Estemere

Details

Image Number006-498DateSummer 1976DescriptionElevated view of the towers of Estemere, a prominent Queen Ann style Victorian estate in Palmer Lake, Colorado, built in 1887 by Dr. William Finley Thompson, the town’s founder and first mayor. Thompson, a Baltimore dentist who commuted to Denver by rail, constructed the 18‑room mansion during the town’s boom period known as the Ambitious ’80s. After Thompson’s financial collapse around 1900, the property passed through a series of notable uses and owners. Over the decades, Estemere served as a vacation home for mining magnate Eben Smith, a summer school, a camp for underprivileged girls, a New Deal–era weaving school, a tourist lodge, and multiple private residences. Despite changing hands many times, the mansion remained one of Palmer Lake’s architectural landmarks. Its distinctive features—including six fireplaces, a billiard room, a tower with panoramic views, and surrounding structures like a carriage house and chapel—survived largely intact. Located at 380 Glenway Street. Photo is referenced as "B48" in "Historic Sites & Structures El Paso County, Colorado" by Freed, Elaine and David Barber.PhotographerGulliford, AndrewLocationPalmer Lake (Colo.)SubjectDwellingsHistoric buildingsHistoric sitesCollectionHistoric Sites and StructuresPublisherPikes Peak Library DistrictOriginal FormatNegativesPhysical Description35mm b&w negative

Digitization

Date Digital45919TIFF file size 15865668Scanning HardwareEpson Expression 12000XLResource TypeImage

OCR Text Transcription Edit Edit +-Close

Save Cancel + Row + Column

Start typing here to find a location	Latitude	Longitude	Zoom	Actions

loading google map....

Save Cancel

Digital Collections

Menu

Estemere