Vanatta Apartments

The Vanatta Apartments, at 660 Yampa Ave. in Craig, Colorado, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[1]

Vanatta Apartments
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	660 Yampa Ave., Craig, Colorado
Coordinates	40°31′02″N 107°32′49″W
Area	less than one acre
Architectural style	Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements
NRHP reference No.	95001511[1]
Added to NRHP	January 11, 1996

It is a 44 by 30 feet (13.4 m × 9.1 m) apartment building built in 1924 on a full poured concrete basement, and is clad with wood lap siding.[2]

It was deemed notable for its "association with the pattern of community planning and development which occurred in 1924 when the Craig area experienced a spurt of economic and population growth resulting from the local discovery of oil. The Vanatta Apartments were the first modern apartments to be built in town as a response to the rapid influx of new oil-related residents and their need for affordable housing."[2]

Oil was found in the Hamilton dome by the Texas Company (later Texaco) and then more oil deposits were found south of Craig, and 11 oil-related companies were busy in Craig in 1925.[2]

The building was built for Edward G. Vanatta, a one-handed lawyer who relocated to Craig from Casper, Wyoming in 1924, and built the apartment house to live in, himself, and to supplement his income as a lawyer. He lived there until his death in 1952. He served as Craig's city attorney and, for a number of years, as president of the Craig Chamber of Commerce.[2]

A 20 by 14 feet (6.1 m × 4.3 m) rectangular garage, contemporary to the apartment building, is considered a second contributing building in the listing.[2]