May is Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month in Boulder CO

Boulder, Colorado has a very rich history and is well known for the desire of its citizens to preserve

certain aspects of that history.
In 1974, the City of Boulder created a Historic Preservation program after a citizen -driven effort to recognize and protect buildings and sites important to Boulder’s history. Initially, there were 5 individual landmarks designated and in 1978 Floral Park was the first historic district created within the city. Since the  beginning of the program, almost 200 individual landmarks have been designated, 10 historic districts created and more than 1300 properties have been identified. In May of each year, we celebrate our history with Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month! In

Boulder, on May 15 there was a reception and program acknowledging owners of recently designated  Landmarks, local authors and award recipients, all of whom have made  contributions to Historic Preservation in Boulder County.

The historic preservation program is made of up of several parts:

The Landmark Designation’s purpose is to honor, preserve and protect buildings and areas that allows a showcase of Boulder’s past. Targeted properties are those of historic, architectural, aesthetic value. You can search for properties through the  following link on the city’s website:

https://bouldercolorado.gov/historic-propertylandmark-search

When someone owns a property over 50 years old, and desires to tear it down to build something new, the demolition permit requires approval from the Historic Preservation Program. The Demolition Review process is intended to avoid the loss of buildings that have significant historical value. Design Review If a property is an individual Landmark or located in a Historic District, and the owner desires to make exterior changes, a review by the Landmarks Board is required before alterations can be made. If approved, the owner is issued a Landmark Alteration Certificate. The intent of the design review is to ensure that the proposed changes won’t destroy the historical significance for which the property was originally Landmarked.

Established Design guidelines benefit both the owner of the Landmarked property and the Landmarks Board. The owner can use the guidelines for ideas on improving the property while maintaining the historic nature of the property. The Landmark Board uses the guidelines as a framework for their decision making in the Design Review approval process.

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In addition to the city of Boulder’s desire to preserve its historic pieces, there is also a national program. That program is called the National Register of Historic places. The National Registry began in 1996, authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act. Boulder has some pretty special places listed on that Registry, with the headliner being the Colorado Chautauqua, being designated at a National Historic Landmark. Chautauqua is 1 of 25 properties so designated in the state of Colorado. Other

properties on the National Registry are the Arnett-Fuller House at 646 Pearl, Highland School at 885 Arapahoe, Carnegie Library at 1125 Pine, Boulderado Hotel at 2115 13 th , Mt. St. Gertrude’s Academy at 970 Aurora, and the Downtown Boulder Historic District.

If you are interested in finding out about the history of your historic home, the Carnegie Library in Boulder, has digital records of the Historic Home Inventory and a wealth of other information.