Arapahoe County Bank Building, 1964 Expressionist Style, Earl Chester Morris 5804 S. Datura St

The Expressionist style Arapahoe County Bank at 5804 S. Datura St. designed by Earl Chester Morris was first constructed in 1958. However, the building’s current appearance reflects a thorough redesign by Morris in 1963, just two years before he died.

The complex roof and structural forms of the Expressionist style give the building a distinctively sophisticated look. The entry features a glass and metal box with a separate roof detail and a small-scale zigzag roofline. This structure is set out from a glass curtain wall covering the front of the building’s core, which is a simple rectangle with a shallow gable roof and an overhanging cantilevered eave on the south side. A rectilinear volume set to the north side pushes forward, and is subtly cantilevered so that it floats over the ground. The north side features a folded plate roof that mirrors the entry’s roof in a larger-scale. Between the box-like wing and zigzag roof are clerestory windows. Recently, the building’s green tinted aggregate panels and brick were painted, but this could be restored in the future.

The Columbia University-trained Morris, an acknowledged Master of Modern Architecture in Colorado, launched his local career in the mid-1930s. Like Sternberg and the Marlows, Morris was active in Littleton community affairs. He is buried in Littleton Cemetery marked by a monument by Littleton artist Varian Ashbaugh.