The man behind the canyon

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 5, 2004 by BILL VOGRIN THE GAZETTE

Since the first pioneers laid claim to it in 1866, Red Rock Canyon has been viewed as a cash cow -- valued more for the financial wealth it represented than for its wealth of wildlife and natural beauty.

Large, deep scars across rock outcroppings are vivid reminders of the 19th-century quarries that chiseled and hauled away huge chunks of the canyon's stunning 320 million-year-old red sandstone.

Trails crisscross it. Some are remnants of guided horseback tours that operated in the canyon for decades, others are old railroad beds.

Foundations of old factories are buried along the 789-acre property's eastern edge, reminders of early 20th-century gold milling operations.

Chimneys vent methane gas from a 53-acre landfill, which operated from 1970 to 1987, at the south end of one canyon.

Bare dirt pads of two dozen mobile homes recall its most recent life as a trailer park.

Despite the disturbances, Red Rock Canyon was considered a huge prize by open space advocates who last year persuaded the city to buy it for $12.5 million, forever ending the threat of development.

Today, the canyon -- a geologic extension of nearby Garden of the Gods -- is retired. It is being transformed from private business to public wilderness.

BIGGER PLANS

The city has welcomed hikers and climbers to Red Rock Canyon since Oct. 29, letting them explore the new park.

Outdoor enthusiasts have responded by filling its temporary parking lot on West High Street off U.S. Highway 24 at Ridge Road.

A few years ago, they would have been met by armed guards and brusquely turned away. Maybe even shot at.

That was the long-standing order of the man who made the Red Rock Canyon Open Space possible: John G. Bock.

The park wouldn't exist without Bock, who worked for decades to piece together the property, remove the rusting steel vestiges of its industrial history and preserve it.

In the process, Bock created a crown jewel rivaling Garden of the Gods.

Of course, Garden of the Gods came to the city by a much different path: It was given to Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of railroad magnate Charles Elliot Perkins to honor his wish that it always be open to the public.

Bock and his sons had a different vision for Red Rock Canyon. They saw the canyon as a payday, as had the pioneers who mined the canyon and built factories there.

For decades, it supported the family horseback riding business. They turned it into a trailer park and a dump.

But the Bocks had bigger plans. They wanted to build a resort, golf course, homes and businesses. Towering buildings. A world trade center.

It was a grand vision.

And it almost happened.

'A WHOLE NEW CITY'

Hidden in a dark, musty old bomb shelter built against a canyon wall, amid moldy furniture and other junk, sits an architect's model of a sprawling city, resort and golf course.

Miles away in an apartment in Scottsdale, Ariz., among old photos and a nine-volume business plan translated into six languages, sits Richard Bock, youngest son of John G. Bock.

From a distance, Richard Bock has watched developers struggle for years to get the public approvals -- mainly the annexation, water and utilities -- to build in the canyon.

Among those who considered the idea was The Broadmoor, which took an option on the property in 1999 only to drop the idea.

The final attempt was by John Yates and Zydeco, his New Mexico development company. Yates gave up in frustration in 2002 after lawsuits failed to pry a water line from Colorado Springs Utilities.

It was old news to Richard Bock, who says the city and, ironically, The Broadmoor, blocked his idea years ago.

What did he have in mind?

Go into the bomb shelter, plug in the architect's model and rub the dust off its Plexiglas cover. It's all there.

The golf course. The shopping center and office complex. The 20 futuristic apartment towers. The resort hotel.

Flip the toggle switches and turn on the miniature lights that illuminate the 70 or so featured items on the huge model.

Bock had it all figured out decades ago.

"I designed a whole new city," said Richard Bock, 81. An architect, Bock said he worked 12 years on the project. The model and the drawings that line the bomb shelter reflect his efforts.

Faded and stained architectural renderings line the walls. Large aerial photos from 1965 lean against a wall. So do large poster boards -- remnants of public presentations to government officials touting the "Red Rock Canyon Project."

He designed parks, homes, a university site. About 8,000 people would live there, and it would take 12 years to build, generating $20 million a year in construction income.

"We hired the best surveyors, photographers, engineers," Bock said, and he planned to integrate each structure into the rugged landscape using native stone and other materials.

His plan called for 800 hotel rooms, 3,600 residential units in three-winged towers, some 36 stories tall, resembling the Satellite Hotel on South Academy Boulevard. There was a shopping center of 1 million square feet, convention center and sports arena. He planned a fine arts theater, museum and a nightclub. A medical research center, communications tower, an industrial park and underground parking.