The “Main Street” area of a municipality – and its local businesses – often serves as the steady heartbeat of its surrounding communities.
And downtown Loveland is no exception to this.
“Downtown Loveland is the one authentic, local, historic place that can’t be replicated,” says Sean Hawkins, executive director of the Loveland Downtown District. “It’s a place that provides identity, charm, and a true sense of community.”
And that community is rich with history, with its origins dating back to the late 1800s.
The town of Loveland was established in 1877, per the Colorado Encyclopedia. Named after William A.H. Loveland, president of the Colorado Central Railroad, the town rapidly evolved from a railroad stop to an agricultural hub before transforming into a commercial and political center for Larimer County’s southeastern region.
Loveland’s roots trace back to the family of Mariano Medina, a trapper from Taos, New Mexico, who built a homestead in 1858 along the Big Thompson River. What began as a homestead flourished into a small settlement thanks to its proximity to the Cherokee and Overland stagecoach trails and the increased traffic during the Colorado Gold Rush. However, as the railroad networks expanded in the 1870s, traffic along the trails declined. In 1877, William Loveland founded the town as he constructed his Colorado Central Railroad.
In 1878, the completion of John. L Herzinger’s and Samuel B. Harter’s brick mercantile building launched the development of Loveland’s East Fourth Street, also known as the “Main Street” of downtown. Less than a decade later, East Fourth Street bustled with a variety of businesses, including drugstores, tailors, furniture stores, churches, grocers, and an opera house.
Fast forward to this day and age, the local businesses contribute not only jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, but also provide a space for the community to gather and “a sense of place and tourism,” Hawkins notes.
“When your businesses are local and the owners are local as well, profits and wages stay in our community,” he comments. “When you invest in downtown revitalization, the whole community benefits. Simultaneously, many of our downtown businesses are regular partners and contributors to various nonprofits in our city who offer support to those in need.”
Now, amid the Heart Improvement Plan construction, the residents of Loveland are encouraged more than ever to show their appreciation and support for the downtown businesses.
“Keep supporting your local businesses and try to learn about new ones,” Hawkins suggests. “Most of our downtown business owners live right here in town and need your support. I’d also encourage you to learn about the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of the project.”
According to Hawkins, the project will improve the infrastructure supporting the downtown businesses that currently needs replaced and will create a walking experience that is “incredibly pedestrian and event friendly.”
For the month of November, a few signature events are taking place in downtown Loveland.
On Friday, November 21, the Loveland Downtown District will host the Festival of Lights and invites the public to kick off the holiday season with them. The construction crews have even agreed to wrap their diggers and excavators in lights. Also, Small Business Saturday will occur on November 29, the Saturday after Black Friday, giving residents a chance to show some extra love and support to their local businesses during the holiday shopping season.
To learn more about the events hosted in downtown Loveland, you can sign up for the Loveland Downtown District’s monthly newsletter by visiting downtownloveland.org.
“There’s always something great going on in downtown Loveland,” Hawkins says. “Our local businesses and the experiences they provide, in combination with our most historic buildings and events, create a sense of place in our growing community.”
So, thank you to all of the downtown businesses and their staff for making Loveland a one-of-a-kind community. We are grateful for each and every one of you.