3637 E. 26th Avenue

The Tudor Revival style house at 3637 E. 26th Avenue was designed in 1930 by noted Denver architect Henry A. Koch for Charles and Augusta Shinn.

Architect Koch was born in New Jersey and served in World War I, receiving the Silver Star of Valor. By 1928, he was working as an architect in Denver. The firm designed many homes and buildings in Colorado, including the 1953 Jefferson County Courthouse and over thirty schools. He also helped design the Pentagon Building in Washington, DC during World War II. Koch also designed 3915 E. 26th Avenue.

In February 1931, newspapers reported that the Shinns had moved into their new home, “a charming house of French Normandy architecture.” Charles worked as the general manager of the Denver Dry Goods Company. He started with the company in 1906 when he took a job in the silk department, and worked his way up to general manager in 1931 and by 1944 was the company's president.

In 1951, the Shinns sold the house to Raymond O. and Margaret Reichard. They owned and operated Reichard Engineering Company, which was active in Denver from about 1951 to circa 1955 and based in their E. 26th Avenue home. The company provided commercial, residential, and governmental architectural designs in the greater Denver area. The company also planned subdivisions, including South University Place (1954) and Beverly Hills/Heights (1953).

In 1955, the Reichards sold the house to the Foreign Mission Society of Bethlehem. This Catholic Mission Society was founded in Switzerland in 1921. The house was purchased to serve as a headquarters for the missionary group, but they quickly outgrew the space.

In 1963, the house was purchased by J. Albert and Margie Foster Howard. Albert and Margie had previously worked in education, but in Denver they owned and operated Howard Prescription Pharmacy, a neighborhood drug store at 2000 E. 28th Avenue. By the 1970s, the drug store had become Howard’s Liquors.