05/26/2026
The Highlands Ranch Mansion is something to see. If you are considering a move to Highlands Ranch feel free to reach out as I know the area very well.
Highlands Ranch Mansion, West Porch. Photos taken in 1932 and 2026
Since it was originally built in 1891, there have been several owners of the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Between 1920 and 1926 the owner was Waite Phillips. He and his identical twin, Wiate were born on an Iowa farm January 19, 1883. They set off on a journey to see the west at the young age of 16. It ended tragically when Wiate died of a ruptured appendix along the way. When Waite returned home, He worked as an accountant before moving to Oklahoma and entering the oil business initially with his two older brothers, who founded the Phillips Petroleum Company, and later on his own.
For several years, Waite bought oil leases throughout Oklahoma, and in 1918 he consolidated these holdings into the Waite Phillips Company. He sold this company in 1925 for a reported $25 Million. Years later, he and his wife Genevieve, an extremely charitable couple, donated their Tulsa home to the city for use as an art museum. They also donated their ranch near Cimarron, New Mexico to the Boy Scouts of America.
Throughout his career, Waite owned several ranches in the Rocky Mountain region. He purchased the Highlands Ranch Mansion property in 1920 and consolidated the ranch with other nearby land purchases to create a prodigious spread called Phillips Highland Ranch named after the Highland Hereford cattle he raised here. Waite owned the ranch for six years before commitments in Oklahoma forced him to sell it in 1926 to Frank Kistler.
Original photo provided courtesy Douglas County Libraries Digital Collection.
Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Historic Denver Highlands Ranch Historical Society
