Arapahoe County’s historic 17 Mile House Farm Park in Centennial will receive a facelift thanks to a $175,000 grant from the Colorado Historical Fund. The county is matching with about $113,000.

Restoration plans include stabilizing the first and second floors, updating plumbing and electrical work, installing period-specific fixtures, and adding a bathroom compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“The site has undergone extensive work during the past few years, including the structural stabilization of the house and barn, exterior paint and a new roof,” County Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld said.

The 17 Mile House is a building steeped in Colorado history. It dates from a period when present-day Centennial was a day’s coach ride to Denver. The house was one of six way stations located along the east bank of the Cherry Creek during the 18th-century Gold Rush.

The way stations or “mile houses” served travelers on their way to Denver and were located every two to three miles along the Cherokee and Smoky Hill trails. They were named according to their distance from the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway.

Travelers could get a meal at the mile houses, spend the night, rest their animals and have minor repairs done to their wagons.

Of the originals, only 17 Mile House and Four Mile House in Glendale still stand in their entirety.

As the result of a 20-year battle to protect the site, the 17 Mile House and its barn have not changed substantially in over a century.

Arapahoe County’s contribution to the restoration will come from its open-space sales and use tax passed by voters in 2003.

Tours are available by appointment. For more information, call Glen Poole at 720-874-6826.