Item 7C - Update Memo
DATE: June 1, 2016
TO: Landmarks Board
FROM: James Hewat, Marcy Cameron
SUBJECT: Update Memo
Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month
City Council read a Declaration of May as Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month on May 3. On May 9,
the owners of recent landmarks and notable recent historic preservation projects were recognized at the annual
Heritage Roundtable Awards Ceremony at Chautauqua. The Landmarks Board recognized the restoration and
additions to 1815 Mapleton, 615 Spruce, 1029 Broadway (Evans Scholars House) and the Boulder Jaycees
Depot. The event was attended by about 90 people.
Landmarks Board Lecture Series – Ode to a Persian Garden and Bike Tour
The board hosted a lecture, “Ode to a Persian Garden” by William Bechoffer on April 13 at the Boulder Library
Canyon Theater. Approximately 30 people attended.
On Friday, May 13, Marcy Cameron led a bicycle tour through the Highland Lawn and Mapleton Hill historic
districts. It was attended by about 35 people. Landmarks Board members, James Hewat, and Oscar Segue-
Andrade, an intern with GO-Boulder, contributed to the success of the tour.
Certified Local Government Grant – Historic Resource Survey Plan
Ron Sladek of Tatatanka Historic Associates Inc. has been hard at work assessing Boulder’s current survey
records and writing a Draft Survey Plan. On April 19, a working group and Landmarks Board subcommittee
convened to provide feedback on the current records and resource types and research themes that should be
prioritized in the furture. On May 11, the Survey Plan information was presented at the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan Open House to gather feedback. The next working group meeting will be held on May
24. Update at meeting.
Civic Area Glen Huntington Band Shell/Atrium Building
The Civic Area webpage has been updated to provide current information on the historic resources in the
Civic Area. The Band Shell Update (May 2016) provides an update to the Band Shell. On May 17, the Parks and
Recreation Department is hosting a community volunteer event to paint the band shell seats. Other scheduled
events for the Civic Area can be found under “Activation (Events + Site Improvements + Safety)” on the main
Civic Area webpage.
Certified Local Government Grant – NAPC Conference
The city has received a CLG grant for two board members and a staff member to attend the National Alliance
of Preservation Commissions Forum in Mobile, AL from July 27-31, 2016. Session information will be posted
April 1st, 2016 on the NAPC website: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=1772691
University Hill Commercial District – National Register Nomination
On Dec. 8, the City Council reviewed the University Hill Reinvestment Strategy Update (click for memo). As
part of the strategy, the city is pursing National Register designation for the commercial district. Update at
meeting.
Comprehensive Planning and Sustainability Calendar - See attached.
1102 Pearl Street, 05.17.2016 Pre-Application Comments
Historic District Considerations:
The property is located at a key intersection at the west end of the Pearl Street Mall in the Downtown Historic District.
Demolition of the existing building and subsequent new construction requires review by the Landmarks Board in a public
hearing per 9-11-12 of the Boulder Revised Code.
Southeast corner of 11th and Pearl Streets 1896
The 1883 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicates that a saloon was located in the one and one-half story frame building at
the southeast corner of Pearl and 11th Street (then addressed as 348 Pearl Street) probably run by Louis Garbarino, with
rooms for rent in the rear. By 1895 a butcher’s shop, the People’s Market, owned and operated by Eli P. Metcalf & Joseph
Hocking, was located in the west side of the building. By 1901, Metcalf had retired, and Hocking was sole proprietor of
People’s Market. The east portion of the building remained as a saloon until at least 1906, by which time the market had
been converted into a restaurant.
1100 Pearl was vacant following Hocking’s death until sometime around 1916, when Belshe C. Garbarino opened an
automobile garage. A brick building with stepped parapet was constructed 1927, the year in which it appears in a series of
photographs. The west side was occupied by Garbarino’s Auto and the east side by the Colorado Fruit Company.
Garabino’s Auto 11th and Pearl Streets, 1928
Garbabino operated the garage until about 1930, when the Ardourel brothers, Joseph C. and J. F., took over the until the
early 1940’s. For the next 18 years the site was home to a wide variety of auto shops, garages, and automotive dealerships,
none of which lasted for more than five years. Building permit records provide evidence that the building was damaged in a
fire sometime shortly before 1957. This damage probably accounted for removal of the stepped brick parapet and
replacement with the current concrete block parapet when it reopened as Arnold Brother’s Sports Car center in 1959.
Arnold’s Sports Car Center, 11th and Pearl Streets, 1959
In 1960, owner Christopher G. Garbarino applied to remodel the garage into Walt & Hanks Tavern which opened in 1961. It
appears the corner was enclosed and the storefront was blocked-in and stuccoed. Brick pillars from the 1920s construction
are still visible on the west side of the building. 1102 Pearl Street would continue as Walt and Hanks until 1976, when,
following another remodel, the building became the home of Old Chicago Restaurant. Few changes appear to have
occurred to the building since that time.
Because the building is located in the Downtown Historic District and demolition and new construction is being
contemplated, review by the Landmarks Board in a public hearing is required. While the existing building appears to be
have been altered to the point that it has lost its integrity and it may be considered non-contributing to the historic district,
assessing proposed demolition and new construction would be subject to review through the Landmark Alteration Certificate
process. Because of its scope and prominent location on the mall, we strongly recommend that the applicant meet with staff
to discuss the proposal at the conceptual level (location, height, mass, scale, etc.) and that design development proceed
prior to submittal for review by the Landmarks Board and or Planning Board. Staff also encourages the applicant to consider
a two-story building which takes design cues from the brick Garbarino Auto Building. The simple brick form, handsome
stepped parapet, and transparency of the storefront of that building may translate well to retail/restaurant uses in a building
that references history of the site in mass and scale, as well as simplicity of design and proportion. Staff does not
recommend a tower element or chamfered corner as shown in the pre-application renderings and considers the overall
mass and scale of the design to be inconsistent with the character of historic buildings in the streetscape.