Tom Long Building

Cheyenne, WY

2006 MCAA International Excellence in Masonry Award Winner

Mason Contractor: Harold F. Johnson Masonry, Inc.
Architect: Douglas L. Coates Architect

Project Description

The exterior was designed to blend into historic downtown Cheyenne and includes stone in the entry arch from the historic Governor's Mansion and from the General's Mansion at Fort D.A. Russell, predecessor to the current Warren Air Force Base. Keystones from the Draper House windows are used on all first floor windows in the Long Building. The location is in the State Capitol Height Restrictive Overlay District, which would permit a spacious four story building or a compressed five story building, and the decision was made to have high ceilings(1st floor-16', 2nd and 3rd floor-10', 4th floor 11'6) to create a more historic look and feel to the building. Doug Coates did the architecture.

The Tom Long Building is located on the site of Thomas Kent home which was constructed in 1883 by Thomas Kent, a prominent Cheyenne banker. Prior to the construction of this new building, the location was most recently a paved parking lot that was used by patrons of Harry's Pizza prior to its closing, a barber shop and other businesses that were next door. The asphalt parking lot to the south of the Tom Long Building is the former location of the Draper House, which was built in approximately 1883 by George Draper.

At the time the construction of the Tom Long Building, the Draper House was one of only two homes remaining out of the twenty homes lining Millionaire's Row in the prior century when Carey Avenue was known as Ferguson Street. The Idelman Mansion, now occupied by Schrader's Funeral Home, is the lone remaining home from that era. The Tom Long Building was constructed and shaped in an effort to leave the Draper House intact, but a soil engineering report received after excavation of the basement of the Long Building led to the necessity of finally removing the Draper House. Several items fron the Draper House were saved prior to its demolition and were incorporated into the construction of the Tom Long Building.

The detail work from time gone by shows the interest in keeping the historic look in Cheyenne. The General Contractors Bonding Company toured the building and thought it was great that someone would fix up and old building so completely. They were surprised to find out it was all new with all the amenities of a modern office building.