prices are still up month to month. But indeed they are less impressive than ’21 and '22.
You buyers who were tapping the brakes for better days? Your time is near and your mission’s clear—consider jumping back in as we are approaching what some call the "summer slump" when the number of viewings, offers, and showings are waning. Meanwhile listings are coming into the marketplace at a more frequent clip. So while your competition is on summer vacation, maybe it’s time you step to the line!
This month’s charity for giving is Growing Gardens in Boulder. Over the last 25 years, Growing Gardens has brought regenerative agriculture education and food donations to over 136,000 Boulder County residents. Growing Gardens’ programs empower people of all ages, income levels, and abilities by reconnecting them with their local food systems and teaching gardening, cooking, and nutrition education. Please see how important this program is and give today!
Meanwhile, for another dose of Hatch From the Trail, please tune in here to #52!
Thank you and don’t forget to SMILE!
Jon Hatch
Realtor®, RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement®, RE/MAX Hall of Fame®, GRI®, ABR®
RE/MAX of Boulder
303-513-2834
hatch@boulderco.com
http://www.jonhatch.com
Lead photo: sunset in cloud reflection east of Boulder from the Pearl Street Mall in Downtown Boulder by Jon Hatch.
Well, hot dog—summer is here! I hope you’re enjoying it wherever you are. We are for sure; with house and yard improvements, trout chasing, hiking and running and we’re putting our Christmas gifts to good use, SUPing the Boulder Reservoir. We are looking forward to camping at Brainard Lake up in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area in July. And we can’t wait for a festive Independence Day holiday weekend with good friends, good food and live music galore. I hope you all have an awesome weekend!
On the biz front, last week I was recognized by RealTrends, Inc. for my 2022 production. In Colorado and the in the country I achieved the top 1.3% and 1.5%, respectively, in sales volume. RealTrends identifies the country's most successful residential real estate brokerages, teams and agents. They compile and verify transaction sides and closed sales volume for the industry's trusted annual rankings program. And the first half of this year is off to record production for my business. I will soak in some of the July and August lull in by enjoying the ColoRADo wild, but I'm still very busy with buyers and have some sweet listings coming soon. I can’t tell you how amazing it is that YOU all got me here. In my 19th year I feel so blessed to have such a long and successful career and I owe it to you for looking out for me by asking me to help you and your friends and family in touch with me. THANK YOU!
Please scroll down to take a look at our latest housing statistics from our RE/MAX of Boulder Managing Broker Todd Gullette. Here are his insights into the numbers: “All signs point to a stall or pause in our market with no danger signs apparent. Inventory has risen over the last year, but the overall level of inventory is still extremely low, protecting home values to a great degree. Median and average prices countywide shifted from high appreciation over the last two years to a stall, flirting with neutral or low single digit negative appreciation. The sales price to list price ratio shows a drop of around 5%, while average market time or days on market increased 88% for single-family homes and 37% for attached dwellings. The number of sales for the year so far has dropped once again around 25%."
In addition, you’ll find that we’ve added new charts showing percent of available homes under contract for individual towns and cities. "This statistic is a great way to take a quick temperature of the market," says Gullette. He notes, “Above 35% under contract is still an appreciating market. Last year we saw under contract percentages well above 75% in most areas.”
Well, please reach out to me anytime—I’d love to hear from you!
Happy holiday to you and don’t forget to SMILE,
Jon Hatch
Realtor®, RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement®, RE/MAX Hall of Fame®, GRI®, ABR®
RE/MAX of Boulder
303-513-2834
hatch@boulderco.com
http://www.jonhatch.com
Lead photo: Classic Colorado Mountain town abode in Creede with dooryard cooktop and clothes washer included by Jon Hatch.
Hi friends, get out and do something today - We did! ColoRADo for the win! I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to SMILE, Hatch
Bryan and Jones were early Chautauqua speakers
by Silvia Pettem
William Jennings Bryan and Samuel P. Jones were an unlikely pair on a speaking tour, but individually and together they roused crowds in Boulder during Chautauqua's early days.
The national educational and cultural resort opened its Boulder venue in 1898. Although audiences enjoyed entertainers, musicians, and films, they were riveted on speakers. Politics, religion, and anti-liquor sentiments dominated the stage.
William Jennings Bryan, a former U.S. Representative from Nebraska, was the most popular speaker in 1899. The Democrat was known as the "silver-tongued orator" and had run for U.S. president but lost against Republican William McKinley. Still, Bryan was well-liked in Boulder County and other mining districts of the West, as he supported the free and unlimited coinage of both gold and silver.
When he stepped off the train in downtown Boulder, he was greeted by thousands of well-wishers. A reporter wrote, “Cheersyells, hand-clapping, waving of hats and handkerchiefs, a roar of sound and a seething sea greeted the ear and the eye simultaneously."
Six additional trains brought crowds from Fort Collins, the mountain towns, and from Denver, temporarily doubling Boulder’s population. Stores closed at noon, and crowds lined Bryan’s carriage route as he was driven uphill to the auditorium on the Chautauqua grounds. Many people walked from the downtown depot, while others rented horse-drawn hacks or squeezed onto Boulder’s new electric streetcars. Colorado women had recently won the right to vote, and they made up a large part of Bryan’s audience.
At the beginning of the program, a band played “Hail to the Chief.” When the renowned speaker was introduced as “the next president,” men, women, and children burst into wild applause.
Another early speaker was Samuel P. Jones, who was an evangelical minister and anti-liquor crusader. He was known for being humorous and theatrical, but his message was a simple one of living a good life that was as sin-free as possible.
Both Bryan and Jones returned to Boulder in July 1905 for Jones/Bryan Day. By then Bryan had lost his second presidential election, but the people in Boulder still loved him. The audience gave him a standing ovation and deafening applause.
At the time, speeches went on for three or four hours, and the only seats in the auditorium were wooden benches. After listening to Bryan, Boulder Daily Camera editor L.C. Paddock wrote that the benches were "unthinkably hard," but "Bryan is the only man who ever rendered them tolerable to the spine."
Boulder's first films were shown at Chautauqua, by Silvia Pettem
In 1898, when the Chautauqua cultural and educational movement opened in Boulder, its summer visitors were treated to speakers, entertainers, and musicians in its newly built auditorium. Boulder residents attended, as well. The Chautauqua Association also brought in motion pictures –– the first ever shown in Boulder.
At the time, the public was caught up in the fervor of the Spanish-American War, creating a demand for patriotic newsreels. The first shown at Chautauqua was the Battle of Santiago Bay, leading viewers to believe it was filmed in Cuba. The film, however, featured cardboard models of ships that were partially disguised with cigar smoke.
Dear neighbors, back in October of 2019 I interviewed neighbor Sabine Schaffner for this newsletter. I learned she wanted to share more about the neighborhood than about herself. But I discovered in my time with her that there was so much about her that I wanted to share with you. Once I was close to completing the piece I wanted her to read it. She did. But then she asked me not to publish it for it was too personal. I was disappointed but I very much respected her privacy. Today, with her family’s permission, I am grateful to be able to share this story with you. It’s mostly the same as it was then but with editing from Beret Strong and career fact-checking from Karen Simmons - thank you both!
Guardian of the Galaxy - Neighbor recounts first spacecraft images of our planets
By Jon Hatch, On The Corner
As she stood in her slippers, in her mid-century home, gazing out through large, west-facing windows to her backyard sanctuary, Sabine (pronounced Sabeena) Schaffner, 87, described to me memories from the 65 years she had lived in Boulder. For 22 of those years, she was tucked into a dead end dirt road below Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. Just a few minutes into listening to Sabine, I realized there was going be a lot to be shared so I suggested we sit down. She placed us at each end of the couch in the living room that was lightly accented with antique furniture, ancient rugs and vaulted ceilings with stout wood beams. There were tea and nibbles. She turned up her hearing aid and asked me to speak…
Dear OTC readers, I wanted to take a step back in time to share this story which I published in OTC
back in the fall of 2009. A harrowing story of two young men who climbed the Third Flatiron and
painted the letter “C". It is one of my favorite stories in the many years I've been publishing this
newsletter. It was a pleasure to interview Dale Johnson, one of the men, who lived in the
neighborhood with his wife Frandee Johnson. Dale passed away in 2012. He would've been 91
years old today. Back in 2009 the average sales price in Lower Chautauqua was $738,000. The
average price per square foot was $358/sqft and the highest price home sale that year was
$1,050,000. It was time of The Great Recession. I was five years into my real estate career and my
kids were 4 and 6 years old. Today they are 18 and 20 and this market my 18th year in the biz.
Gee, how time flies. Thank you all for reading this all these years and for your personal
compliments along the way. Enjoy the climb up this rock again - it’s a good one!