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James W. and Mary K. Loofbourow House
Built in 1911, the James W. and Mary K. Loofbourow House is significant as one of the very few remaining large and elaborate residences constructed in Price during a period of considerable building activity around 1910. The robust local economy at that time encouraged the construction of some of the most substantial commercial and public buildings in the community, as well as a number of residences. This house, with its two stories and its distinctive eclectic styling, represents the upper range of residential architecture in a community consisting primarily of one-story pyramid cottages and bungalows. Its well-preserved interior, particularly the elaborate woodwork on the main floor, contributes to the architectural significance of the house.
Located at 187 North 100 East in Price, Utah and added to the National Register of Historic Places (#86000722) on April 10, 1986.
James W. and Mary K. Loofbourow purchased the property upon which this house was built in April 1910, but it was not until the spring of 1911 that construction of the house actually began Brief newspaper accounts described the house as “an eight room frame building…modern in every way,” and as “one of the costliest [residences] in Eastern Utah.” By September 1911 the house was “about ready for occupancy.” Local tradition holds that the house was built by Lars Gunderson, a prominent local contractor, but there is no evidence from the newspaper accounts to support that claim.
James Wilbur Loofbourow was born in Columbus, Ohio in November 1859 and came to Utah with his wife, Mary K., and son, John S., in the early 1890s. By 1900 he was a resident of Price and was serving as manager of J.C. Weeter Lumber Company, a Park City-based company. It was the first lumber company established in Price and one of the longest lived. Mr. Loofbourow’s involvement in the lumber business may account for the elaborate woodwork in this house. In addition to his business activities, James W. Loofbourow served as county treasurer in 1903-04, and he was elected mayor of Price in 1924, serving one two-year term. Around 1936, the Loofbourows, accompanied by their daughter and her son, moved to Long Beach, California, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Mary Loofbourow died in the late 1930s or early 1940s, and J. W. Loofbourow died in 1946.
Marie and Riley E. Moss purchased this house in 1918 from the Loofbourows, and it remained in the Moss family for the next 51 years. The Mosses operated a jewelry business and clothing store in Price for many years. Other owners of this house include Dr. Orrin Selman, a professor at the College of Eastern Utah, who eventually rented out some of the rooms to college students, and Wayne and Carolyn Erickson. The current owners, David L. and Shauna F. O’Brien, bought the house in 1980. In 1983 they commenced renovation of the house which resulted in the restoration of many of the original features as well as the addition of a garage and living area on the rear.
This house is one of the Loofbourow’s two principal residences in Price. They lived there from 1911 until 1918, then in 1921 had a bungalow constructed one block away at 205 N. Carbon Avenue, where they lived until at least 1930. Their married daughter, Ruth Southworth, purchased that home from them at that time, though it is possible that they continued to live there with her after that. While living in that house James W. Loofbourow was elected mayor of Price, serving one two year term, 1924-25. Of these two Loofbourow houses, the bungalow on Carbon Avenue is more closely associated with Mr. Loofbourow’s significant contributions in the community. He lived in that house for a slightly longer period, and while living there he served as mayor.
The Loofbourow House is architecturally unique in Price, and it is one of the few large, elaborate houses constructed in the city during the early twentieth century. Only two other well preserved houses of similar size and vintage have been identified in the community, and neither of them exhibit the degree of both interior and exterior architectural quality found on the Loofbourow House. One of those houses, the Moynier House, was determined eligible for the National Register in 1982. Unlike the eclectic styling of the Loofbourow House, the Moynier House is a straightforward example of the Box Style. Similarities between the two houses include their construction dates, their two-story box-like form, and the narrow horizontal siding on their exteriors. The vast majority of houses in Price are one-story bungalows or pyramid cottages constructed during the early years of the twentieth century.
In addition to substantial residences such as the Loofbourow and Moynier houses, a number of important commercial and public buildings were constructed in Price during the period around 1910. They include the Price Carnegie Library, the Carbon Stake Tabernacle of the LDS church, the Carbon County Courthouse, the Weeter-Parker/Mahleres-Siampenos Building (National Register 1982), and the Hellenic Orthodox Church (National Register 1973). The growth and vitality of the community at that time can be attributed to the robust local coal industry, which has served as the primary economic force in Price and Carbon County for the past century.
