Historic Homes Feature: Love and an Eye for Midcentury Detail
/The Boyajian House
1300 Emigh St.
Vahe and Elsie Boyajian were the owners from 1970 until 2015. 1300 Emigh is a classic brick ranch-style house, built about 1961. It is a simple one story, with a side gabled roof, with a breezeway connecting the house to the garage. The long low profile, typical of the era, has unique touches with highly textured bricks and an unusual covered gap between the house and garage. While simple on the outside, the inside is filled with original classic mid-century details that will delight fans of the era. The living room has a three-sided fireplace, complete with original brass sconces. The kitchen has been remodeled but the current owners kept the lighting fixtures and the functioning Nutone intercom system with radio. Many of the toggle switches throughout the home are original. It was built in 1961 by Roland and Elizabeth Weitzel, who were part of the nearby family business of Roland Weitzel Ready Mix Concrete. It was sold to Preston and Eleanor Cunningham in 1966. In 1970, the Cunninghams sold the home to Vahe and Elsie Boyajian, who had moved to Fort Collins from Massachusetts with their two sons. A musician and music teacher with a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, Vahe Boyajian became a tax preparation specialist later in life. Friends remember his grand piano in the living room and wonderful music parties. Elsie died in 1998, but Vahe enjoyed the comfort and support of his many close friends and neighbors. He died in 2015 at age 103.
“ While simple on the outside, the inside is filled with original classic mid-century details that will delight fans of the era.”
Jeffrey and Sherry Temple bought the house in 2015. Lovers of midcentury style, they brought their collection of furniture and décor to complement the architecture. They installed cork flooring in the living and dining rooms, accurate for the era, although not original. The Temples opened up the walls in the living, dining rooms and kitchen, bringing light and room to those spaces. Sherry’s collection of Fiestaware provides ribbons of glorious color to the kitchen. Bedrooms all have original floors and closet doors. The master bedroom and bathrooms are updated but retain their mid-century feel.
-Robin Stitzel
