Eiler Heights
EILER HEIGHTS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD
Eiler Heights Historic Neighborhood is not protected by designation. It is the general area that is located to the north of Northern Avenue and the east of Interstate 25.
The below written history is of Eilers Avenue located in the heart of Eiler Heights. This history is courtesy of Pam Kocman.
The 1100 block of Eilers Avenue is part of Eiler Heights, which is located east of I-25 and north of Northern Avenue and was originally called Bojon Town. The name "Bojon Town" was given to the area primarily because the term, Bojon, was and still is used frequently to describe immigrants from Slovenia. The neighborhood is the area where the Slovenian immigrants settled in the early to mid-1900's. These Slovenian immigrants were hard working people and the mill was their primary employer.
Today, a small section of Bojon Town has voted to name itself Eiler Heights. This small neighborhood comprises the 1100 block of Eilers and the 200 and 300 blocks of E. Mesa Ave. and St. Mary's Church and is comprised of 22 homes, two commercial properties, and St. Mary Help of Christians Church. The rich, multicultural neighborhood is currently a very vibrant, historical area. The neighborhood was originally comprised of Slovenian immigrant families with nine of the original owners still in residence today. Recently it has seen an influx in the next generation of original owner families moving back to the neighborhood and returning to their family homes. Also, younger people from varying backgrounds have been purchasing homes in the neighborhood. Even these young couples say, "It feels like home."
The residents of Eiler Heights are currently in the process of recording their personal and family home histories. They are committed to preserving and recording their unique history and our well preserved homes and neighborhood for this and future generations.
The history of the 1100 block of Eilers Avenue, Pueblo, Colorado, started in 1921 when St. Mary's Church, which was located in the Grove, decided to purchase the property south of Newton Lumber Company to Mesa Avenue, west to the railroad tracks on the east side of what is now I-25 and which included the Eiler Smelter, and east to Santa Fe Avenue. The purchase price was $25,000. Eilers Avenue is named after the Eiler Smelter.
St. Mary's School was constructed on the property in 1923 and the Rectory was constructed in 1935. The remaining property east of the Rectory was used as a playground and a baseball field which was home to the Walters Brewers baseball team. Prior to WWII the Walters Brewers fenced in enough of the property to construct a ball field and stands, and continued to play here until WWII when the players went to war.
1940 brought change to the property. St. Mary's Church decided to sell the property east of what is now the Convent all the way to Santa Fe Drive for home lots to pay off their debt on the property. When the sewage and water lines were completed, 36 lots went up for sale. Each of the homes, however, are built on two lots, so the total number of available home sites was actually eighteen. Twelve of these double lots are located in the 1100 block of Eilers Avenue.
The first home constructed on the 1100 block was owned by the Elsie and Rudolph Kocman. Prior to building their new home, they lived at Eilers' Place on the corner of Eilers and Mesa Avenues.
1142 Eilers Avenue, grandmother, Josephine "Pepa" Glavich, and grandfather, Matt Glavich, purchased Eilers' Place in the 1920's. The family lived in the house portion and ran the business as a grocery store until Grandpa Matt died. Pepa then applied for and received the second liquor license ever issued in Pueblo and the grocery store became a bar which is still owned and operated by the same Glavich family...now the fourth generation.
All five of Pepa's children were born and raised in the house attached to the bar. As each of Pepa's children got married, a few continued to live in the house attached, and in some cases even had children of their own who were also raised in the house.
Elsie (Glavich) and Rudolph Moon Kocman were the first to build a home across the street from the bar on the 1100 block of Eilers Avenue. Their house was located at 1142 Eilers Avenue. As mentioned above, this land was once a baseball field and home to the semipro baseball team, The Walters Brewers. Moon Kocman was the manager of the team. The year was 1949. Their house was completed in December 1949 and the family moved in. Joe was born nine months later, September 1950, the youngest of six children. Joe and his wife Pam are the current residents of this historic home.
Two more homes were built on the block in 1949. 1142 Eilers Avenue was joined by 1130 and 1150 Eilers Avenue.
Elsie's sister and brother-in-law, Evelyn and Jay Mohorcich, purchased the plot just to the south of Elsie and her other sister, Lillian, and her husband Jones purchased a plot across the street, two plots north. As each house was built and finished the three sisters moved their families out of the bar house and into their new homes. Lillian is still in her home today and the other two homes are owned by the son of Elise and Moon Kocman and the daughter of Evelyn and Jay Mohorcich.
There are eleven homes, all but two being brick, on the 1100 block of Eilers Avenue. Of the remaining eight homes not spoken about above, one is owned by Pepa's grandson, another is owned by the sister-in-law to one of Pepa's sons, and two more are owned by the original families. The remaining four homes have changed hands since the original owners but remain untouched as the rest of the houses on the block.
The rest of this small area is home to St. Mary's Church, adjacent to the 1100 block of Eilers Avenue, built in 1953, and St. Mary's School where just about everyone in the neighborhood attended school. St. Mary's School is designated an historic landmark.
Next to the St. Mary's School building is a park, donated to the City by the Church, and then next to the park is I-25. The I-25 project is due to expand in this area and plans are being made to demolish 36-52 homes right across the street from St. Mary's Church. Needless to say, the residents of this area are very worried and upset by this prospect and are trying very hard to change the situation.
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