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Thomas Hynes House
A small light blue wooden house with dark blue, and in some cases red, trim. There is a small plot with grassy plants and flowers in front, and signs saying "Matsuhisa".
North elevation, 2010
A map of Colorado showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County in the west central region of the state
A map of Colorado showing county boundaries and major rivers. There is a red dot in the center of Pitkin County in the west central region of the state
Location in Colorado
Location Aspen, CO
Built 1885
MPS Historic Resources of Aspen
NRHP reference No. 87000157
Added to NRHP March 6, 1987

The Thomas Hynes House is a historic wooden building in Aspen. It was built in the 1880s on East Main Street. In 1987, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites in the United States.

This house is one of the few original miner's cottages left in Aspen. Aspen was once a busy silver mining town, also called a "boomtown." The house has not changed much over the years. This makes it a great example of homes from that time. Today, the building is a popular Japanese restaurant. It is owned by the famous chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

What the House Looks Like

The house sits on a small piece of land. It is at the corner of East Main and South Monarch streets. This area is where Aspen's busy downtown changes into quieter neighborhoods. Many nearby buildings are small, like the Hynes house. Some are businesses, and others are old homes now used for shops. Across the street, buildings are generally taller. The Hotel Jerome, another historic building, is also nearby. The land here is mostly flat. It is located between Aspen Mountain to the south and the Roaring Fork River to the north.

The building is shaped like the letter "L." It has one story and is made of wood. Its outer walls are covered with overlapping wooden boards called clapboard. The house sits on a strong base made of sandstone. The roof is very steep and has a cross-gable design. This means it has two parts that meet at a peak. Brick chimneys stick out from the middle of each roof section. These chimneys have decorative brickwork near the top.

There are porches on the front (north) and west sides of the house. Some parts of the porches show its current use as a restaurant. The front porch has a flat roof. It has fancy decorations called a frieze and is held up by pillars. Next to the porch is a large window that opens up and down. It has a small, slanted roof above it. On the west side, there is a large bay window. This window sticks out from the house. It is supported by decorative wooden pieces called brackets.

Inside, the house has been completely changed for the restaurant. The design matches the Japanese style of the food. The owner says the inside looks "modern and cool."

History of the Thomas Hynes House

Aspen started in the late 1870s. People called prospectors came looking for silver. They crossed the Continental Divide into the Roaring Fork Valley. They found lots of silver in the mountains. A small settlement grew where Castle Creek met the Roaring Fork River. It quickly became the busiest mining camp. It changed from tents and log cabins to a growing city.

Miners began building small cottages as they became more successful. These replaced their simple log cabins. The Hynes house is a great example of these early homes. It has an L-shape, a steep roof, porches, and a bay window. Many of these cottages were later torn down for bigger houses. Or, they were left to fall apart. This happened after the silver market crashed in 1893. This period was called the "quiet years." It lasted until the ski resort opened in the mid-1900s. The ski resort helped Aspen's economy grow again.

We do not know much about Thomas Hynes. He was a miner and built the house around 1885. He moved to another street before 1893. The next owner, a doctor, made some improvements in 1892. During the "quiet years," the house was sold for $500 in 1918. Homer VanLoon bought it. He was the first welfare director for Pitkin County.

Aspen Matsuhisa interior
A party sitting down to dinner at Matsuhisa

As Aspen grew again, the house remained standing. It had several different owners. But it was never changed much. In 1998, chef Nobu Matsuhisa bought the house. He was famous for mixing Western and Latin American cooking styles with traditional Japanese dishes. He remodeled the house and opened one of his restaurants there. It quickly became one of Aspen's most popular places to eat. You often need to make a reservation a month in advance!

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