1200 Clarkson Street was built at a cost of $4000 for James D. Benedict in 1902. No architect or builder is listed on building permit (#1123, granted on August 27, 1902). James Doolittle Benedict was born in Denver in 1873 to prominent Denver attorney Mitchell Benedict and his wife Mary. Mitchell Benedict established Colorado’s first law firm, Benedict & Phelps, with partner Alfred Phelps. Mitchell Benedict also served as Denver city attorney briefly in the 1870s. He and his wife Mary lived just a few blocks away at 1200 Pennsylvania Street, a Denver landmark.
James Benedict was a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia University Law School. Upon his return to Denver after graduation, Benedict joined his father’s law firm, and in 1901 married Mary Inslee Eicholtz. Mary was the daughter of Leonard Eicholtz, superintendent of construction and chief engineer for the Denver Pacific Railway Company when the railroad connected Cheyenne and Denver in 1870. James and Mary Benedict had three children: Eleanor, Mitchell, and Mary. According to city directories, the Benedicts lived at 1200 Clarkson Street until 1908, moving to 1200 Pennsylvania Street with James’ mother after his father’s death in 1906.
