The Higlands Ranch Mansion in Highland Ranch, Colorado

The Highlands Ranch Mansion is located in the Highlands Ranch Community, part of Douglas County, Colorado.  Highlands Ranch has a long and interesting history, which my husband and I learned about on a lecture and tour we attended at the mansion. 

At one time, most of the Front Range land west of the city of Denver became farm and ranchland, as settlers from the East came West.

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The first to settle in this area was Samuel Allen Long, who came from Pennsylvania in 1884 and filed a 40-acre Homestead claim. He expanded his claim to 2,000 acres a few years later and, in 1991, built a barn and farmhouse which he called Rotherwood Ranch.

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John W. Springer, a wealthy man with ties to politics, banking, and law, became the new owner from 1897 to 1913, and he renamed it to Springer Cross Country Horse and Cattle Ranch. He expanded the home to include a turret and gave it a castle-like appearance.  Springer became the first president of what was then called the National Livestock Association. 

He became the area's largest landowner. He bought the property through a series of purchases while he was married to his first wife, Eliza Hughes Springer. The ranch grew to 12,000 acres, and Springer pursued his interest in show horses, raising rare German Oldenburg Coach Stallions. After his first wife, Eliza, died, and his second wife was involved in a murder scandal, he sold the Colorado ranch to Eliza's father, Colonel William E. Hughes, in 1913.

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In 1913, Hughes purchased John Springer’s Cross Country Horse and Cattle Ranch, changed the name to Sunland Ranch, and continued to operate it as a working ranch. At the time of his death in July 1918, it was estimated that Hughes was Colorado’s second-wealthiest man (the first being Lawrence Phipps, Sr.). Hughes bequeathed Sunland Ranch to his granddaughter Annie, who sold it two years later to oil tycoon Waite Phillips.

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Waite Philips purchased Sunland Ranch in 1920 and used it as a breeding location for high-grade horses and cattle. He consolidated the ranch with other nearby land purchases to create a prodigious spread called Phillips Highland Ranch, named after the Highland Hereford cattle he raised here.

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In 1926, Frank Kistler purchased Highland Ranch from Waite Phillips, renamed it the Diamond K Ranch, and began breeding operations that specialized in dairy and Angus cattle, sheep, chickens, and hogs. During his time living on the ranch, he did extensive renovations on the ranch, converting it from a castle to an English Tudor-style home.

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The last ranch owner was Lawrence Phipps, Jr., who named it Highlands Ranch. As one of the largest ranches in Colorado, it hosted the Arapahoe Hunt Club for more than 40 years.  Upon Lawrence’s death in 1976, the ranch passed to his estate, which handled its sale to Marvin Davis, head of the Highlands Venturers Corporation. 

In 1978, Highland Venturers sold the property to Mission Viejo Company, and development began of the modern community called Highlands Ranch. Mission Viejo sold Highlands Ranch to Shea Homes in 1997. In 2010, Shea Homes gave the Mansion property and funds for renovation, as well as an endowment to the Highlands Ranch Metro District.

 The Highlands Ranch Metro District became the new owner of the Highlands Ranch Mansion in April.  On June 15, 2012, the Highlands Ranch Metro District hosted the grand opening of the renovated Mansion, inviting the community to enjoy this community treasure.

We toured the open rooms of the mansion...

Full descriptions and historical photos of each of the mansion's rooms can be seen on this link.

Much of the original furnishing remains. I loved the stained-glass lighting fixtures!

The extensive, long hallway is tiled in Italian Terrazzo tile and was used for formal dances by one of the owners.

The multiple dining areas have gorgeous tapestries.

The butler's pantry was filled with interesting period china and other artifacts.

Surrounded by 250 acres of ranchland and tucked away in a beautiful Highland Ranch neighborhood, at 9950 Gateway Dr, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126-3022, the Mansion is less than 20 miles south of downtown Denver, and is a 45-minute drive to Denver International Airport.

Go to the Highlands Ranch Mansion calendar or call 303.791.0177 for more information about free tours or special events held at the mansion. 

The Highlands Ranch Mansion website will also provide information about renting the mansion for special events, such as weddings or business conferences.

It is well worth a visit to learn more about the long ranching and development history of this part of Colorado.

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