Bill Smith Plumbing & Heating, Englewood Colorado

The South Broadway area in Englewood, CO has a long and interesting history. When gold was discovered in the area in the mid 1800’s it brought the first settlers. One of these early settlers was Thomas Skerritt who is widely held to be the father of Englewood, although it was originally known as Orchard Place. He got tired of traveling the old Santa Fe Trail to Denver to sell produce so he created what is now Broadway by dragging a heavy log behind a horse-drawn wagon. By 1883 the Cherrelyn Horsecar trolley was being pulled up Broadway by a horse and gravity would pull it back down bringing people to and from the area.

old-south-broadway-englewood Old South Broadway, Englewood Colorado

Around this time gamblers had built saloons and road houses causing Orchard Place to gain a reputation as a rough area. Violence, drunkenness, and other vices were commonplace. In 1903 a group of pioneer women began a crusade to clean up the area and make it more desirable for families. In May of that year the city of Englewood was incorporated and Jacob Jones beat out Tom Skerritt for the first mayor. Shortly thereafter money was invested in Broadway improvements of sidewalks and installation of outdoor lighting. The horse-drawn trolleys were replaced by electrified ones in 1916. By the time Broadway was paved in 1926 it had become a major business hub.

Our building at 4101 South Broadway was built in 1936. Bill Smith Plumbing has been in this building since 1956 and Broadway is still a major corridor and business center in Englewood and the Denver Metro area.

1960s oxford south broadway Bill Smith Plumbing circa. 1957

old bill smith plumbing store front Bill Smith Plumbing Storefront Circa. 1958

The city of Englewood strives to keep the South Broadway corridor interesting and active while maintaining some of its nostalgic charm. In that spirit we have installed new signs for the first time since 1984. Prior to the red and white signs that were hung in 1984 we had a pretty creative recycled water heater sign.

house of water heater sign

We also used to sell and repair appliances, hence the Whirlpool sign.

bills smith plumbing oxford street

Street Signage Upgrade

The support of the Englewood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Englewood’s Commercial Catalyst Grant program were immeasurable in this process. The new signs face South Broadway, and Oxford, and there is one over our door that sports our logo. We can’t thank Front Range Sign Company and Scott Electric enough for the clean design and installation. If you haven’t been by in a while feel free to come on down and see them for yourself. Below are before and after pictures.

Before

before sign

After

after bill smith plumbing sign

over door new sign