Downtown Fire {in Cheyenne} Could Lessen Western Experience

Cheyenne Wyoming Tribune-Eagle ^ | 01-02-05 | Lowell, Jessica

[Theodore R.]

Downtown fire could lessen Western experience

By Jessica Lowell rep5@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

CHEYENNE - Although Cheyenne is not necessarily a tourism destination, its history and architecture mark it as a city of the West.

When tourists stop in Cheyenne, that's what they are looking for, tourism experts say.

The fire that damaged a portion of a historic downtown block last week has dealt a blow to that experience, but it will be hard to tell how much.

"It's speculative," Wyoming Travel and Tourism Director Diane Shober said. "There's no exact science to measure it, but it would have some impact."

Over the last several years, both public and private money has flowed into downtown Cheyenne, renovating the former Union Pacific depot, developing the depot plaza, restoring private buildings, and improving the sidewalks and landscaping.

"When the Plan Cheyenne process was taking place, planners were showing pictures of downtown architecture and buildings that people liked and didn't like," Cheyenne Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Darren Rudloff said.

Plan Cheyenne is the process of drafting a master plan for the city to guide its growth and development.

"There was some lively discussion that with the cleanup and the landscaping, that block could be extremely unique for Cheyenne," Rudloff said. "That block was almost there, with a few more businesses and a few more years for the landscaping to mature."

A period of growth and urban renewal has remade the face of many cities.

"Towns like Cheyenne and Laramie exude something romantic and part of the Old West," Shober said. "Visitors want to see something of that. Maybe there is some opportunity to save some of the facades. It's an important component."

In fact, when firefighters re-entered the buildings where flames had taken bites out of history, they found that some of the buildings' structures were not a total loss.

"It's a fabric of historic Cheyenne that you don't find just anywhere," Rudloff said.

Even as the building and business owners take stock, plans are under way to see what kind of help may be available.

Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker said a meeting later this week will bring together the business owners, downtown officials and representatives from state and federal governments to see what can be done.

"Not to take away from the tragedy, I think there is a great opportunity here," Spiker said.

Two of the businesses affected were Mary's Bake Shoppe and Wyoming Home, which sells Western home furnishings and accessories.

Along with other Western-themed stores such as The Wrangler and Just Dandy, Wyoming Home served as a shopping anchor in downtown Cheyenne, Rudloff said.

"When you talk about the 'Live the Legend' experience, Wyoming Home was definitely one of the core pieces," Rudloff said.

Shober said downtown's stores are authentic. "They speak to Wyoming, and visitors like that," she said. "It's not a cookie-cutter experience."

But until tourists come to Cheyenne, there's no way to measure the exact impact of the damage to the buildings, she said.

[Theodore R.]

Cheyenne is likely not a tourist destination, but tens of thousands pass through there to various points further West. It is a wonderful stopover place.

[bd476]

There goes your vacation.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Last September fire destroyed two adjacent buildings which made up the "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona" site. The nation will survive of course but it's sad to lose a little part of history irrevocably.

[Theodore R.]

Thanks, I passed through Winslow in 1986, but I did not now about the historic corner there. I thought the song line was just made up to rhyme.