10/08/2026
Fort Collins Historic Presevation Services did a wonderful spotlight for William Lopez this month. See the article below:
229 N. Sherwood St. - The William Lopez Property
Year built: 1925
The brick house at 229 N. Sherwood St. was the long-time home of one of Fort Collins's community leaders, William "Bill" Lopez. He lived here with his wife, Delphine, and their children from 1954 until his death in 1979; Delphine sold the property in 2014. Lopez graduated from Laporte High School and Colorado A&M, now CSU, in 1950 with degrees in history, sociology, economics, and a minor in Spanish. In 1951, he became the first Mexican American educator employed by Poudre School District. His work was foundational to building the district's foreign language program. He was recognized as the state and nation's outstanding teacher of the year by the National Federation of Women's Clubs in 1958, highlighting especially his "unusual perception and understanding of children."
Throughout his life, Lopez also worked to amplify Hispanic/Latiné voices, served the community, and advocated for civil rights. Campaigning to represent the Spanish-speaking residents of the city, Lopez was elected to the Fort Collins City Council from 1968–1972. His continued advocacy helped to ensure the extension of water and sewer utilities to the Alta Vista, Buckingham and Andersonville neighborhoods, a Designing Tomorrow Today priority. He shined a light on the discrimination that many Hispanic/Latiné community members endured; Poudre School District Board member Louis Brown remarked that Lopez, "in a quiet and effective manner . . . helped erase [the white trade only signs]," as demonstrated by his 1945 letter to the Coloradoan. In 1969, Lopez, with others including Richard Maxwell and Joe Gutierrez, founded a local League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) chapter in 1969; that organization challenged authorities on issues of school, employment and housing discrimination and also engaged in the work of community building. In 1974, Lopez was selected by the governor to serve as a County Commissioner. Through that role, Lopez worked closely with Larimer County Social Services and also aided in the recovery from the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. Lopez received a posthumous achievement award in 2024 from CSU's El Centro to honor his legacy as a Hispanic civil rights leader.
The William Lopez Property at 229 N. Sherwood St. is located in the Holy Family Neighborhood. This area is roughly bounded by the Poudre River, Howes Street, Laporte Avenue and Shields Street. By about 1930, it had become a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. Historic Preservation Services just applied for a grant from the State Historical Fund to document the history of this area. If funded, a historic context report will be created based on in-depth research and oral histories and memories shared by current and former residents of the Holy Family neighborhood. Grant awards will likely be announced in December. If you have information about the Holy Family neighborhood or are interested in contributing to this project as a community member, please contact us at [email protected].
(Photo: 229 N. Sherwood St., 2024, HPS.)
