Chestnut Building 322 Santa Fe Ave.

Edward Chestnut and his wife Martha Andersdatter were the first owners and developers of the Chestnut. In 1908, the Chestnut was built by the Blankenship Brothers construction firm as a two-story apartment building with red pressed brick as the exterior wall material, with regularly spaced brick pilasters and four stringcourses of sandstone that defined the lintels and sills of the windows. The building would be used as a 30 room lodging house. 

In 1908, when Edward built the Chestnut House, he was one of the incorporators and on the board of directors of the La Junta Amusement Company. Edward assisted in the management and operation of the first Dameron Swing, a type of fairground amusement ride, placed in Forest Park in Chicago. The swing was not a great success and was later installed in the White City in Denver (now known as Lakeside Amusement Park) in 1910 for the summer season.

Edward was involved in the La Junta Fire Department as a member of the John Fisher Hose Company No. 1 and served in interim roles as night marshal and hose wagon driver from 1907-1910. He was elected night marshal in 1913. 

Edward and Martha ran the lodging house for several decades, taking in long and short term lodgers. The lodgers' occupations included restaurant proprietors, doctor, painter, stenographer, furniture salesman and railroad baggagemen and dispatcher. 

After Martha passed in 1932, Edward continued running the lodging house and in 1943 he leased the property to the National Housing Authority for a term of seven years, presumably to provide low-cost public housing. In 1944, Edward and Martha's heirs sold the property to W.H. McCreery. The building has had numerous owners over the years and has continued to be used as a multi-family dwelling.