Cash Criss Building
Chaffee County
Built in 1882, the Cash Criss Building in St. Elmo was home to Reuben Cash, a lawyer from Missouri. He practiced law and lived there until 1886, when he moved to Buena Vista. In 1887, local store owner James Criss purchased the building. As St. Elmo’s mining fortunes began to decline, the Stark family began purchasing buildings around town in order to stave off their abandonment and collapse. Eventually the Cash Criss Building was donated to Historic St. Elmo and Chalk Creek Canyon Inc.
This grant will implement a portion of the construction documents that were completed in the previous 2016 SHF grant. The roof and the foundation of the Cash Criss Building will be preserved and stabilized using the recommended methodology from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. The grant recipients we will be re-using the existing rusted tin roof but installing a new, invisible, sub-roof below. The foundation will be stabilized and original siding materials will be re-installed to hide any repairs, providing critical updates to the building that do not compromise its historic character.