1950s        

Thornton has glamorous Hollywood beginnings
The first families to move to Thornton were mostly young couples, predominantly ex-GIs who served in World World II and their families. On January 31, 1954, the first 40 families moved into brand new, one-story brick houses constructed from the vision of builder Sam Hoffman. Hoffman had a flair for marketing and to get people to come from Denver to a grand opening for the model homes in Thornton, he invited Hollywood actress Jane Russell, whose three brothers worked construction for Hoffman. Thousands of people lined up to get her autograph when she visited the new community of Thornton. She also did the interior decoration for two of the three model homes. This was all before Thornton was an official City. It was the vision of Sam Hoffman that built a housing development, and the first residents who formed the Thornton community.

Community named after Colorado Gov. Dan Thornton
Sam Hoffman owned and operated Father and Sons (F&S) Construction, which by 1954 was the third largest homebuilder in the nation with 2,858 houses under construction. The company built solid brick homes that offered more home for a similar price than the smaller models built by other contractors. Most Hoffman houses consisted of three bedrooms, a bath and three quarters with attached garages. The public first heard of Thornton on Dec. 24, 1952, when F&S Construction announced plans to a launch a $7 million, 5,000 home construction project north of the Denver city limits the next spring. F&S Construction purchased 640 acres in Adams County for $250 an acre from Art Eppinger to build the project. The newspapers reported that it would be the most ambitious project of its type ever attempted in Colorado and the second largest in the nation. It was announced on Feb. 19, 1953, that Mr. Hoffman had decided that the new community was to be called Thornton in honor of then current governor Dan Thornton. By Sept. 21, 1953, the actual work on the first 30 homes in the Thornton project began. The three Thornton model homes, located just off Washington Street, opened to the public in April of 1953.

Thornton’s first residents were pioneers
As residents moved into their new homes, they also moved into a new life. The first residents of Thornton had roofs over their heads, electricity and water but little else. There were no schools, phones, paved streets or street lights. For a while, the closest gas station was in Denver, and except for one or two mom and pop stores, there were no grocery stores in the region. It seems that the hardships of locating in Thornton brought the neighbors closer together, and formed a community in spirit. Soon traditional clubs were in place such as the Kiwanis and Lions Clubs. Members raised money to make improvements to the community. The Thornton Women’s Club started in 1954. One of the first things the club did was sell city directories listing all local residents for $1 each. The money raised went toward the purchase of an ambulance and the library fund. Thornton’s first shopping center opened on Washington Street in May 1955. It contained stores such as Woolworths and Millers grocery store. Originally called Hoffman Heights Shopping Center, the name soon changed to the Thornton Shopping Center. Thornton’s first fire department and police department both began as volunteer groups where the men served without pay.

A first try at incorporation for Thornton
In just two years, the Thornton community grew from nothing to a population of 5,000. The issue of officially becoming a City was raised, and the Thornton Community Association (TCA) took up the cause to incorporate. This Association had been formed on April 28, 1954 by residents to promote civic pride and to help take care of the new community. To raise money to put together an incorporation election, the TCA sold raffle tickets for a trip to Hawaii and raised more than $1,000. Unfortunately the vote didn’t go as well as the fundraiser. On Aug. 18, 1955, voters decided against incorporation with the total tally at 548 for incorporation, 620 votes against it. The population of Thornton was 6,300, but only 1,168 people cast a vote in the election. TCA members felt the rejection of the incorporation proposal was a matter of people not being properly informed. They sent out a questionnaire and found out residents did want to be a City but had questions and concerns.

A second election approves the incorporation of a City
The TCA began speaking at events and answering residents’ questions. A second chance for incorporation came in May 1956. That day it stormed, which kept turnout lower than expected. Incorporation still passed by an overwhelming majority; 1,280 for incorporation to 165 against. On May 26, 1956, Thornton was incorporated as a Colorado City. At the time, Thornton had a population of 8,640 and was one square mile in size. Unfortunately, the struggle to become Colorado’s newest City was still not over.

Thornton becomes an official City
It was soon realized that according to Colorado state statutes, the community of Thornton was not actually a legal city. The elections for incorporation that the Thornton Community Association had worked so hard for, were not legally recognized by Colorado state statues. It was discovered that all towns in Colorado had been incorporated when they were smaller in population and then grew into cities. At that time, it was Colorado law that if a community had a population of more than 2,000 it was a city, but there was no law stipulating how to incorporate a community that was already an actual city in population. A bill based on statutes for incorporating a town was proposed by two local lawyers, helped along the way by the University of Colorado that had formed a committee specifically to assist Thornton incorporate. For two days the bill was discussed with the state House and Senate members. The Colorado legislature passed the bill into law and Thornton legally became the 11^th largest City in Colorado. On August 18, 1956, Thornton residents elected their first City officials, and on August 30, the first City Council meeting was held. In 1957, a quonset hut temporarily housed the City’s offices, Police and Fire Departments until a permanent structure could be built.