The George Schleier Mansion, currently being restored, is significant in three areas. First the mansion is architecturally significant. The house, built in the 1880's by a prominent Denver architect, E. F. Edbrooke, is constructed of Colorado sandstone and was the most impressive of the homes designed by Edbrooke. The mansion, built on a prominent location for the 1880's, overlooks downtown Denver. In adding the onion tower to the Queen Anne design of the house, Edbrooke achieved a feeling of gravity. The house reflects no readily identifiable architectural theme, which is common among Denver homes of the 1880's. Structures constructed during the Colorado mining years have taken on the term eclectic architecture, meaning of no specific design.

Nonetheless, the house is unique in several respects. The Schleier Mansion offers numerous examples of elaborate plaster composition ornaments and Lincrusta-Walton, fashionable for that period. And, possibly the most outstanding feature of the house, is its German styling. Little is known of Schleier's childhood, but at age six, his family emigrated from his birthplace in Baden, Germany, to the United States. Schleier's heritage remained an integral part of his life, and the massive Germanic styles of the house reflect this. The closed string staircase with paneled base reflects Schleier's heritage. The stairway has carvings of gargoyles and Bavarian swans, which symbolized good luck to the Germans. The baluster has extremely detailed hand carvings. The plynth block on the woodwork, half-way up from the baseboards, is also common to German styling. Possibly more than any other building in Denver, the Schleier Mansion can be said to be truly of German design.

Situated on a bluff looking south on the Hudson River, Wilderstein is an interesting adaptation of a mid-nineteenth-century villa to a variation of the Queen Anne style. Wilderstein has been the seat of the Suckley family since its design in 1853 by John Warren Ritch. In 1888-89, the addition of a tower, new verandas, porte cochere, and service wing designed by Poughkeepsie architect Arnout Cannon, greatly altered the simple villa character. A rich interior scheme, furnished by J.B. Tiffany & Co., is comprised of woodwork of oak, mahogany, and cherry as well as 44 leaded glass panels. Downing Vaux altered the main stair and added the shady in 1892- Vaux & Co. designed an extensive landscape architecture plan to improve the grounds which were originally pasture. Vaux & Radford designed the Gate Lodge. Prior to 1852, Wilderstein was part of Wildercliff/

Accounting records with the contractor, Henry Latson, also named each person who worked on the project. The initial structure costs $8,503.43. Materials cost $4,922.48; labor charges equaled $3,580.95.