Colorado's Most Endangered Places List, 2004: The Luigi Gianella Building
From Colorado Preservation, Inc., Colorado's Most Endangered Places List, 2004: The Luigi Gianella Building, Listing on Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
In recognition of this property's contribution to the heritage of the State of Colorado , the Gianella Bank Building in Aguilar was listed in the State Register of Historic Properties on Sept. 14, 2005. It was completed in 1912 and still stands as one of Aguilar's most prominent commercial two story structures in spite of its vacancy and deterioration. The street level with its large display windows covered with ply board once housed the one and only bank Aguilar ever had. The upper level once housed doctor's offices, the Bell Telephone office, and living quarters.
It's association with the town's commercial history and the type and method of construction, qualified it for nomination to the State Register. The Apishapa Valley Historical Society worked with the out of state owner to complete the nomination and is also awaiting the final report on a Historic Structure Assessment funded with a State Historical Fund grant and a contribution from the owner and the historical society. This will identify the deterioration of the building and help establish a conservation and maintenance strategy for the future of the building.
Listing in the State Register provides a formal recognition of a property's importance , a sense of community history and local pride. It also provides eligibility to compete for grants from the State Historical Fund that may be used for future planning projects.
The 1912 Luigi Gianella Building, also known as the Aguilar State Bank building, represents the success of a southern Colorado community and its mostly European immigrants to control their own affairs, outside the paternalistic company town model of the time. Founded in 1894 after coal mining boomed in the area, most of Aguilar's population worked for the mines but the mines did not own the town. This was a source of pride for citizens of Aguilar, when industrial employers in the area all but owned employees who lived in their company towns, and labor relations were strained, if not dangerous.
The Gianella Building was reportedly designed by Antonio Lo Presto and built of native sandstone by Italian stonemasons. It was named after Luigi Gianella, the owner and bank director. The building's name and date of construction are inscribed on a concrete tablet above the front of the building. This is an unusual "folk" treatment similar to cast tombstones that exist throughout the area
The only bank in the history of Aguilar and only one of two remaining multi-storied buildings on Aguilar's Main Street, the Aguilar State Bank operated from 1912 until its closing in 1927. As coal mining declined, so did the population and bustle of Aguilar. From a high of two thousand citizens in the early 1920's, to a current level of around six hundred, Aguilar has yet to recover.
The Gianella Building has no roof and has been open to the elements for years. The town of Aguilar does not want to condemn the building, but may not have an alternative. The citizens of Aguilar hope this building can be converted from an eyesore into an attraction for travelers along a recently created loop of the Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway.