Fort Lyon Homeless Shelter

 homeless shelter, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1860s construction, historic district, Colonial Revival (architecture), American Craftsman (architecture)

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Historic former U.S. Army fort listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a historic district.

Built: 1868 (original Army fort)
Architectural style: Georgian Revival; American Craftsman
Areas of significance: Health/Medicine; Military; Native American, Black and European Ethnic Heritage; Architecture
Area: 327 acres
Date added to NRHP: 5/5/2004
Other designations: U.S. Historic District; listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Notes: The Fort Lyon complex has served numerous functions through its years. Initially a U.S. Army fort, it also served as a tuberculosis sanatorium run by the Navy, a Veterans Administration neuropsychiatry facility, and a minimum security prison. In 2013, the complex reopened as a homeless shelter geared toward residents with substance abuse issues.

The structures within the complex were constructed in phases corresponding to the various uses of the facility. Though the original fort was established in 1868, the first major wave of construction development on the site occurred between 1907 and 1911 when the complex was converted into a sanatorium for military tuberculosis patients. Additional development occurred between 1917 and 1922. The final wave of historic-period construction and redevelopment took place between 1929 and 1945 while the complex was in use as a VA hospital. In total, the Fort Lyon site contains 74 buildings and 14 other structures that are considered contributing resources to the site's NRHP listing.