Harry C. James House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

From the record

One of 331 National Register listings published here for Denver County · listed in 2020 · category: Building.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. James, Harry C., House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 685 North Emerson St., Denver, 80218
When was it listed? December 2020
Category. building
Census division. Denver
National Register reference number. 100005854 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

1,339 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,339 fires within 5 miles of Harry C. James House between 1992 and 2020, burning about 304 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 28 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1191
Smoking	30
Arson/incendiarism	28
Equipment and vehicle use	24
Recreation and ceremony	20
Debris and open burning	15
Fireworks	13
Misuse of fire by a minor	7
Power generation/transmission/distribution	5
Railroad operations and maintenance	3
Natural	2
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2014	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	West Metro Fire Rescue	UNKNOWN
9 September 2011	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters	DENVER
8 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	West Metro Fire Rescue	UNKNOWN
8 September 2011	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters	DENVER
7 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Denver Fire Department	N/A
6 September 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters	N/A
6 September 2011	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters	DENVER
6 September 2011	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters	DENVER

Every fire recorded in Denver County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 18 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 18 workings within 5 miles of Harry C. James House: 8 producers, 7 past producers, 1 occurrence, 1 prospect. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Uranium, Sulfur. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Allied Chemical Corp	Sulfur	Producer
Mexican Diggings	Gold	Past Producer	1858
Rodger Steele Claim	Uranium	Prospect
Denver Brick & Pipe Co.	Clay	Producer
Robinson Brick & Tile Co., Plant 1	Clay	Producer
Strainland Mine	Clay	Producer
Flanagan,Walt & Co.Inc.	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Sand & Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Denver County

Storms near this property

60 of 260 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Denver, the town this property stands in, in 260 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 177 hail, 38 thunderstorm wind, 17 lightning, 16 flash flood. The reports record 3 deaths and 18 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 1997	Lightning	Denver	1 killed, 1 hurt	One man was killed, his girlfriend critically injured, when they were struck by lightning at the Kennedy Golf Course. Both were struck in the head when they took refuge under a tree during a downpour.
June 1997	Lightning	Denver	1 killed, 1 hurt	Two plumbers were injured, one critically, when lightning struck a pipe they were working on in a building under construction. The bolt apparently hit one man in the hand, it then passed through his chest and struck the other worker. The critically injured man died a few days later.
May 2007	Heavy Rain	Denver	1 killed, 1 hurt	no account filed
March 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	4 hurt	Four children attending a birthday party were injured when a sudden gust of wind blew an inflateable playhouse they were occupying, into a neighbour's yard. The playhouse scraped the roof of the host's two story house, then landed in the adjoining yard. The children were treated for minor head injuries and cuts.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	2 hurt	A man was hospitalized after a tree fell, impaled him and pinned down his 9-year-old daughter. He was seriously injured and underwent three surgeries. His daughter suffered minor injuries.
May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	2 hurt	Two men were injured when a lift was tipped by strong winds.
August 2014	Lightning	Denver	2 hurt	Two men were injured when lightning hit the tree they were sitting under during the downpour. One man was critically injured, while the other suffered only minor injuries.
July 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	South Denver	1 hurt	A wet microburst caused the roof of a hardware store in Tamarac Square to collapse. One employee received minor injures when she was struck in the head by falling debris. The combination of intense rain and wind downed trees and power lines. Electrical outages affected 35,000 homes and businesses. At least 50 trees in the city parks across South Denver were damaged.
July 2001	Lightning	Denver	1 hurt	A man received minor injuries when lightning struck a nearby tree at the Wellshire Golf Course.
August 2001	Lightning	Denver	1 hurt	A 34-year-old man on the South Platte River bike path received minor injuries when lightning struck a nearby tree.
May 1998	Lightning	Denver	1 hurt	A warehouse worker was injured when he was knocked off a loading dock by a lightning bolt. The bolt skipped off a nearby radio tower and struck him in the arm. He was treated for numbness in his right arm and released. The time of the incident was approximated.
August 1996	Flood	Denver	1 hurt	no account filed
June 2004	Hail	Denver	$146,500,000	Severe thunderstorms producing very large hail caused extensive damage across southern sections of the Denver metropolitan area. Parts of Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton and South Denver incurred much of the damage. The combined damage to homes and automobiles, not including commercial buildings, was estimated at $146.5 million, making it the 4th costliest insurance disaster in the state's history.
July 2011	Flash Flood	Denver	$1,000,000	Heavy rain flooded underpasses and basements with several feet of water.
June 1997	Lightning	Denver	$1,000,000	Lightning struck the tower of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The bolt knocked chunks of rock from the top of the tower and blew a 4-ft wide hole about half way down the side. It also punched at least two holes in the tile roof and shattered part of the stone railing.
August 1999	Flood	Denver	$1,000,000	no account filed
August 2019	Flash Flood	Denver	$500,000	Flash flooding on streets causing vehicles to be stranded. Several vehicles were stranded at Martin Luther King Blvd and Dahlia Street. Highway 6 near Federal Blvd was flooded. Standing water up to 3 feet deep occurred in Park Hill. Water flooded some buildings near I-70.
June 2011	Lightning	Denver	$200,000	Lightning struck the garage of a home in north Denver. The blast ignited several propane tanks that were stored in the garage. The ensuing fire destroyed the garage and a car inside. The home was considered a complete loss.
June 2015	Flash Flood	Denver	$75,000	Torrential rainfall, from 2 to 2.5 inches, flooded intersections up to 3 feet of standing water at several intersections including: 6th Ave and Lowell, Broadway and Interstate 25, as well as parts of Speer Blvd along Cherry Creek.
July 2019	Flash Flood	Denver	$25,000	An intense downpour associated with a wet micorburst overwhelmed drainage systems on parts of Interstate 25. The flooding was particularly bad on southbound Interstate 25 near 6th Avenue; submerging the southbound side of the highway in several feet of water just south of the Sixth Avenue Interchange. Traffic in the area was backed up for several miles as drivers tried to cross the flooded section. CDOT reported that flooding also affected traffic along Interstate 70, and on 6th Avenue near Federal Boulevard.
June 2009	Lightning	Denver	$25,000	Lightning struck the Darlington Prismatic Electric Fountain in City Park's Lake.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	$15,000	A large tree fell down and flattened a vehicle parked nearby.
June 2015	Flash Flood	Denver	$15,000	Heavy rain caused localized flash flooding in parts of Denver. In downtown Denver, parked cars had standing water rising midway up the wheels. Denver fire crews had to rescue motorists from flooded intersections and roads. In Glendale, two lanes of northbound Colorado Blvd. at Exposition Ave. were closed due to flooding.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Denver	$10,000	A car was stranded on Interstate 70 below Federal Blvd overpass, with approximately 1 foot of water covering several lanes.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Denver	$10,000	Extensive street flooding with water depth estimated at 1 to 2 feet, covering the entire intersection and sidewalks.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Denver	$5,000	Heavy rain produced up to a foot of standing water at 23rd Avenue and I-25.
July 2014	Lightning	Denver	$5,000	Lightning caused a power outage that affected the RTD light rail lines C, D, E, H and W for a short time.
August 2009	Lightning	Denver	$5,000	Lightning struck a very large tree in southwest Denver. The tree fell on fences and knocked down power lines.
August 2008	Flash Flood	Denver	$5,000	Firefighters rescued several motorists as water quickly rose along creeks and flooded roadways. Three people were rescued along Cherry Creek when the bike path flooded.
September 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	$5,000	no account filed
June 2025	Heavy Rain	Denver	-	Heavy rain caused Cherry Creek to rise with water reaching the Cheery Creek Bike Trail.
June 2025	Flood	Denver	-	Report of 1 to 2 feet of standing water on Interstate 70 near the Pecos St interchange, with all but the leftmost lane impassable.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	CDOT weather sensor I-70 and Washington Street.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Social media report of multiple tree branches down in Globeville. Time estimated.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	CDOT weather sensor at I-70 and York Street.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Mesonet station CO205 Denver located at I-70 and Colorado Avenue.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	Mping public report.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	Mostly one inch stones.
May 2024	Hail	Denver	-	The report was via mping.
July 2024	Flash Flood	Denver	-	Denver Fire Department reported 15-20 water rescues across Denver over a one hour period due to heavy rainfall rates.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Scaffolding crashed down onto the building located at 4100 Jason Street.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Microburst winds knocked down a few trees and shredded tree branches near the intersection of Quincy Avenue and South Kipling.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	A tree was knocked down onto a fence.
August 2022	Hail	Denver	-	Heavy rain also accompanied the storm, 0.95 inch in 20 minutes.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Intense thunderstorm winds snapped tree limbs up to one inch diameter.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	A large tree was uprooted on Downing St near Alameda Ave.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Intense thunderstorm winds snapped tree limbs from 6 to 10 inches in diameter.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Strong winds damaged power lines and caused scattered power outages over the area.
July 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Strong winds downed a tree.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	Intense microburst winds knocked down a tree which landed on a nearby house.
July 2016	Heavy Rain	Denver	-	Heavy rain produced minor flooding across central and south Denver.
June 2015	Tornado (EF1)	Denver	-	A tornado touched town near Quebec and 6th Ave and lifted near Mount Nebo Memorial Park. This tornado was a non-supercell tornado. Two outflow boundaries from earlier thunderstorms intersected over eastern Denver and western Aurora. This produced localized convergence and wind shear which likely contributed to the rapid formation of the tornado.
July 2014	Heavy Rain	Denver	-	Extensive street flooding was reported along low lying areas of Interstate 25 in and around 6th and 8th Avenues.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Denver	-	A microburst downed numerous trees and power outages in in east central Denver.

Every storm recorded in Denver County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Bennett-Field House	under 500 feet	2010
Adolph Zang Mansion	under 500 feet	1977
Wood-Morris-Bonfils House	0.1 miles	1974
Kistler-Rodriguez House	0.2 miles	1983
Grant-Humphreys Mansion	0.2 miles	1970
Dora Moore Elementary School	0.3 miles	1978

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 100005854 in Record Group 79.
Denver County	All 331 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.