Built in 1919, The I.W. Hunt Building was originally a showroom for Ivy Hunt’s Ford dealership. The building could hold up to 75 cars and included a parts store, service garage, and gas station. The original building was constructed of red pressed brick and is typical of early Twentieth Century Commercial architecture. Brick piers capped in concrete project slightly above the roofline, and the entrance is composed of white enameled brick. The most significant and conspicuous architectural detail is the letter “H” in enameled bricks that populate the sides of the building.

When the Red Comet Fire Extinguisher Company bought the facility in 1949, the building became home to the largest fire extinguisher manufacturer in the nation and a major employer in Littleton. But history is not without irony. Shortly after Red Comet bought the building, a fire broke out and caused $40,000 in damages. The company rebuilt and continued their operations until 1963. Learn more at Red Comet Manufacturing Company, littletongov.org.

In 1987, the I.W. Hunt facility was rehabilitated with a three-story stepped addition to the rear and a central gable glazed atrium. The building was home to the Littleton Independent newspaper—which has been reporting the news of Littleton and the surrounding area since 1888—for several decades.

The I. W. Hunt Building was incorporated into the Littleton Downtown Historic District as a contributing building on October 26, 2021.  It was listed as a contributing building in the Littleton Main Street National Register of Historic Places District on April 8, 1998.

Learn more about I.V. Hunt here: Ivy Wood Hunt, littletongov.org.