Historic Montclair Community Assoc. Inc. (HMCAI)

Older is Better

Aug 12, 2003

The Molkery is 115 years old and in four years we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Historic Montclair Community Association. Originally known as the Montclair Improvement Association, HMCAI is Denver?’s oldest community association, so we must celebrate our centennial in a grand and glorious way. Any suggestions?

Our resident historian, Tom Noel, is excited about the 100th. He?’s thinking B-O-O-K! He has lots of pertinent material and has been donating items to the DPL?’s Western History Department that we can access. His collaborator in historical endeavors, Bill Hansen, also has unpublished photos and documents on Montclair we might use.

There must be other as-yet-unpublished treasures in old trunks and attics in our neighborhood. Treasures from ancestors who served on previous boards or were active in the Montclair Improvement Association, Montclair Community Association, or Historic Montclair Community Association. Treasures might include old photos, annual reports, minutes of meetings, lists of board members and officers, posters, flyers for house tours, picnics, or other events, and newsletters. If you have such documents, call us.

Is there a market for a book about our associations? It might be limited to current or previous Historic Montclair residents, but before we go further, we need to hear from you. Would you buy such a book? Tom thinks it might be hard finding a publisher, a task made easier, perhaps, if HMCAI promised to buy several hundred copies, at a 40-50% discount, and sold them to raise funds. But could we sell several hundred such books?

While you?’re thinking about that, be proud that you live in Historic Montclair, not in a suburban neighborhood without trees or traditions. More about this in future newsletters.