May is archaeology and historic preservation month in Boulder - Boulder Real Estate Blog, Duane's Timely Topics

Explore Boulder’s Rich Historical Heritage and Preservation Efforts

In 1974, after a citizen -driven effort to recognize and protect buildings and sites important to Boulder’s history, the City of Boulder created a Historic Preservation program.

BOULDER – Boulder has a rich history and is well known for the desire of its citizens to preserve certain aspects of that history. In 1974, after a citizen-driven effort to recognize and protect buildings and sites important to Boulder’s history, the City of Boulder created a Historic Preservation program. Initially, five individual landmarks were designated, and in 1978, Floral Park was the first historic district created within the city. Since the beginning of the program, over 200 individual landmarks have been designated. In addition, ten historic districts have been created and more than 1300 properties have been identified.

In May of each year, we celebrate our history with Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month! On May 8 at 6 p.m. the Boulder Heritage Roundtable’s Square Nail Awards acknowledged new Landmarked properties, new books on Boulder history, and new contributors to history preservation.

Other events in May that are offered by Historic Boulder Inc. include the following:

May 11: Guided tour of the “Little Rectangle and Beyond”, featuring properties of pioneering Black citizens
May 18: Guided Tour of Mid-Century Modern Buildings in Table Mesa
May 21: Presentation of “The Streets of Boulder”: This event held at the Highland City Club will focus on their origins and names and what they tell us about our history. It will uniquely tell the story of the evolution of Boulder from a small mining town to a center for scientific research. Go to historicboulder.org for more information about signing up for these events.

The Historic Preservation Program is made of up of several parts:

Landmarks and historic districts: The Landmarks Designation’s purpose is to honor, preserve and protect buildings and areas that showcase Boulder’s past. Targeted properties are those of historical, architectural, and aesthetic value. You can search for properties through the following link on the city’s website: bouldercolorado.gov/historic-propertyLandmarks-search.

Demolition review: If 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: A review by the Landmarks Board is required before any exterior alterations can be made to properties designated as individual landmarks or properties located in a Historic District. If approved, the owner is issued a Landmarks Alteration Certificate. The intent of the design review is to ensure that the proposed changes do not destroy the historical significance for which the property was originally landmarked.

Design guidelines Established design guidelines benefit both the owner of the landmarked property and the Landmarks Board. The owner can use the guidelines to improve the property while maintaining its historic nature. The Landmarks Board uses the guidelines as a framework for their decision-making in the design review approval process.

National Register of Historic Places: In addition to the city of Boulder’s desire to preserve its historic pieces, there is also a national program called the National Register of Historic Places. The National Registry began in 1996 and was authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act. Boulder has special places listed on that Registry, with the headliner Colorado Chautauqua designated as a National Historic Landmark. Chautauqua is one of twenty-five properties designated as such 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 13th, Mt. St. Gertrude’s Academy at 970 Aurora, and the Downtown Boulder Historic District.

Finding out about the history of your home 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.

Helping historic preservation If you believe in historic preservation, Historic Boulder is always looking for sponsors and donations to support its cause. If you would like more information about sponsorship, contact Leonard Segel at leonard@historicboulder.org. To donate directly to Historic Boulder, go to donate – Historic Boulder.

Buying and selling historic homes requires special knowledge and skills. Contact your local Realtor® for more information.

By Duane Duggan. Duane graduated with a business degree and a major in real estate from the University of Colorado in 1978. He has been a Realtor^® in Boulder since that time. He joined RE/MAX of Boulder in 1982 and has facilitated over 2,500 transactions over his career. Living the life of a Realtor and being immersed in real estate led to the inception of his book, Realtor for Life. For questions, e-mail duaneduggan@boulderco.com, or visit www.BoulderPropertyNetwork.com

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