Businessman Jonas Bergheim gave back much to his city
They don’t make citizens like Jonas Bergheim anymore. An immigrant from Germany and one of Boulder’s earliest Jewish residents, Bergheim built a successful business and gave back much more than he took.
Bergheim arrived in Boulder at the beginning of 1878, after immigrating to New York. Boulder had just under 3,000 residents.
Within a few years, he purchased Boston Clothing House on Pearl Street, which featured hats, gentleman’s clothing, boots, shoes and trunks. He rebranded as J. Bergheim & Co. and years later as J. Bergheim & Son when his son Milton joined the business. The shop earned a reputation for high quality men’s wear.
While he built his business, he also helped build the community.
He was an early board member of the Colorado Chautauqua and served as treasurer for decades, according to his obituary. As an original subscriber in the effort to build the Hotel Boulderado in 1909, he helped ensure Boulder’s future in business and tourism. His many memberships included fraternal organizations, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and he also served in the Colorado National Guard.
Bergheim and his friend Frank Wood, a lumber man, partnered in a quarry in Bluebell Canyon, which became known as the Bergheim-wood quarry. The quarry provided materials and jobs for the growing town.
Not surprisingly, Bergheim was included in the group of notable citizens who wrote Boulder’s first city charter in 1917.
Everyone knew him and called him Joe. Joe’s generosity led him to help others, extending credit at his store to those facing hard
times. As vice president of the Boulder Building and Loan Association, he helped low-income residents purchase homes, believing that owning a home gave a person dignity and encouraged them to invest in their community.
His handwriting must have been something special. According to Jane Valentine Barker’s book “76 Historic Homes of Boulder, Colorado,” Bergheim wrote the names of University of Colorado graduates on their diplomas from the first class in 1882 until 1910.
All the while he lived with his wife, Henrietta, and their two children in a small house in downtown Boulder.
Bergheim died after an illness in 1931. Boulder had grown to more than 11,000 residents, but with only a small number of Jewish residents, the town had no synagogue. At his funeral, attended by hundreds, Rabbi Friedman from Temple Emmanuel in Denver, the oldest synagogue in the Rocky Mountain region, officiated.
Bergheim made his mark as a successful pioneer merchant, but as the Daily Camera stated in a 1927 story, “None gave more liberally, none gave of their time and ability more generously.”
His 50 years of contributions to Boulder helped to seal the success of the city, including not only its governance, but downtown Boulder, tourism, and education and culture at Chautauqua.
Bergheim never sought credit for his contributions, so, unfortunately, his home at 1313 Pine Street, known as the Myers-bergheim House, is not landmarked (the Harbeck-bergheim House on the Hill is named for his son). You can hike to the remains of Woods (sic) quarry, but the Bergheim name is omitted.
Call his life of good character old-fashioned, but Bergheim’s selfless success story should be celebrated.
Carol Taylor can be reached at carolellen taylor@gmail.com. She and Silvia Pettem alternate the “In Retrospect” history column.