Estes Building.

I always wondered what happened to the building you saw in many of the catologues. I would have liked to have seen the interior as well.

It should be a historical site.
But probably is someone's house, or tore down.

Woody's Workshop said:

It should be a historical site.
But probably is someone's house, or tore down.

Click to expand...

No doubt.

Steven said:

I always wondered what happened to the building you saw in many of the catologues. I would have liked to have seen the interior as well.

Click to expand...

I don't know how much has changed beyond these reports ...

https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=3696&page=1&pp=10

https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=5650&page=1&pp=10

https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=9800

https://www.vernestes.com/Photos and Videos.htm

Greg

I looked on Google Earth, the building is listed as Estes-Cox Corporation.
Looks like it's in a industrial park type setting.
The only old address I could find so far was a box number, which was replaced decades ago.
No street name.
Anyone else have something different, please post it.

Looks like it is still there.... Google street view attached.

Just west of the intersection of US Hwy 50 and H Street in Penrose. (Street address, per clicking on "Estes Cox Corporation" on the map reads 1295 H Street, Penrose, CO 81240)

I don't know if it's more accessible to visitors now than it was in the Barry Tunick years (one of the YORF threads linked to above).

It is still there. I was inside when I drove down from Denver when I had an interview with (then) Martin Marietta. It was before Tunick and Vern was there in his office eating lunch with his wife and it was his 50th birthday.

It is accessible to visitors from the hobby industry as we sometimes hear reports from super-cool rocket loving industry folks who get to visit to see/discuss new products. Of course, they are very good at non-disclosure and all they ever say is something like "There are very exciting things coming in the future from Estes". So we just shiver with antici...........pation.

...is makin' me wait...for the next product release...

That architecture is rather, um, nostalgic

Finally got to visit there in 2000, when NARAM was held in Canon City. But those were the dark days of management (now long gone) that was not rocketeer-friendly, so I never had a chance to go inside. Just got to look around outside, and take pics. Like this one with my R/C SkyDart 2X, in front of the most iconic building.

At NSL 2013 in Pueblo, John Boren took Carl McLawhorn for a tour and Carl was bubbling over afterward as it was one of his bucket list items. And a few months later, Carl was gone .

No idea if ordinary mortals can stop by and pay a visit or not but it's certainly more likely now than during the dark days of Tunick.

George, for some reason your picture isn't working. It looks like your web site is down.

I visited with my family in early August 1969, which I would guess was probably their heaviest visitor month ever.

The place wasn't wall to wall, but they had a pretty good crowd.

I ran across it by accident in '08 while riding the bicycle across country. I was heading for Canon City and thought I recognized that building with the rocket out front. Got off and checked things out, but there was nothing to see and no one about as it was a Sunday. Took a couple of photos, but you can see what it looks like. It hasn't changed much.

It's a darn shame they didn't keep up with the trimming on all those shrubs over the years.
Nothing you can do with em now except pull em roots n all and replace em.
I have to Vern credit. For the time he built the building, it's A1 front view to the freeway.
I really like the split stone front a wall along the side road. Show's he had class.
Estes ought to turn that into a museum for Estes, Centuri & Cox.
I know if I ever got out that way I'd pay $10 to walk through the buildings and see what use to be...
"And this is where Vern did all his early design work at his desk..."
Sorry, I'm a bit of a historian on things that interest me.
(did the drive by on google earth)

I had a chance to go inside Centuri's place as a kid with my dad. As a kid, I was astounded at the rockets they had on display. Especially that monster of all, the Saturn V. Never got it as a kid though I did get the 1/45th scale Little Joe II and the Saturn 1b among others. The x-24 bug was another. Glided like a brick.

Go on Estes site, look up the old product catalogs from the early 70's.
75-77 are good ones. Shows Vern with and without his beard.
You'll see pictures of the building's front. Can barely see any scrubs.
Steel siding is clean, roofs not rusted.
Says Vern had 300 acres there.
I wonder if it is still all Estes or if some or most of that has been sold off?
I still say that would make a great museum!

Keep in mind, that the Google Street View is from 2012. It's a good bet, it's still there though. Maybe someone should contact Estes and promote a museum of sorts. That's not a bad idea. But Penrose CO is a very remote/(lacks substantiality) kind of place, (pardon the grammar) that maybe they haven't even considered it. I've always dreamed of going there.

Yea Gary, but it's right next to the Freeway!
Exit right, 100yds, turn left, your there!

Back in the very early 70's, on a family vacation to Colorado Springs, we kids brow-beat our parents into swinging by Estes. I remember we got a tour of the building, kit packaging, mail room, and then they launched a Big Bertha for us. After it was done, we got to go through their sales counter. I remember my brother got a Citation Quasar.

So, I wonder if that rocket out front is a static display of an actual missile, or just something that Vern and the crew whipped up.

As of last summer, it's still there. We were in Colorado visiting family and our route happened to take us through Penrose. I convinced my dad to take a little detour, and we stopped, looked around, went inside, and saw their little display case with old rockets in it. Pics in the morning.

Yea!!! Recent pics of the inside of Area 51, Estes!!!!
I can hardly wait!!!

Well here are the pictures I could find. I thought I had some from the inside, but I'm not seeing them now. I'll keep hunting though.