Colorado Preservation, Inc.

333 W. Colfax Avenue, Suite 300 | Denver, CO 80204 | 303.893.4260 fax: 303.893.4333

Hayden Ranch Stabilization

Bent’s Old Fort Cultural Landscape Interpretation

Glen Isle Lodge Rehabilitation

Murdock Building Rehabilitation

Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion Rehabilitation

Hangar 61 Rehabilitation

Thomas Skerritt House Rehabilitation

Skyline Park Documentation

Temple Aaron Stabilization

Kit Carson Hotel Business Plan

Blue Jay Inn Assessment

Exterior stabilization of temple aaron complete!

temple Stabilization work on the exterior of Temple Aaron has been on-going since 1997 with support from Colorado’s State Historical Fund, Colorado Preservation, Inc. and Congregation Aaron. This last weekend, Colorado Preservation, Inc. helped sponsor an event to celebrate these accomplishments and to acknowledge those who have contributed to them. Participants came from all across Colorado and other states to mark this achievement and to also rally support for additional work needed to preserve the building for generations to come.

people
Located in the El Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District, Temple Aaron is a prominent visual landmark in Trinidad and is the oldest synagogue building in continuous operation in Colorado. Designed by Isaac Hamilton Rapp and built in 1889, Temple Aaron is not only architecturally significant but also important for its role in the cultural history of Trinidad. Jewish merchants, who served as traders along the Santa Fe Trail, began locating in Trinidad as early as 1867and became prominent members of the community. Congregation Aaron is small but has strived to maintain the Temple and continue to conduct services and host community functions for all members of the Trinidad community.

Photo Credits: (top) Jane Daniels, CPI; (bottom) Sharon Niederman

Hayden Ranch

Project	Hayden Ranch Stabilization
Location	Lake County, CO (10 miles south of Leadville on US 24)
Date of Construction	Ranch founded in 1859. Buildings constructed 1880-1930
History	The Hayden Ranch operated mainly as a hay ranch through the 1890s, providing feed for the horses and mules serving Leadville's mining industry. With the Silver Panic of 1893 and the arrival of the automobile a few years later, the ranch turned to grazing cattle. Since 1947, the ranch has only been used seasonally and the historic buildings began their decline. In 1998, the City of Aurora purchased the Ranch for water rights. Through the efforts of Lake County Open Space Initiative, 60 acres were donated to Lake County, 1411 acres sold to the Bureau of Land Management and 360 acres along the Arkansas River will be sold to Colorado State Parks. In order to preserve the historic structures, a bargain sale was made to Colorado Preservation, Inc. for the 36.2 acre Homestead portion of the property.
Project Description	Colorado Preservation, Inc. is proud to announce that the property referred to as the Hayden Ranch site near Leadville has been sold to Colorado Mountain College for use as a laboratory, woodworking shop, and classroom space for students in the historic preservation trades program. The sale closed on Monday, April 7, 2008. The CPI Board of Directors will consider options for the use of the proceeds from this sale at their meeting in May. CPI purchased the property from the City of Aurora in 2005. The City of Aurora originally purchased the ranch and surrounding property for water rights in 1998. Colorado Preservation, Inc. worked to stabilize the sixteen historic structures on the property in cooperation with Colorado Mountain College - Timberline Campus. We have worked with the State Historical Fund and have secured grants and matching monies to conduct stabilization and interpretive work to the contributing structures of the site. Matching funds for this grant were provided by Colorado Mountain College, Environmental Protection Agency, Lake County, Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway & Greater Arkansas River Nature Association. The University of Colorado - Denver's College of Architecture and Planning is developed a master plan for reuse. The concept is based on the use of the facility as a laboratory for Colorado Mountain College's Associates Degree in Historic Preservation. Colorado Preservation, Inc. intends to continue its working relationship with Colorado Mountain College and will continue to administer the current State Historical Fund grant to its completion. We are pleased that this sale has turned into a win-win situation for both parties, and in the process, CPI has gained a new partner in Colorado Mountain College in promoting and advancing historic preservation across the State of Colorado.
Project Team	Richard Beardmore, A-E Design Associates.

bent's old fort

Project

Bent’s Old Fort Cultural Landscape Interpretation

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

Location

Located on 800 acres near La Junta in Otero County, CO

Date of Construction

Original post built 1833; 1976 reconstruction

History

Bent’s Old Fort is a National Historic Site, one of only 20 National Historic Landmarks in Colorado. The fort and its surrounding area is a significant cultural landscape in the development of Colorado and the U.S. In the 1830s and 1840s, Bent’s Old Fort operated on the banks of the Arkansas River, the then border with Mexico, and was a principal way point along the Santa Fe Trail. Being close enough to the Rockies, it drew trappers and was near the hunting grounds of the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Comanche, Kiowa, and other Native Americans. As the 1840s drew to a close, escalating tensions between the white settlers and the Native Americans, along with a cholera epidemic, brought an end to the viability of the fort. In 1954 the site was transferred to the Colorado Historical Society which began a series of archaeological investigations, discovering numerous artifacts and a general outline of the fort. The reconstructed fort was dedicated on July 25, 1976 and today, along with the surrounding cultural landscape, operates as a historic unit of the National Park Service.

Project Description

This project will provide for the creation of a non-motorized, pedestrian-only interpretive trail within the park that offers opportunities for visitors to learn more about the history of this important historic cultural landscape. Currently, interpretation is limited to the fort itself and does not address the importance of the historic landscape (including the Santa Fe Trail) that surrounds it. The proposed interpretive loop will have trailheads or entry points at the existing parking lot and near the fort and will generally run along the perimeter of the park. Design of the trail will take into consideration a number of factors including interpretive opportunities, visual impact, resource protection, sustainability, and fitting into the site’s character. Interpretation along the trail will be provided by wayside exhibits and a brochure for a self-guided experience. This project will provide a more comprehensive interpretation of the site’s stories and promote a greater understanding of the full scope of historical events occurring both within and immediately outside the walls of Bent’s Old Fort.

Project Team

Project financed through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Otero County, the National Park Service, and the State Historical Fund.

Glen Isle

Project

Glen Isle Lodge Rehabilitation

Location

Bailey, CO

Date of Construction

1901

History

Glen Isle, a rustic resort hotel on the banks of the North Fork of the South Platte River, is one of the last remaining turn of the 19th/20th century resort hotels in the popular South Platte Canyon west of Denver, Colorado. Real estate promotion and tourism development were an important business strategy for railroad companies of this period and the Colorado & Southern invested a significant amount of capital in the South Platte Canyon. The same family, the Tripps, has operated and maintained the property since 1923 and is dedicated to preserving it. The site continues to operate as a resort with all lodging restricted to the cabins located on the property and a gift shop and guest registration is located on the first floor of the Lodge.

Project Description

A thorough historic structure assessment (HSA) for the 1901 Glen Isle Lodge detailing the condition of all structural elements, building materials, finishes, and systems was completed in March 2008. The report prioritized items for repair, restoration and/or rehabilitation in order to maintain the current and historic use of the structure as a lodge and resort. The HSA concluded that the most pressing rehabilitation need for the Glen Isle Lodge is the replacement of the roof. Damage incurred to the interior’s ceiling and supporting framework needs to be addressed, requiring the existing roof to be stripped to the tongue-and-groove slats that cover the supporting frames. Additional rehabilitation phases recommended by the HSA included tree removal and other deficiency correction, but are minor in comparison to the roof project. Funding for the HSA was provided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the State Historical Fund, and the Tripp Family. Funding to replace the roof was recently applied for from the State Historical Fund.

Project Team

Will Crago of Equilibrium Architecture, Inc. (HSA)

murdock building

Project

Murdock Building Rehabilitation

Location

Eads, CO

Date of Construction

Three adjacent buildings (Slater Bank Building, Whitelaw Dry Goods Building, Schoggen’s Grocery) constructed in 1908, 1910, and 1931 respectively.

History

The Murdock Building is made up of three separate structures located in historic downtown Eads, which is laid out along the railroad line. Together and separately, each of these structures has functioned as a bank, café, general merchandise enterprise, flower and gift shop, and dry goods store. The Slater Building has been shuttered since 1984, but the Whitelaw and Schoggen Buildings were occupied until 2006. Kiowa County purchased the “Murdock Building” in 2007 with plans to rehab a portion for its use as a Senior Center and the remainder for lease to the National Park Service to serve as a Visitor’s Center and Offices for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. This unique partnership offers an opportunity to bring the citizens of Eads and its surrounding areas and heritage tourists to the heart of downtown Eads.

Project Description

This project entails completing an historic structure assessment of the Murdock Building, stabilizing a portion of the structure (immediate structural work is required on the Slater Bank Building) and completing design and construction documents for its rehabilitation. The historic structure assessment will provide a roadmap for future rehabilitation work, determining the building’s needs. Construction documents for the core and shell of the building will allow for adequate cost estimates to be prepared. Design documents for the interior will be created so that the community and potential funders can envision the interior as a functional space with remaining historic fabric adding to the atmosphere. The completion of this project will provide a much-needed gathering space for Kiowa County’s seniors and community members and the opening of the Sand Creek National Historic Site Visitor’s Center will attract heritage tourists, rekindling activity in historic downtown Eads.

Project Team

Alexa Roberts, National Park Service Superintendent, Bent’s Old Fort NHS; Funding provided through grants from the State Historical Fund, the Department of Local Affairs, the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Kiowa County.

Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion

Project

Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion Rehabilitation

Location

Denver, CO (contributing to the Curtis Park National Register Historic District and the local Denver Landmark District)

Date of Construction

1880

History

The Curtis Park neighborhood, home to the Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion, has a rich history beginning with the introduction of the railroad into Denver. Its wide, tree-lined streets were an easy fit for the city’s first horse-drawn streetcar, making the neighborhood Denver’s initial streetcar suburb. The Mansion itself was built by James F. Mathews, an ore and bullion dealer, in 1880. In 1890, Isaac Gotthelf purchased it. Gotthelf was a prominent businessman and elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1876. He met an untimely end in 1910 and in 1915 his widow and children sold the property. Since then the house has cycled through various owners and consequently been divided into ten apartment units.

Project Description

The Silver Crash of 1893 led to the Curtis Park neighborhood’s floundering. By the 1920s, the area experienced a dramatic change in residents and many of its historic homes were neglected or altered. The Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion was not excluded and deferred maintenance and quick fixes took its toll on the magnificent Mansion. Despite these drawbacks, many of its original elements remain. In 2007, Colorado Preservation, Inc. purchased the house with the intent to restore its exterior, with sensitive and creative rehabilitation, and re-sell it as a single-family residence. For this purpose, an historic structure assessment and preservation plan on the building was completed in October, 2007. Recommendations included removal of all exterior paint and the restoration of all exterior masonry, including brick and sandstone, the restoration of the wood cornice and the slate roof. These items will be addressed in Phase I exterior rehabilitation of the project as funded by the State Historical Fund. The rehabilitation of the house will contribute significantly to the overall historic community and continue the Curtis Park neighborhood’s valiant efforts towards neighborhood revival.

Project Team

SlaterPaull Architects (historic structure assessment); grant funding through the State Historic Fund and a private donor.

HANGAR 61

Project

Hangar 61 Rehabilitation

Location

Denver, CO (located within the former Stapleton International Airport complex)

Date of Construction

1959

History

The Hangar was built to house the corporate plane, a Fairchild F-27 turboprop, of the Ideal Basic Cement Company owned by the prominent Boettcher family of Colorado. The Ideal Basic Cement Corporate Hangar (now known as Hangar 61) is an 8,500 square foot cement structure and is an example of sophisticated engineering creating an innovative architectural design. The design utilized a unique barrel shell section cut into an organic diamond shape that fit the plane both vertically and horizontally. It is believed to be the only diamond-shaped cylindrical arch thin shell structure ever constructed worldwide. In 1995, the City and County of Denver closed the Stapleton International Airport and formed the Stapleton Redevelopment Corporation to oversee the redevelopment of the area, which is now a New Urbanist community. No use was found for Hangar 61 and the possibility of demolition was imminent; in 2005, the property was nominated for and named to CPI ’s Most Endangered Places List.

Project Description

In 2005, Colorado Preservation, Inc. purchased the property with a grant from the State Historical Fund and developed construction drawings for stabilization and exterior rehabilitation. An option on the property was granted to a developer, Hangar 61 LLC, and Historic Denver, Inc. is holding a perpetual easement on the property. Colorado Preservation, Inc. has partnered with Hangar 61, LLC to rehab the Hangar and to market the property to a new owner for a new use. Phase 1 of the project will consist of structural repairs and Phase II will encompass the exterior rehabilitation, not including any tenant finish work which would only be necessary after an end user is identified.

Project Team

620 Corp., Inc./Hangar 61, LLC; Grant funding through the State Historical Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Skerritt House

Project	Thomas Skerritt House Rehabilitation
Location	Englewood, CO
Date of Construction	c1864 with several additions through 1911
History	Thomas Skerritt, the "father" of Englewood, and his family lived in the house, making several additions, between 1864 and 1943. Over the last sixty years, alterations converted the interior from a single-family residence to multiple apartments and back to single-family again. Although the living areas retained little of their historic fabric, the exterior structure remained substantially intact after 1911.
Project Description	In April 2003, Colorado Preservation, Inc. purchased the Skerritt House from the City of Englewood with the assistance of a grant from the State Historical Fund. Colorado Preservation, Inc. Between January 2004 and May 2005, Colorado Preservation, Inc. completed an extensive rehabilitation of both the interior and exterior of the home. A preservation easement was placed on the property in July 2005 with Historic Denver, Inc. The Skerritt House was sold in July 2005 to a private business. A chiropractive office opened in the historic home in January 2006.
Project Team	Frank Sturgell, Project Manager; Gary Petri of SlaterPaull Architects, Architect; BOA Construction, General Contractor; Project Financed in part through a grant from the Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund and a loan from the Colorado Historical Foundation.

Skyline Park Documentation

Project	Skyline Park Documentation
Location	Denver, CO
Date of Construction	1974
History	Skyline Park was designed and constructed in 1974. In the midst of extensive urban renewal it was an innovative park design that created a refuge in the cityscape, a strong sense of place and a recognizable reference to the Colorado landscape in downtown Denver. It was designed by Lawrence Halprin, one of the leaders of modern landscape architecture. At the time of construction, Skyline was one of the innovative design solutions that Halprin was developing to deal with urban situations. He has since become an internationally known landscape architect for both his urban design and innovative ecological design.
Project Description	In March 2003, The City of Denver approved a plan for the redesign of Skyline Park by landscape architect Thomas Balsley of New York City. Few elements of the original design will remain in this redesign. In order that Halprin's design may be remembered and studied by future generations, Colorado Preservation, Inc. requested and received permission from the City of Denver to document the park through photography, videography, measured drawings and a written history before demolition began. In May 2003, students from the University of Colorado - Denver converged on the park taking measurements while professionals took photographs and captured video footage. The completed detailed history, photographs, video, and drawings have been approved by the National Park Service as Colorado's first Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) project and copies have been cataloged at the Library of Congress and the Colorado Historical Society.
Project Team	Ann Mullins, Project Manager; Ann Komara, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture - University of Colorado -Denver, Director of Measured Drawing Team and Historian; Gifford Ewing Photography, Photography; Q+A Films, Videography;Project Financed in part through a grant from the Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund.

Temple Aaron Stabilization

Project	Temple Aaron Stabilization
Location	Trinidad, CO
Date of Construction	1889
History	Temple Aaron is the oldest Synagogue in continuous use in Colorado.
Project Description	In 2000, a historic structure assessment revealed weakness in façade brick and window casements of this historic structure along with safety concerns from the continued use of outdated electrical systems. In the spring of 2003, Colorado Preservation, Inc. entered into an agreement with the Alfred Freudenthal Memorial Foundation to oversee a stabilization effort to mitigate these concerns. A Masonry Pilot Project now provides guidelines for rehabilitation of the exterior and has resulted in the repair of the masonry on the north and east facades of the synagogue. Masonry repair on the south and west facades is now underway.
Project Team	Belinda Zink, Project Manager and Architect; Mike Vanek, Structural Engineer; Mark Burggraaf; John Hofman, Masonry Consultant; Project Financed through a grant from the Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund.

Kit Carson Hotel Business Plan

Project	Kit Carson Hotel Business Plan
Location	La Junta, CO
Date of Construction	1907; remodeled 1932
History	Constructed in 1907, the Dougherty Building initially housed Wonderly’s “Electric” Theatre and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Lodge #701 Ballroom, the largest dance floor in the Arkansas Valley. By 1925, the Elks had purchased both this building and the adjoining structure which together form the Dougherty Block. In 1932, the Elks commissioned the transformation of the Dougherty Building into the Kit Carson Hotel, adding a third floor and an art deco façade. The project provided much needed employment during the Great Depression. The Elks continued to own the Kit Carson Hotel until 1961. It was operated as a hotel until 1978, with the restaurant remaining open through 1993.
Project Description	In 2003, Mary and Jerry Kahler purchased the hotel and working with Mary’s mother, Beverly Babb, hope to reopen the Kit Carson Hotel as La Junta’s premier hotel facility. In 2005, a feasibility study and business plan were completed and demonstrate that a project to rehabilitate and reopen the hotel is feasible and profitable. A financial plan for the project, estimated at $4.1 million, has been prepared and the owners are seeking a $400,000 equity investor to complete the package. The owners are offering a 50% stake in the hotel for this investment. To learn more about this investment and obtain a business plan, contact Mark Rodman at mrodman@coloradopreservation.org.
Project Team	John Montgomery & William Kottenstette, Directors, Horwath Horizon Hospitality Advisors, LLC; Tom Klein, Principal, New Communities; Thomas & Laurie Simmons, Principals, Front Range Research Associates, Inc. Financed in part through a grant from the Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund.

Blue Jay Inn Assessment

Project	Blue Jay Inn Assessment
Location	Buffalo Creek, CO
Date of Construction	1880s
History	The Blue Jay Inn was constructed in the 1880s as a boarding house for lumbermen. It became a lodge for tourists with the arrival of the railroad. In the early 1900s it became a retreat for girls. It was reopened as an inn and restaurant in 1947, and operated until the late 1990s.
Project Description	The current owner hopes that the inn can be reopened as a community gathering place. Colorado Preservation, Inc. is working with the owner's representatives to complete a Historic Structure Assessment and market analysis/reuse plan.
Project Team	Nan Anderson, Architect, Andrews and Anderson Architects; Structural and Civil Engineers, JVA, Inc.; Mechanical Engineers, IMS, Inc.; Electrical Engineers, JCN Engineering; John Montgomery, Director, Horwarth Horizon Hospitality Advisors; financed in part through a grant from the Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund.