7 - Update MemoJune lst, 2005
TO: Landmazks Preservation Advisory Board
FROM: James Hewat
SUBJECT: Update Memo
292411`h Street
At the May meeting, the Board discussed the possibility of the reviewing the stay of
demolition imposed upon the property at the March 3`~, 2005 meeting. The 180 day stay
period ends July 18`h, 2005. 10-13-23 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance states that
during the period of the Stay, the Board may take action it deems necessary and
consistent to preserve the building.
1928 6~" Street
In 2004 the applicant was granted a Landmark Alteration Certificate to restore and add to
the Pool and Son Blacksmith shop that was designated a local landmark in July of 2003.
Since work began, the building has been almost entirely demolished. A stop work order
has been issued for work being undertaken beyond the scope of approval. Discussion
regarding the appropriate enforcement of this violation are currently underway.
Enforcemeut
A mid-month meeting will be held on June 15`h to discuss issues related to the
enforcement of the historic preservation ordinance. Staff from the City Attorney's office
and Enforcement will be in attendance.
Valmont Butte
Staff led a tour of the Butte on May 19`" of the national Alliance for Landscape
Preservation which was followed by a roundtable discussion at Chautauqua.
Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Update:
At the joint session of the City Council and the Planning Board on April 26, Section 17 of
"Recommended Changes to the BVCP" made by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce
(see attached), was recommended for discussion at City Council's June 7~h, 2005
meeting. These recommendation sin clued changes to the program including the
elimination of consideration of historic designation on the basis of anything other than
azchitecture, increasing the minimum age of non-designated buildings for demolition
review to 75 yeazs, and annual review of efficacy design guidelines.
Historic Preservation Month Activities:
The month's events were a success culminating with Donovan Rypkema's two talks
which were attended by over 75 participants.
Hestoric Preservation/Energy Efficiency policy analysis update
Panel discussion on issue with stakeholders planned for June 29 followed review of
findings by the Boazd at the August meeting. Staff is in the process of undertaking a
literature , identifying perceived/real conflicts between goals, review of existing
policies/standazds and guidelines to identify conflicts and areas of mutual support, and
refining research, issues/questions, and policy options for June 29 panel discussion.
Union Pacific Railroad Depot update
Planning staff is currently working on developing a Boulder Transit Village Area Plan
that will be part of the 2005 Major Update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. It
will include a study and analysis of the larger azea azound the Boulder Transit Village
site. The adopted area plan could include proposed land use and zoning changes, as well
as recommendations for new transportation connections. More detailed site planning for
the Transit Village site at 30`h & Pollard will begin in cooperation with RTD in 2005, and
the first phase of development is expected to begin on the eastern portion of the site in
2006.
Primary issues to be resolved regarding the Depot include: building ownership,
relocation site, building use and project funding. The Board will have opportunities to
provide input and will need to issue a landmazk alteration certificate for any building
relocation and exterior changes.
ARTICLES AND INFORMATION:
University Hill Commercial District - Historic Overview and Historic District
Evaluation. Front Range Research, 1994
Sustaining the Beauty and Vitaliry of Charleston for All its Citizens, Joseph P. Riley
Forum Journal, Winter, 2005
U1~TIVERSITY HII.L .:°
CONIlV~RCIAL DISTRICT
:~F.
Historic Overview and
Historic District Evaluation
~, - ;
` Prepared for:
~ University Hill
General Lnpmvement District
1104 Spruce Street
Boulder, Colorado 80302
(303) 441-3202
, .,
~.__: . ,s-
_:.. .
.. ,,~.,... -
:~
:
-
Prepared by:
_ R Laurie Simmons, M.A.
and Thomas H. Simmons, M.A.
~Yont Raage Research Associates, Inc.
3635 West 46th Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80211-1101
(303) 477-7597
2 November 1994
. ~~;;~-: _ _.~a
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11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
~>-
rr:
~;.
I.
II.
III.
IV
IN'I'RODUCITON ....................................... 1
HISTORIC OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HISTORIC COMMERCIAL DISTRICI' ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . 29
ILLUS'fRATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After page 35, unpaged
REFERENCES ................................................... 36
I. INTRODUCfION
This report presents a summary of the historical development of the University Hill
commercial azea and an evaluation of the area's potential for designation as a City of
Boulder Historic Landmark District. The boundaries of the study azea lie roughly between
Broadway on the east, llth Street on the west, University Avenue on the north, and Euclid
Avenue on the south. The district was evaluated using the Si~iScance Criteria developed
by the Landmazk Preservation Advisory Boazd. The historic context was developed utilizing
published materials, as well as information from the repositories of the Boulder Carnegie
Branch Library for Local History, the University of Colorado Westem Historical Collections
and University Archives, and the files of the Boulder Daily Camera. The project was
undertaken during October 1994 and included a visual inspection of the business azea in
order to determine the boundaries of the historic district and the integrity of the buildings
within its boundaries.
The study was undertaken by Front Range Reseazch Associates, Inc., of Denver, for the
University Hill General Improvement District (UHGID). Participants for Front Range
included R. Laurie Simmons, Thomas H. Simmons, and Judith Broeker. Peter Pollock, City
of Boulder D'uector of Long Range Planning, and Lara Ramsey, City of Boulder Planning,
coordinated the project for UHGID. Special thanks to David Hays, University of Colorado •'~ '"
Westem Historical Collections, and Henry V. Ellwood, Jr, -who generously~-shazed== ' -
substantial information about the University Hill commercial district. ~.~~ ~" =.
2
II. HISTORIC OVERYIEW
INPRODUCTION
Although the Colorado territoriallegislature approved the creation of a state university in
Boulder in 1861, fifteen years elapsed before the first building was erected with matching
funds provided by Boulder residents and the university grounds partially donated by local
citizens. The University of Colorado's first president, Joseph Sewall, lived with his family
in the 1876 building, Old Main, and his daughter, Jane, described the then isolated and
barren locatiou in her memoirs. She recalled that upon the famil},s arrival in 1877, "no tree
nor shrub nor any human habitation was in sight," only 'bast expanses of rock and
sagebrush." The principal use of the land in the vicinity had been to pasture the animals
of local farmers.l
University Place Addition and Boulder's Streetcar System
The early 1890s were a boom period in Boulder's growth when its housing stock ea~panded
dramatically. Within the first five years of the decade, twenty-eight subdivisions were added
to the town boundaries. By the end of 189Q the university encompassed a total of five =.
buildings, including a PresidenYs Residence (now the Koenig Alumni Center), a chemistry
building, and an arts and sciences facility (See Figure 1). During the previous decade, the
city had grown to include new schools, businesses, and a sanitarium operated by the Seventh
Day Adventists. Fatpansion of the city's resident population resulted in a growing demand
for new housing.2
The development of University Hill began with the creation of the UniversiTy Place -
Addition, encompassing an area roughly from Sixth through Eighteenth Streets and from
College to Baseline Road. The subdivision was laid out and platted in 1890. The developer
of the addifion, the Denver and Boulder Land and Investment Company, created by
Humphrey B. Chamberlin, Granville Malcom, and Warren H. McLeod, intended to sell
personal property, buy and sell real estate and improve the same, borrow and lend money,
1Jane Sewall, 3ane, Dear Child (Boulder, Colo.: University of Colorado Press, 1957), 41;
Boulder, Colo., Municipal files, "Mount Saint Gertrude Academy."
ZWilliam R. Deno, Body & Soul: Architectural 5tyle at the i3niversity of Colorado at
Boulder (Boulder, Colo.: University of Colorado Publications Service, 1994), 44.
3
and to .make investments 3
The company purchased 194 acres of land adjoining the city in June 1890, at a cost of
$16,786.50. The land was divided into 1,820 lots. S.C. Fulton became president of the
development company, and the fum of Fulton Brothers was appointed sole agent for the
sale of property in the addition. By 1891, the company had made some improvements to
the subdivision and University Place was ready to be advertised as a desirable residential
area. The first private residence on University Hill was erected the same yeaz by Mrs.
Amelia Perry at the southwest corner of College Avenue and 13th Street ° The following
yeaz, Mount St. Gertrude Academy at lOtt~ and Aurora Streets was established on land
donated by a member of the development company.
° The Fulton Brothers firm erected a lazge brick building at Broadway, Thirteenth, and
Pennsylvania lmown as Fulton Terrace, w}rich housed the company's real estate offices and
three residential units (See Figure 2). The terrace, the most prominent building in the area
for many years, was remodeled in 1926 as the Alpha Tau Omega house. From the early
1940s into the middle 1950s, the University of Colorado used the building as a Women's
Dormitory Annex. Subsequent university occupants included the Extension Division
(between 1961 and 1967) and the Communications and Theater Department (1973 to 1983).
The building was demolished to create a public pazldng lot 5
By 1892, it was evident that public transportation to and from downtown Boulder would beE-. ~.e:~,,; :
a necessary ingredient in the success of University Hill. _ Without a transportation system :.i .... .
linldng the city's major place of employment with the new residential azea, the addirion's~- ~°__ ~_~;
growth was seriously hampered (See Figure 3). In the fall of 1892, the Denver and Boulder
Land and Investment Company entered into an agreement with a streetcaz company to
construct tracks and maintain service through the University Place Addition. The streetcar
line was to run between the center of Boulder and the Chautauqua grounds, passing through
the residenual subdivision. Lack of sufficient capital for the construction of the planned
street railway prevented iu completion and its promoters lost their franchise. In order to . ~
provide the necessary transportation service, the investment company then established a
horse drawn bus service b
3"Plat of the Univeisity Place Addition, 1890; Warren H. McLeod Collection, University
of Colorado Westem Historical Collections, Boulder, Colorado, "List of Stockholders of the
Denver and Boulder Land and Improvement Company, 1899:'
°Boulder Daily Camera, 2 January 1980. Mrs. Perry's house was later demolished for
the construction of the Flatirons Theater
'Boulder Daily Camera, 2 January 1980.
6McLeod Collection, "Report Concerning the Transactipns of the Denver and Boulder
Land and Investment Company for the Period of Five Years," 30 July 1895.
' . ._~..5` `.._.,... ., +~~~`F.. .. . ,...
4
The beginning. of 1893 saw further improvements made to the subdivision and several lou
were purchased. Bright prospects for the azea's development were dashed by the nationwide
depression known as the Silvez Panic of 1893 during the later half of the yeaz. The effects
of the economic crisis were severe throughout the state, whose prosperity was heavily
dependent upon silver production. Humphrey Chamberlin, one of the principals of the
development company, who operated the lazgest real estate business in Denver and had
substantial holdings throughout the state, '~vent down with a crash" in 1893. His Chamberlin
Investment company reportedly had liabilities totaling more than $1 million and assets of
only a few thousand dollars at that date. Chamberlin abandoned the "shattered remnants"
of his investments and retumed to his native England, where he died in 1897.~
Althougb development in University Hill ceased during the economic downturn, the
investment company managed to weather the crisis. A positive feature during the period
was the state's improvement of the universiry grounds, which helped make the azea more
attractive for future investment. During the presidency of James H. Balcer (1892-1914), the
construction of several new buildings on the university campus and the landscaping of the
university grounds made the surrounding area seem more desirable and thus added to the
value of lots in the residential addition. From 1893 to 1894, the enrollment at the university
actually doubled.g A view (See Figure 4) of the future commercial district of University
HIll taken about 1895 from the Hale Science Building looking southwest, shows the house
at the northeast comer of 13th Street and College Avenue (now the Oaks Apartments) and -.
the Perry House at the southwest comer of the same intersection (razed in- 1950 for , ~
construction of the Flatirons Theater). _.. .. ~;:. :.
Prosperity gradually retumed to Boulder, bringing new enterprises and opportunities. In
July 1898, the Texas-Colorado Chautauqua opened as a result of efforts by a group of Texas
teachers and Boulder citizens to establish a pleasant place to spend the sumtner in an
educational environment. Townspeople approved a plan whereby Boulder purchased an
eighty acre site and erected an auditorium and dining hall for use during summer
educational and recreational activities. The university also offered the use of some of its ..
facilities for the program. Summer residents erected cabins on the Chautauqua grounds
adjacent to the southem edge of the University Hill neighborhood. With the opening of
}: : Chautauqua came renewed calls for a sueetcar line to carry visitors from the railroad depot
to the park.
The developers of the University Patk Addition took advantage of the need for a
Chautauqua line to insure uansportation service to their subdivision. In 1898, the city
~Denver Republican, 18 May 1897.
BFrederick S. Allen, Mazk S. Foster, Emest Andrade, Jr., Philip I. Mitterling, and H. Lee
Scamehorn, The University of Colorado,187b-1976 (New York: Hazcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Inc., 1976), 55.
5
council granted theu proposed street railway a right of way. The following year, an
agreement was signed between the Denver and Boulder Land and Investment Company and
the railway group. In exchange for the construction and operation of an electric sueetcar
system through University Park (See Figure 5), the streetcar company was given a subsidy
of certain lots at reduced rates to finance the operation of the system when it was
completed.9
The Boulder Street Railway's brown and yellow trolleys began n,nn;ng aiong the three-mile
track in June 1899, charging a fee of five cents per trip (See Figure 6). The route extended
from the railroad depot at 14th and Water (now Canyon), south along 12th Street (now
Broadway) to its intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue, swinging by Fulton Terrace, and
uaveling down 13th Street to College Avenue, where it headed west to 9th Street and
thence ran direcdy south to Chautauqua Pazk. On the retum trip, the system traveled north
on lOth Street to Aurora Avenue, where it headed east to 14th Street (See Figure 7) and
then traveled north until it intersected Broadway and headed back to the depot10 The
system was eventually extended to connect other parts of the city and routes were adjusted
over time. By 1923, the jog past the triangular block at 13th and Pennsylvania had been
eliminated and the trolleys proceeded directly west on College from Broadway." The
streetcar system operated until June 1931, when a bus system was implemented.12
The amval of the streetcar line ushered in the long awaited . real estate boom in the .
University Place Addition (See Figure 8). Citizens began to view the advantages of the
residential azea in terms of its proximity to the university, its convenient access to downtown
Boulder, and its closeness to the natural beaury of the Chautauqua grounds. As the Boulder
Daily Camera reported on 24 June 1899, a streetcaz ride revealed the attractions of the
area:
To visitors to Boulder and to citizens themselves the ride is a revelation,
particulazly in regazd to the extent and substantialness of. the growth on
University hill, in University Place and other additions lying south toward the
Chautauqua grounds. The car line circles the addition and will be a means
of building up the territory embraced. The plateau has always been a
desirable location for residences but with rapid transit to the town itself its
desirability is indefinitely increased. The car line, in fact, will be responsible
9McLeod Collection, "Agreement between the Denver and Boulder L,and and Investment
Company and Guy D. Duncan, Trustee," 19 April 1899.
lo"Map of the City of Boulder, 1904;' Boulder City Directory, 1905; Phyllis Smith, A
History of Boulder's 1Yansportation, 1858-1984 (Boulder, Colo.: City of Boulder, 1984), 17.
"Carnegie Branch •Library for Locat History, "City of Boulder Colorado, 1923:'
'ZSmith, "History of Boulder's Transportation," 18.
~..'~~: .
6
for a very welcome grow[h of the city in the residence line.13
By 1906, steady growth of the neighborhood resulted in the erection of the University Hill
School. The azea attracted professors and employees of the university, families who planned
to send their children to CU, business and professional workers, and university students.
During the early yeazs, most students lived in rooms off campus since the university
provided just one men's dormitory and a few small cottages for women. Boardi.ng houses
sprang up in areas adjacent to the university campus, some catering to faculty and staff
members and others to students. Fraternities and sororities also favored University Hill as
a convenient location for their residences. Early chapter houses were established in azeas
immediately adjacent to the university campus, some in e~usting residences and some in
specially constructed dwellings.l4
EARLY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE HILL, 1906-1919
Despite the presence of the streetcar line through the area and the University of Colorado
campus immediately to tbe east, commercial development did not come early to the Hill.
As late as 1906, the Sanborn Insurance Company map covering the Hill showed no
commercial buildings in the area. The map for June of that yeaz indicated that single family
dwellings were the predominant land use in the azea bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, -
Broadway, Euclid Avenue, and llth Street There were approximately ~fty-four dwellings
in the area with densities trailing off toward the southem and western edges (See Figures
9 and 10). The only non-residential uses identified in 1906 were a city hose cart house at -
the south end of the 1000 block of 13th Street and a"club house" at 1205 13th Street. The
latter was shown "from plans" and was identifiied as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house on the
1910 map.
Tbe connection between the university and the commercial district existed from the -
beginning of the business area's development, leading one writer to call the Hill "a kind of
satellite campus locked into the orb of its venerable neighbor on the east side of ..
Broadway."u The students who lived on the Hill developed a special relationslrip with the
business district which grew there, as the stores and restaurants catered to the needs of
many students. A small number of students also found employment at businesses on the
Hill.
13Sanford Gladden, The Early Days of Boulder (Boulder, Colo.: Sanford Gladden, 1982),
460.
14William E. Davis, Glory Colorado! History of the University of Colorado to 1963
(Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Press, 1965), 363. •
uBoulder Daily Camera, 9 October 1975.
Greenman's University Store, 1134 13th Street
The McConnell and Crane building was followed by a number of other commercial
structures erected during the 1911-13 period between College and Pleasant avenues. In
1911, Alfred A. Greenman constructed Greenman's University Store at 1134 13th Street
(building number 3), a two-story brick building with an angled northeastern edge following
the alignment of the rear a11ey (See Figure 12). Greenman also operated a business
downtown. Before Alfred A. Greenman built his store he persuaded the City to widen 13th
Street north of College Avenue, arg7ing that 'Boulder will not always be a horse and buggy
town and we will need wider sueets." Greenman and fellow Hill developer, William L.
Beach, attempted to foster a degree of design uniformity by agreeing to only build two-story
commercial buildings on 13th Street. Greenman reportedly purchased the Sigma Alpha
Epsilon house at 1201 13th Street "to control ~owth of business buildings on University
Hill." The wnstruction of one-story commercial additions to houses on the west side of 13th
Street undermined the Greenman-Beach plan.20
Greenman, a native of Pennsylvania who came to Boulder in 1890, was a prominent Boulder
businessman and one of its most influential civic leaders. He attended the university and
entered the book and drug store trade in Boulder, operating a store on Peazl Street before
he opened the Hill store. Greenman served as mayor from 1909-11 and as president of ttie
Chautauqua Association board for more than thirty-five yeazs. He was active in organizing: ~, c:,_
the Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the City's park and planning commission ,r~;-: -, ~.,
for many years.21 _ :_. . -_
Greenman's University Store opened in September 1911 and initially specialized in
textbooks, stationery, and athletic goods. After the university opened its own bookstore in
the basement of Macky in 1922, Greenman's dropped books and expanded its food and drug
lines with a pharmacy and an ice cream fountain. The newspaper reported, "the pretty new
ice cream fountain recently installed by the University book and drugstore is now ready for
service and is in chazge of an expert mixologist. The fountain is one of the prettiest and
most sanitary in town and will, no doubt, draw a lazge sbare of the soft drink trade.", The ,._
store was reportedly the first on the Hill to feature toasted sandwiches and served fifty to
seventy-five breal~asts each morning during the late 1910s and 1920s'~
Alfred Greenman's brother, Emest M. Greenman, managed the University Hill store and
became sole owner in 1941. In 1945, he sold the business to Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Smith but
20Boulder Daily Camera, 3 October 1939 and Dorothy Greenman collection and
photographs, Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado.
21Boulder Daily Camera, 20 February 1939 and 3 October 1939.
~Boulder Daily Camera, 9 October 1975.
continued worldng at the store as a clerk until at least 1955 ~ W.E. Smith had been
associated with the business since 1913. In July 1964, Smith announced that Greenman's
University Store would sell its merchandise and close.~' Subsequent businesses in the
building have included Audioghile Records and Components (1967), King of the Hill Candy
(1973), and Old Chicago Arcade (1983). Stella's College Market currently occupies the
building.~
Murphy Building and Hall, 1211-15 13th Street
By the eazly 1910s, the business district already included a building which housed university
sponsored activities. In 1912, when the Women's Athletic Association pressured the
university regents to provide better athletic facilities for its women students, CU rented the
hall in the upper portion of the newly constructed Murphy Building at 1211-15 13th Street
for that purpose (building number 31). The Women's AtWetic AssociaUon supervised
activities in the hall, called by the students "Varsity Hall," which was described as "well-
suited for basketball and gymnasium purposes:' The university regents and the associated
students each paid for half of the cost of maintaining the faciliries'~
George W. MurQhy, a realtor, was the developer behind construction of the building and
~ had his offices there in 1913. In addition to the hall discussed above, other tenants of the
building in 1913 included Henry A. Reiber's restaurant, Larson and Garvin's grocery, and
. Thomas Morris cleaning and dying. The association of the Ellwood family with the building
' began in the early 1920s, when Henry Ellwood started the Dugout clothing store there, so-
called because it was located below grade in the southem end of the structure. The
company was performing dry cleaning by 1926 and, over the years, expanded into the first
floor of the building. Dugout Cleaners and Laundry remained at the address until the
1980s. Ellwood's sisters operated tbe Bide-A-Wee tearoom in the building during the 1920s.
The building also boused a number of grocery stores over the years, including C.C. Smith
(1916-21), the Home Ranch market (1923), and a Piggly-Wiggly outlet (1926). The upper
floor of the structure was remodelled into the Ellwood Apartments in the late 1940s. The
building currently contains the Gym on the Hill, Full C~cle, and the Yello Sub.~'
'~Boulder Daily Camera, 15 March 1955.
~`Boulder Daily Camera, 9 October 1475.
~Boulder Daily Camera, July 1964 and Boulder Ciry D'uectories, 1967-83.
~Dauis, 178.
Z~Boulder City Directories, 1913-83; Ellwood; and Sanbom Insurance Company maps,
1910-31.
10
Other Eazly Businesses =
Three two-story commercial buildings were constructed on the east side of the 1100 block
of 13th Street in ffie 1910s: The trio of structures is important in giving the block a sense
of commercial streetwall and a11 may have been associated with William L Beach. A
narrow, two-story brick commercial building (See Figure 13) was constructed at 1118 13th
in 1911 (building number 5). The 1913 city di~ectory lists Morgan and Hedbloom grocers
as the building's occupant, followed by Rethlefsen and Stephens in 1916. AE. Graham
operated the University Hill Grocery in the building from about 1918 through at least 1938.
After a brief listing as the Model Grocery in the 1943 city directory, the University Hill
Grocery reappeared and remained at the address until the late 1960s. Later businesses in
the building included Discount Records (1973) and Budget Tapes and Records (1983). The
cunent occupant of the structure is Jacque Michelle Apparel and Home Decor.~
The next building to the south (1114-16 13th Street, building number 34) was a two-story
brick commercial building erected in 1913 (See Figure 14). William L. Beach was probably
responsible for its construction and is listed as an occupant through 1923. Beach was active
in mining west of Boulder at Sugarloaf and Wallstreet before moving to the city in 1902.
He and his wife Grace lived just southeast of the Hill commercial azea at 1036 14th Street.
~ In the 1930s Beach donated twenry-two lots to the City for a public pazk on University Hill
in the 900 block of 13th Street. Aside from Beach, the principal eazly tenant in the building
was the University (or U of C) Cafeteria, which appeazed in city directories from 1921
through 1932. . When the next building to the south (1110-12 13th Sueet) was built in the
late teens or early 1920s, the restaurant expanded to fill the first floor of that structure.
Since the late 1940s, a number of small retail and service shops have occupied the
storefront, including gift shops, clothing stores, and photography studios. The L.ogos Book
Store was present in the building in 1973 and Trade-A-Tape and Records in 1983. Bolo
Bagels now occupies the building.~
The two-story brick and cinderblock building at 1110-12 13th Street (building number 26)
was constructed between 1919 and 1921, but the address does not appear in city d'uectories
until 1932. This appazently stems from the fact that the University Cafeteria at 1114 13th
Street expanded into the first floor of this building upon its completion. The address was
not used until the restaurant reduced its space in the early 1930s. The 1932 to 1938 city
directories list Stewart's Shoe Sbop and William F. Lesch jeweler as occupants. Since the
1940s the building has housed a number of shoe repair firms and Stuart's Jewelry (1949-73).
~Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1910 and 1918; Boulder Assessor collection,
Carnegie Branch Library for L.ocal History; and Boulder City Directories, 1913-83.
29Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1910 and 1918; computerized index, Camegie
Library for Loca1 History, Boulder, Colorado; and Boulder City D'uectories, 1913-83.
11
Today, the building houses Bill Cronin goldsmith and the Design T-Slvrt gallery.30
By 1918, the house at 1221 Pennsylvania Avenue was identiffed on Sanbom Insurance
Company as a milk station (building number 33). The structure was appazendy a single
family dwelling that had appeazed on Sanbom maps since 1906. According to Henry V.
Ellwood, Jr., area dairy farmers would bring raw milk to the station for transport to local
dairies. By 1921, the buiiding contained the Bide-A-Wee teazoom, followed during the
1923-26 period by the E&F Beauty Pazlor. Between 1922 and 1931 an addition was made
to the westem side of the building. Ross Ctrivers Sports was housed in the building from
the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s. Dick's Bicycle Center was located in the building in
1983, followed by toda}~s Morgul Bismazk Bicycles.31
THE ~920s AND 1930s: GROWTH OF THE COMII~RCIAL
DISTRICT AND THE HILL A5 THE FOCUS OF OFF-CAMPLJS LIFE
During World War I, national events affected life on the Hill, as most of the fraternity
houses became army barracks for soldiers given training at the university. By 1919, tbe
slogan "on the Hill" was already being used in advertisements for the University Hill area
(See Figure 15). During the 1920s, University Hill e~erienced its most dramatic period of
residential growth, as the prosperity of the era encouraged the construction of a multitude -~
of new houses in the neighborhood. Csreek letter society chapter houses also increased in
numbers in University Hill during the 1920s and eazly 1930s. Fulton Terrace at. 1300
Pennsylvania was converted to a fraternity house in about 1926. ~ In 193Q Glenn H.
Hunrington designed a new house for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at 1111 Broadway. The
fraternit}~s 1905 house on the same site was razed 32 Despite these improvements, the Hill
still retained a small town feel. Henry Ellwood, Sr., recalled that, until 1925, there was no
street paving on the Hill (See Figure 16). The street was crossed by stepping stones 33
The era saw the construction of the first large apartments in the Hill area. The Pulliam
Apartments were constructed at 102013th Street. The building was a two-story, °U"-shaped
structure with a long, detached garage opening onto the alley. The Nafe Apartmenu at
1305 Euclid Avenue also appeazed, as did multi-unit buildings at 1090 l lth Street and 1145
30Boulder City D'uectories, 1913-83 and Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1918-22.
31Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1906-31 and Boulder City D'uectories, 1916-83.
32Sanbom Insurance Companry maps,1922 and 1931; Boulder CiTy Directories, 1921-32;
and photographic collections, Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado. WhIle
Sanbom coverage expanded between 1922 and 1931, the discussion compazes the same
geograp}uc azea for both years.
33Boulder Daily Camera, 25 January 1976.
13
that the business disuict be limited. The city hired Denver planner Saco B. DeBoer to draft
a zoning ordinance in 1926 after receiving complaints about the "promiscuous erection of
places of business in what has been the residence district of the Hill " Boulder's first zoning
ordinance, designed to answer the concerns of University Hill residents, was adopted with
little objecdon in January 1928.'~ '
During the 1920s, historical accounts first note student use of the Hill as a site for mass
gatherings and celebrations. The small pox scare in the 1920s resulted in the sdpulation that
students prove they had been inoculated from the disease and a big pazade of vaccinated
students developed which toured all over the Hill. The area was well established as the
center of off-campus social activities by the 1920s. The Sunken Gardens, Co-op, and
Greenman's were favored places for "coking" or the consumption of soft drinks and
conversation.39 Appazently the Hill had also become the popular site for students to
imbibe stronger liquids. The Silver & Gold reported on 10 January 1922 that "every week-
end brings news of a drunken carousal some place on the Hill."40
G&S Kash-Karry Grocery, 1138-44 13th Street
In addition to conversions and additions to existing residential dwellings, a few new
commercial buildings were constructed during the 1920s and 1930s. A two-story brick
building with elevated cornice projections was built at 1138-44 13th Street in 1923 (building- `-=-
number 2). The building's construction altered the course of the alley lying east of 13W
Street. The alley had previously intersected 13th Street at an acute angle; the new building "~~~ ~
forced the alley to jog and meet 13th Street at a right angle. Original tenants of the "" ``
structure included: G&S (later the A&B) Kash-Karry Grocery, P.B. Paddock's men's
furnishings, J.M. Payne shoe repair, University Hill Cleaners and Dyers, and EJ. Tryon
confectionery. The 1926 city d'uectory lists the Beach-Johnson Apartments on the second
floor of tbe building, suggesting that William L. Beach might have been involved in the
construction of this building as well. The original tenants stayed quite stable until the mid- -
1930s, when the cleaners and men's store departed and the Casa Grande Cafe began
operations. The A&B Grocery was housed in the building until the mid-1940s, whIle the
Casa Grande operated througl~ the mid-1950s. Subsequent tenants included a number of
clothing and miscellaneous retail stores. City directory listings from the 1970s and 1980s
refer to the structure as the Aurand Building; Robert A. Aurand is shown as the owner of
the property on the oId Assessor's appraisal card. The building's present occupants include:
Roach Galleries (which was at the address in 1973); DE Exchange; Serendipity; and Council
~Phyllis Smith, A Look at Boulder I~Yom 5ettlement to City (Boulder, Colo.: Pruett
Publishing Co., 1981), 179.
39Davis, 362.
°°Davis, 317.
14
Travel.al
Somers Sunken Gardens, 1165 13th Street
One of the most notable and extensive examples of the trend to recycle oid houses as parts
of the commercial district involved the lazge home at 1165 13th Street (building number 11).
The dwelling (See Figure 18), constructed about 1900, was reportedly built by a Mr.
Teagazden. It was occupied by J.W. Mott, a travelling salesman, and his wife Eva in 1913.
The City D'uectory identified the address as the Sigma Nu fraternity house in 1916 and as
the Phi Delta Theta house in 1921. The residence's comer porch was removed and one-
story shops were added to the north and east sides of the house, along Pennsylvania Avenue
and 13th Street, respectively, in about 1928.
Edward A. and Henrietta Somers resided in the house by 1923. Somers had reportedly
approached the owners of the Bide-a-Wee tearoom at 1211 13th Street seeldng to manage
that facility. Rebuffed, he vowed to open a restaurant nearby and run the teazoom out of
business. Somers contracted with Glen H. Huntington to design the commercial additions
to his home. Somers' Sunken Gazdens restaurant opened in 1928 in the comer storefront
and expanded to seat two hundred patrons by the following year. A descriprion of the
restaurant, wluch was promoted as entirely suitable for family parties, aftemoon teas and
other kinds of parties," emphasized its unique design featuring abundant indoor greenery.
Somers and lus wife lived in an apartment above the restaurant 4Z '_; , - '
' _._ ;~<:;,. . . .
By 1932, in addition to Somers' restaurant, the following businesses were housed in the
building's storefronts:1220 Pennsylvania, Dugald F. Godfrey clothing;1222-24 Pennsylvania,
vacant; 1159 13th, the College Shop dressmaking; 1161 13th, Jack Hazding bazber; and 1163
13th, a branch outlet of the Boulder Cleaning and Dye Works. When Somers drowned in
a lake north of Boulder in August 1932, his wife continued to operate the restaurant. She
married Harry C. Hill in 1936, who helped manage the business until its sale to Francis
L.eBron in 1938.a3
a1Boulder City D'uectories, 1916-23; Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1918-31; and
Boulder County Assessor collection, Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado.
The 1917 date of construction reported by the Assessor is not supported by city directories
or the Sanborn maps. The projecting cornice details aze no longer extant.
4ZBoulder City D'uectories, 1921-26; Glen H. Huntington architectural collection,
Carnegie Library for local history, Boulder, Colorado; Henry V. Ellwood, Jr., personal
communication, 31 October 1994, Boulder, Colorado; and Peter Pollock to Landmazks
Preservation Advisory Board, memorandum, individual landmazk nomination for Somers-
Notestine house, 1403 Baseline Road, 6 December 1989. The Bide-A-Wee teazoom had
disappeared from the Ciry Directory by 1932.
43Ellwood; Pollock; and Boulder City D'uectory, 1932.
_.,..~ .~..¢~a.
16
applied in 1962.47
Stoffle's Restaurant/Owen's Sandwich Shoppe, 1100 13th Street
An existing comer house at 110013th Street received a two-story brick commercial addition
along 13th Street in 1927-28. In 1935, the bouse was razed and a one and two-story addition
of shops erected along College Avenue. The 1935 construction followed the same style and
materials as that employed in 1927-28; together, the two phases of construction comprise
., building number 6. The house•was present on the 1906 Sanborn map. Miss A.A_ Green
resided at the house (addressed tl~en as 1307 College Avenue) according to the 1913-16 city
directories, while Alice M. Green was listed at the address in 1918. J.E. Moore was living
at the house in 1926.^$
W. Merton StofIle, who had eazlier operated the University Hill Grocery Store at 1118 13th
Street, may have been responsible for the construcrion of the 1927-28 commercial addition.
By 1932, Stoffle's Restaurant was located at 1100 13th Street, while Stoffle resided in the
attached house. Early tenants of the 1935 addidon along College included the Randall Shop
(a women's clothing store) at 1309 College and Gladys O. Kauffman's beauty shop at 1311
College.
In 1929, the Harry C. Owen family from Clarinda, Iowa, established the Owen Sandwich :.. ._.. :
Shoppe on the west side of 13th Street near College Avenue, which became a"home away' :~•^ :•~, ;K:,~
from home" for students. According to an article in the Daily Camera, the restaurant was -`
"one of those last, informal, 'pay when you can' types of businesses where your word was
your meal ticket i49 The cafe's original location apparently did not have a sufficiently high
volume of business and the shop struggled there. Then Hazry Owen's wife, Fariba, and son
Donald, purchased Stoffle's Shop across the street, moved the restaurant, and business
improved dramatically. The cafe operated at that location until 1966 (See Figure 20).
Ctiurent tenants of the building include: 1100 13th Street, Dairy Queen and Budget
Alterations (upstairs); 1305 College Avenue, K&K Fine Silver Jewelry; 1307 College, the
Wave clothing store; 1315 College, under renovation for a T-shirt store; 1319 College, Off .
Campus G~ts hairstyling; and 1321 College, Kevin R. Rowan, optometrist.
4~Boulder City D'uectories, 1926-61; Boulder County Assessor collection (old appraisal
card) and Rialto Theater licenses, Carnegie Library for I.oca1 History, Boulder, Colorado;
and chronology of Boulder theaters, University of Colorado, Norlin Library, Westem
Historical Collections, Boulder, Colorado.
^~Boulder Ciry Directories, 1913-32; Sanborn Insurance Company maps, 1906-31; and
Boulder County Assessor collecrion, Carnegie Library for L.ocal History. •
49Boulder Daily Camera, 9 October 1975.
17
Other Commercial Undertaldngs
Kinsey Confectionery, 1155 13th Street
During the mid-1920s, the porch of 1155 13th Sueet was changed to business uses while the
reaz continued as a residence. The O.P. Kinsey confectionery is listed at the address in the
1926 City D'uectory. A photograph taken circa 1929-30 shows the porch converted to
elaborate display windows for Tazkoff's Vazsity Clothing Store. The building also housed
the College Inn restaurant (1932) and Robinson's Highland Inn (1949-54). During the
middle to late 1930s, the building may have reverted to residential uses; a Robert H.
Townley is listed at the address in the 1936 and 1938 city directories. The house was
present on the 1906 Sanbom Insurance Company map, and, during the 1910s and 1920s,
housed individuals and a number of Greek organizations, including: Si~a Nu; Alpha Sigma
Phi; and Chi Omega. The building was demolished in the 1950s to make way for new
construction (See building number 12 below) 50
Gas Station, 1301-11 Broadway
The popularity of the automobile led to the construction of many auto-related buildings in
Boulder during the 1920s, although their numbers were limited in University Hill. A one-
story commercial block was built at 1301-11 Broadway (the nortUwest corner of Broadway ~:: .;.. c,
and Pleasant Avenue) in 1925 (building number 28). The one-story concrete and brick ':_:r ~. .
building assumed a trapezoidal shape to conform to the angle formed by Broadway and -._-_ _- -
Pleasant and was set away from Pleasant to accommodate gas pumps and a canopy. The ~. -
reaz projecting wing was a later addition to the building. The 1926 city d'uectory shows
three businesses in the building: a gasoline station operated by D.K Glendenning; C.D.
Johnson's restaurant; and the Acme Shoe Shop. The Campus Service Station was a
longtime occupant, housed on the comer at 1301 Broadway from 1932 through the late
1960s or eazly 1970s. In 1938, the first photographic related business appeazed at the
address, Saunders Photo Shop. The Campus Camera Shop was housed in the building from
1943 until the early 1960s, followed by Look Pboto, which remained until the 1980s. Other
businesses with long tenures included: the Acme Shoe Shop (1926-38); the Alicia Beauty
Shop (1932-55); and the Boulder Laundry (1949-73). C~rrent occupants of the structure aze:
Color the World and three restaurants: L.a Iguana Taqueria, Tra-Ling's Oriental Cafe; and
Subway.s'
SOBoulder City Directories, 1923-55 and photographic collections, Carnegie Library for
Local History, Boulder, Colorado. The building was addressed as 1153-55 13th Street
beginning in the 1930s.
s1Boulder City Directories,1923-83; Sanbom Insurance Company maps,1922 and 1931;
and Boulder County Assessor collection, Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder,
Colorado.
~ ~~~~ .
18
University Hill Cleaners and Dyers, 1350 College Avenue
A small, one-story commercial building was built in 1927 at 1350 College Avenue (building
number 22). T'he building is labeled on the 1931 Sanbom Insurance map as a store and is
identified as University Hill Cleaners and Dyers in the 1932 City D'uectory. The building
housed a cleaning shop until the early to middle 1960s: University Hill Cleaners through the
middle 1940s, a branch of Yankee Cleaners in 1949, and Kampus HIeaners (1955-61). Since
that time, the building has been used as a trauel agency, first by University Hill Travel and
then by the James Travel Center (now James Travel Points Intemational) 52
Silver and Gold Cleaners, 1143 13th Street
; The house at 1143 13th Street received two storefront additions during the 1927-30 period
(building number 14). The original dwelling, which appears eactant as the reaz portion of
the building, was present on the 1906 Sanbom Insurance Company map. The house had a
number of occupants; I.F. Jones resided at the address in the 1923-26 period just prior to
its commercial conversion. The one-story, brick commercial addirion featured a central,
covered passageway leading to the reaz of the pazcel and was addressed as 1145-47 13th
Street. The 1932 city directory listed the Silver and Gold Cleaners, the University Hill Sboe
Shop, a U.S. Post Office stadon, and the Armstead Scenic Company as eazly tenants. The
shoe shop, Armstead, and the Post Office station remained in the building through at least
1938, when Buffalo Press was also located there. Payne's Shoe Shop was a building tenant
from 1943 through the early 1960s. Other occupants who shazed the building during the
period included the Judd Book and Record Shop (1949), the University Shop men's clothing
store (1955), and the Regiment men's clothing store (1961). From the mid-1960s through
the 19$Os, Mattson's on the Hill, a women's clothing store, was housed in the building.
Taylor's Bar and Grill is the present occupant of the building. s3
UniversiTy Hill Garage, 1030-34 13th Street
Detached from the rest of the Hill commercial area and sepazated from it by several
~ residential pazcels, was the 1926 University Hill Garage at 1030-34 13th Street (building
-. number 24). The large concrete and stone building had an arched roo£ The University Hill
Garage, which operated at the location until the late 1930s, included gazage services in the
reaz and new caz sales in front. In 1943 Gillette's Grocery and Mazket and the Public Fruit
Market shared the structure. By the mid-1950s, uses included Glen's Market, Ace Cleaners
and Dyers, and storage for Pike-Lyons Motor Company. Holubaz Mountaineering,
SZBoulder City Directories, 1926-83 and Sanbom Insurance maps, 1922 and 1931. The
College Barber Shop (addressed as 1346 College Avenue) may have also been boused in this
building through the 1940s. ~ ~
s3Boulder City D'uectories, 1913-83 and Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1906-31.
19
Community Communications cable television, and Young Quality Cleaners were housed in
the building in 1967. By the eazly 1970s, tenants included the Jabberwock book store,
Boulder Cable TV, and Boulder's B&M Quality Dry Cleaners and Industrial Laundry. The
building has contained the of6ces of the Economics Institute since the 1980s.54
The Depression Era
In April 1930, the first report of students causing damage to property on the Hill was filed
when hundreds of dollars of destruction were inflicted on fraternity and sorority houses after
student elections were held 55 The neighborhood was evolving into an area where students
' massed to voice concerns, celebrate good news, and display anger--a home away from home.
` Shine Owen, whose family operated the Owen's Sandwich Shoppe on 13th Street for twenty-
seven yeazs, recalled that during the 1930s, "the students were your friends...The Hill was
surrounded by a lot of old mansions and fraternity and sorority houses. Most of the students
stayed in them, because there weren't many dorms. When a fraternity or sorority cook
didn't show up or one of their menus wasn't very appetizing, the students would eat at our
place.'s6
By the 1930s, the residential portion of University Hill was substantially developed, and that .
in conjunction with the downturn in construction during the economic crisis, resulted in few '
new buildings being erected during the decade. During the Depression, many student~
" stayed at the university because there were no jobs available elsewhere. Federal agencies
provided relief programs which helped local citizens weather the crisis. . The universiry, '' °.
assisted by federal relief programs, managed to expand its building inventory despite
cutbacks in school 5nancing.s' Students still managed to have fun despite the economic
stringency. Varsit~ Hall above Dugout Cleaners was utilized to hold "jitney dances" to raise
money for relief.s
Nix/University Barber Shop, 1149 13th Street
~ The Hill gained a successful barber sbop when a small one-story, rectangulaz brick building
was erected between 1932 and 1935 at 1149 13th Street (building number 13). In 1936, the
54Boulder City Directories, 1926-83 and Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1922 and
1931.
ssDavis, 359.
s6Borilder Daily Camera, 9 October 1975.
S~Davis, 245.
~Davis, 362.
20
structure housed the Edward T. Nix barber shop and a branch of Berkeleys. By 1938,
William M. Bailey had joined Nix as a shoe shiner and the Wilfred Wave Studio occupied
the other half of the building. The Nix shop listed C. Sid Jones for shoe slvnes in 1943. By
1949, the entire building was filled by the University Bazber Shop, which continued
operating in the building until at least 1967. University Billiards occupied the building in
the eazly 1970s before it became a restaurant. From the early 1980s through the early
1990s, the building housed Dino's Restaurant. Mamacitas Restaurant is a relative newcomer
to the building.
Colorado Book Store, 1124-28 13th Street
' The gap in the eastem side of the 1100 block of 13th Street was filled in 1939 when the
Colorado Book Store erected its own building (number 4) at 1124-28 13th Street, between
Greenman's University Store and the University Hill Grocery Store. The one-story shop
contrasted with the two-story, brick buildings on either side. The business remained in this
location until 1964, when a new Colorado Book Store was completed at the northwest
comer of Broadway and College Avenue (See Figure 21). Both old and new locations of
the book store contained a U.S. Post Office station, which provided additional inducement
for visiting the faciliTy. Following the opening of the new building, the structure on 13th
Street housed the Gunslinger Restaurant (1967) and the Around the Comer Restaurant
(1973 through 1983). Teresa's Pizza Colore and Albums (a tape and disc store) are located -
in the building today.s9 _
1~ 19405 AND 1950S: WORLD WAR II AND AFTER
The Japanese attack on Pearl Hazbor brought America's entrance into World Waz II in
December 1941. On 12 December 1941, the Silver & Gold noted that "for the Srst time in
tbe history of convocations, the campus coldng spots on the hill were deserted" as a result
of the waz 60 During World Waz II, the university made up for the loss of students to the
armed services by hosting several military training programs. The Naval Language School
brought many students and Japanese faculty members to the university and provided a
stimulus for the local economy.
The 1940s saw no discernible new construcrion activity on the Hill. As one University Hill
business owner reminisced, "in 1944 the business district was confined pretty lazgely to the
1100 block on 13th Street and west on Penn. Ave. for 1/2 block." The businessman noted
that the merchants of the Hill during the era were very involved in promoting university
59Boulder City D'uectories, 1932-83; Boulder County Assessor collection, Carnegie
Library for L.oca1 History, Boulder, Colorado.
60Davis, 455.
21
functions, such as the 1949 homecoming celebration, when store owners erected false front
facades along 13th Street to carry out the homecoming theme, "the 49ers:'61
The 1950s
William Davis noted that there were "important developments on the Hill during the 1950s,"
including the erection of the Flatirons Theater, the conversion of an old theater building
into the Fox T'heater, and the erection of Tulagi. As the universit}~s enrollment boomed
in the postwar years the commercial district in the adjacent Hill azea experienced
concomitant growth. A number of lazge commercial buildings were constructed during the
1950s and 1960s, particularly along Broadway and College Avenue.
In February 1950, the city council approved a proposal to rezone 13th Street and College
Avenue for business purposes "over-riding the protesi of most of the property owners in the
block." Shortly thereafter, the council reversed its decisioq denying the request, and then
reversed itself a second time, approving the request for commercial zoning.62
Tulagi was the only business on the Hill which possessed a license to sell 3.2 beer in 1949,
when it was proposed that a ban be enacted against selling 3.2 beer neaz the university
grounds. The desire of Sunken Gardens to obtain a beer license stimulated the attempted
ban, but in 195Q the establishment received its permit. The council then decided to.limit ~:~::~~ -.. ;.
~;,-.,: :~ :: ,• ::,- : .,. ,
beer licenses granted near the campus to ten.~ ' ' '
~ ' . 4 , _~ ,__ e ~ ... _ ~..~ ... ~ ~_ . ' . . .
During the 1950s, the Hill wntinued to be the off-campus site for celebration among ', '_~ ~~,
university students. In 1954, CU was chosen the conference representative for the NCAA
basketball toumament. When students found out about the selection, they lined the
rooftops along 13th Street, sat on cars and porches, and created a bonfire in front of Tulagi
(See Figure 22). A policeman sent to ensure that the celebradon stayed under control was
hit with tomatoes and eggs by the revelers. As the gathering expanded, students circled the
bonfire, throwing on beer cans and bottles, and shouting "no elass tomonow." Other
students drove automobiles across yards of residences, while a snake dance stretched down ~.
Broadway.~^
Tulagi, 1129 13th Street
Tulagi, a popular drinldng establishment (building number 16), evolved from a wartime
61Boulder Daily Camera, Clipping Files, "University Hill."
bzSmith, goulder from Settlement to City, 187.
~Ibid.
64Davis, 614-615.
22
business Imown as the Anchorage Tavem.~ The name Tulagi came from a World Waz
II PaciSc island campaign. Some observers believed that beer consumption at Tulagi and
the Sunken Gazdens outdistanced any other place in the country. In 1950, the nightclub was
briefly housed in the former quarters of the Anchorage at 1135 13th Street, a building wluch
later became the Fox Theater. In 1951, Rex Bailey and Ray Imel, owners of Tulagi, built
the structure at 1129 13th Street (See Figure 23). The two-story structure had a native
flagstone and glass block facade, an entrance under an angled metal canopy, and
cinderblock side walls. The interior, with a seating capacity of 250 couples, featured a bar
and ballroom on the main floor and another lazge room on the upper floor. During the
Rock'n'Roll era, Tulagi hosted some of the best l~own musical groups in the country.
During the 1970s, Tulagi became a disco ~
The Flatirons Theatre, 1089 13th Street
The Flatirons Theatre was built at 1089 13th Street in 1950 (building number 20). William
Hammer was the contractor for the project. According to Laurence T. Paddock, the first
private residence on University Hill, the Amelia Perry home (1891), was razed to build the
theater at the southwest comer of 13th Street and College Avenue. The 950-seat theater
was a rectangulaz brick structure, with a rounded northeast comer and a facade featuring
a sandstone center and glass block panels with concrete trim. The entry was inset at an
angle and was topped with an angled marquee. Eazly theater operator Claude Graves
retumed to Boulder to manage the new theater. He and his partner, Wilbur Williams, were
involved with the facility until they sold all of their movie holdings in 1966. The Flatirons
continues to operate today. Two small shops, Jack's Haircuts and Rituals Body Piercing,
also share the building.b~
Sigma Alpha Epsilon/Campus Club, 1205 13th Street
The lazge, two-and-a-half story brick building at 1205 13th Street received one-story
commercial additions during the early 1950s (building number 32). The Sigma Alpha
Epsilon fraternity constructed the building about 1906 and occupied it until at least 1926.
After remaining vacant during the 1930s, the building housed the Campus Club (1949). The
• 1955 city directory showed Heflin Jewelers, dentist Duane Botts, and the Boulder Optical
Company located at the address. Dr. Botts maintained his office in the building until the
mid-1970s, while Boulder Oprical remained there until at least 1967. Present occupants
include Pat Patterson gold and sIlversmith, Stellar Clothing, John's Cleaners and Laundry,
~Davis, 553.
~Boulder Daily Camera, 26 March 1951 and 9 October 1975.
67Boulder Daily Camera, 2 January 1980; Boulder theater chronology, University of
Colorado, Norlin Library, Westem Historical Collections; and clippings collecdon, Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder Colorado.
23
and the Aion Bookshop (at 1235 Pennsylvania Avenue) ~
Belser House/McDowell Studios, 1107 13th Street
T1~e Belser house (See Figure 25), still extant belrind storefront additions, prominently
appeared in 1890s views of the area and was one of the eazlier residences built on
University Hill. Cazl W. and Susie Belser built the home about 1895. Belser, a graduate
of University of Michigan, was Professor of Latin at the University of Colorado for five
years until 1ris death of consumption in 1898. The house is now the Oaks Apartments,
addressed as 1225 College Avenue 69
The house (buIlding number 19) received shopfront additions along 13th Street in the late
`~~ 1940s or eazly 1950s. The one-story storefronts feature different facade cladding, now
painted a uniform white. Commercial listings appeaz in the 1949 city directory for
McDowell Studios pbotography and Lester Showalter, a contractor, at 1107 and 1109 13th
Street, respectively. The storefronts saw a number of tenants throughout the 1950s and
1960s. The comer unit (number 1101) was occupied by the Fish Bowl in 1955, followed by
the Comer Kitchen (1961), Mr. Shoe Box Shoes (1967 tl~rough 1973), and Pacific
Actionweaz (1983). Espresso Roma is now housed at that address. McDowell Studios
remained at number 1107 until the mid-1960s, when Mason Owens Photography became a
tenant. Two shoe stores (Goody Two Shoes in 1973 and the Fifth Avenue West shoe shop
in 1983) were subsequent tenants. The City of Boulder University Hill Services office now
occupies the storefront. The third unit (number 1109 or llll) was identified in the 1955
city directory as the Hillside Variery Store, wtrich remained at the address until the late ~
1960s, after which the Hillside Gift Shop (1973) and Hillside Shop Ltd. (1983) appeazed.
Josh and John's Ice Cream presently occupies the unit70
Kinsley and Company, 1155 13th Street
Kinsley and Company, a men's clothing outlet, erected a new store at 1155 13th Street in
.: the 1956-57 period (building number 12). An old house which had been converted to
business use (see above) was demolisbed to make way for the new store. The Kinsley store,
constructed in brick in a Tudor-influenced style, is set back from the street and contrasts
with other buildings along the block. A plaque on the building suggests that the company
traces its origins to the University Shop established in 1949. The business now includes part
of the Somers building to the north, with storefronts redone in a similar style to the main
~Sanbom Insurance Company maps, 1906-31 and Boulder City D'uectories, 1913-83.
69Mary McRoberts, Genealogical Abstracts from the Boulder Daily Camera, 1891-1900
(Boulder, Colorado: by the author, 1985), 34. ~
70Sanbom Insurance Company map, 1931 and Boulder City Directories, 1943-83.
_ =., --
~ „~~~° _:e
24
~part of the store.n
University Hill Plaza, 1313 Broadway
The first of several commercial projects along Broadway occurred in 1958, when a small,
"L"-shaped shopping center (See Figure 2~) was constructed at 1313 Broadway (building
number 27). The anchor tenant of the center was Anderson Drugs, at the two-story,
southeastera end of the structure. Other businesses in the development in 1961 included
One Hour M'n;Tng Cleaners, Myrt1e's Beauty Salon, Al's Bazber Shop, Sam's Fine Foods
Restaurant, Doozy Duds laundromat, and three life insurance companies (Northwestem
~ Mutual Life, Massachusetts Mutual Life, and New England Mutual Life). Craig's Service
Station was located in a detached building at the comer of Broadway and University. The
center, currently l~own as University Hill Plaza, has been considerably altered since its
original construction. A second story has been added to the remainder of the center and
the entire complex has been stuccoed. Bova's Pantry and Deli now occupies the site of
Anderson's Drugs. Other present-day occupants include: Brandon's Cafe, Pita-ria, Class
Notes, Crazy Horse Hair Salon, Doozy Duds, and various professional offices.'~
Scots, Ltd., 1119 13th Street
The one-story commercial building at 1119 13th Street was built about 1958. The building
has a wood-shingled mansard overhang, an inset entrance, and brick walls with lazge plate
glass windows. 'The original tenant was Scot's Ltd., a womens clothing store, which
continued at the address into the 1980s. The Boulder Boardwalk, a video arcade, presently
occupies the structure.'~
Miller House/Universiry Record Shop, 1320-26 College Avenue
Tl~e dwelling at 1320 College Avenue apparendy received a storefront addition in the late
1950s (building number 30). The original house, which remains attached at the rear, was
built between 1911 and 1917 and was occupied by George D. Miller from the late 1940s
71Boulder City D'uectories, 1955 and 1961 and photographic collections, Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado. The Assessor's yeaz of construction of 1954
is contradicted by other evidence.
nBoulder City D'uectories, 1961 and photograplric collection, University of Colorado,
Norlin Library, Westem Historical Collections. The origin of the present Quicldes building,
a detached building in the open azea of the center, was not ascertained; it does not seem
to be present in early photographs of the shopping center. '
~Boulder City D'uectories, 1955-83.
25
until the time of its conversion.74 The 1961 city directory showed a lazge number of shops
in the building: Aber's University Record Shop, the Pink poodle Yarn Shop, the Uppowoc
pipe Shop, C~stom Photographers, We Polaz Beaz Bar restaurant, and the Boulder Travel
Agency. By 1967, the University Record Shop, Clancy's Book Shop, Arlene's Window Shop
women's appazel, and the Whatchamacallit novelty shop were housed in the building.
Tenants of the eazly 1970s included the Brillig Works book store, Budget Tapes and
Records, American Horse leather goods, and an Orange Julius outlet. The Brillig Works
books tore and Pacific Shore for Gals clothing were the only shops listed in 1983. Today,
the building continues to house the Brillig Works Cafe and Bakery, as well as the Boulder
Bistro and Abo's Pizza.
THE 19605: THE HIPPIE INVASION AND NEW CONSTRUCTION
During the 1960s, inadequate facilities at the university forced it to continue its traditional
pattern of utilizing buildings in the Hill commercial disuict for classes. The Flatiron
Theater housed large classes such as freshman Biology, where hundreds of students seated
in tbe auditorium were taught by professors using the theater stage and the motion picture
screen.75 The Hill received a signifiicant amount of new retail and office space as six new
buildings were erected, mostly on the southem and eastem periphery, along College Avenue
and Broadway (See Figure 26). "
By the late 1960s, student concem was focused on such national issues as the Vietnam Waz
and the Civil Rights movement. Formerly popular extracumculaz activities such as
homecoming pazades and Greek letter societies held little interest among students during
the decade, as political affiliation and actions affecting the problems of society became
increasingly significant to students. The Hill's tradirional association with student activides
such as pazades and pep rallies dwindled. Students demanded changes in the structure of
their academic lives and protested American foreign and domestic policy, with most
confrontations, threau, teach-ins, and mass meetings taldng place on the university
campus.~b ,
In the late 1960s, as students were increasingly preoccupied with national events, hippiesn
74Boulder City Directories, 1926-83.
~SJudith Broeker, Boulder, Colo., Telephone Interview, 31 October 1994.
76Frederick S. Allen, Mark S. Foster, Emest Andrade, Jr., Philip I. Mitterling, and H.
Lee Scamehorn, The University of Colorado, 1876-1976 (New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc., 1976), 233-239.
•~Merriam Webster defines trippie as "a usually young person who rejects established
mores, advocates nonviolence, and often uses psychedelic drugs or marijuana."
26
(the then populaz term often used in Boulder to refer to a street person or transient) began
to find the Hill an attractive place to congregate. Merchants felt that the growing number
of street people had a negative effect on their businesses, citing an increase in loitering,
panhandling, and vandalism in the azea Hippie leaders attempted to allay the concerns of
business owners by creating a job cooperative which provided short term jobs for those who
otherwise resorted to panhandling. Others organized hippies to sweep sidewalks in front
of Hill stores to rid the azea of the trash wluch seemed to accumulate where the young
people gathered. University Hill merchants worried that the growing numbers of hippies
loitering on the Hill brought with them increases in "crime, dope, and disease." In response
to these concerns, the city assigned a policeman to patrol the azea on foot in order to
enforce city ordinances and passed new ordinances to control the problems.~
Security Bank of Boulder, 1135 Broadway
The Security Bank of Boulder was erected at 1135 Broadway in 1960 (building number 10).
The two-story stucco and concrete structure had a stepped design and featured ground level
pazldng under the second story of the building. Two lazge residences at 1135 and 1143
Broadway were razed to permit construction of the bank. By 1973, the University of
Colorado was using the building for its Earth Science Educadon Program. C~rrent tenant
Art Hardware, a large artist and drafting supplies concern, had occupied the building by
1983'~ - -
1121 Broadway
'The music of the Rondels and a prize drawing marked the September 1963 grand opening
of 1121 Broadway (building number 8). Tl~e two-story glass, brick, and stucco retail and
office building featured a wide, overhanging eave. An advertisement for the building
highlighted the original occupants: Boulder Travel; Arapahoe Sports; Howard's Shoes; and
the Plush Clie. Like many Hill businesses, the first three tenants were branches of firms
with other (principally downtown) locations. The Plush C~e was a billiazd pazlor operated
by Phil and Gloria Weiss that encouraged women to participate in the game.80
Jones Drug and Camera, 1352-70 College
The 1961 construction of Jones Drug and Camera (building number 23) at 1352-70 College
Avenue was the first of three major commercial projects occurring along College Avenue
between Broadway and 13th Street during the first half of the 1960s. Jones Drug, at the
~Boulder Daily Camera, 20 June 1969.
79Boulder City Directories, 1961-83 and photograplric collection, Camegie Library for
Local History. •
80Colorado Daily, 20 September 1963, 16.
27
northeast comer of the building, was the principal~ tenant of the structure. Smaller store
spaces existed west on College and south on 14th Street. The building also housed Altman's
on the Hill (a women's clothing shop), Gaylord's on the Hill restaurant, the Best Beauty
Shop, and the Silver and Gold Barber Shop. A single family residence at 1091 14th Sueet
was previously located on the site. Jones Drug and Silver and Gold Bazber Stylist aze still
housed in the building; other current tenants include the Pipefitter on College Avenue and
Young's Place and Falafel King facing 14th Street. The building, wlrich originally featured
walls of layered sandstone, now has been stucwed and sports post-modem gables with round
vents 81
Colorado Book Store, 1111 Broadway
The new home of the Colorado Book Store was constructed at 1111 Broadway in 1964
(building number 7). The Beta Theta Pi fraternity house, an impressive stone building
erected in 1930, was razed to construct the bookstore. The northwest comer of Broadway
and College was the third locarion on tbe Hill for the Colorado Book Store. Originally
housed at 1215 '13th Street beo nning in 1931, the bookstore moved to its own building 2t
1124-28 13th Street in 1939. The 1964 Colorado Book Store was a two-story, rectangular
cinderblock building with wall pilasters and widely overhanging concrete roof. The building
was located at a major pedestrian access point between the university campus and the Hill
commercial district. The book store, with textbooks, other reading matter, and supplies was .::: ,... :. ,
. responsible for luring many students to the Hill. ~ The Colorado Book Store was part of a
company that owned college-oriented book stores in Columbia, Missouri, and Berkeley,
California.82
Hilltop Building, 1310 College Avenue
The yeaz 1965 saw the complerion of the Hilltop Building, an enclosed mini-mall, at 1310
College (building number 21), at the southeast comer of College Avenue and 13th Street.
Two single family residences had eazlier occupied the site. The lazge, rectangulaz building
had a flat roof and stone faced foundation, and an inset entrance facing College. The upper
level and a raised gazden level featured plate glass and stucco walls. During the 1970s, the
Hilltop Building was a populaz hangout for hippies. Today, a lazge number of student-
oriented businesses are housed in the building: McDonalds Food Court; the College Comer
clothing; CD Wazehouse; Kaplan Test Preps; Quinn's Billiazds; College Optical; and
Bernie's Bagels.
81Boulder City D'uectories, 1961 and 1967.
$ZBoulder City D'uectories, 1926, 1932, and 1967; Boulder County Assessor collection,
Eamegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado; and Henry V. Ellwood, Jr., personal
communication, Boulder, Colorado, 31 October 1994.
;- ~:
28
The Regiment, Ltd., 1121 13th Street
The one story commercial buIlding at 1121 13th Street was erected in 1965 (building number
17) and displays framed projecting gabies, red tile roofing, large windows, and brick wall
cladding. The Regiment Ltd., men's apparel store, was apparently the original occupant of
the building and remained at the address into the 1980s. Buff Stuf~ a gift store specializing
in products with a University of Colorado theme, is the present tenant ~
Boulder Mountaineer, 1335 Broadway
The only building erected during the late 1960s on the Hill was the Boulder Mountaineer
at 1335 Broadway (building number 25). The structure was located in the open area of
University Hill Plaza on a site originally occupied by a service station. The business
specializes in mountaineering and outdoor equipment.
THE 1970S: LTNREST ANA REVITALIZATION
Problems with hippies continued to plague the commercial district in the early 1970s, as
large numbers of street people loitered there and fewer students and townspeople shopped
in the azea. Some reports asserted that the hippies actually controlled the Hill during this
period and that the merchants could do litde to stop them from flaunting their unorthodox
lifestyle. In 1971, a police substation was established in the Hilltop Building at 1310 College
to assist in efforts to regulate activities in the azea and enforce local ordinances. .
In response to the efforts of inerchants to alter the atmosphere of the business azea, street
people initiated two nights of riots, resulting in $50,000 damage to the business district (See
Figure 27). On 22 and 23 May, as many as 250 people, which the Daily Camera described
as '~oung longhairs" and members of the "cit}~s more or less permanent freak community"
rioted, looting and smaslung windows and damaging buildings and cazs in the commercial
azea. Few students were believed to be involved in the destruction. Apparently the street
people felt that certain businesses were taking advantage of them by chaz~ng excessively
high prices and discouraging tbeir business. 'The group was also angry about the lazge
numbers of arrests made on the Hill by patrolling police assigned there. The transients
reportedly wanted to eliminate the heavy police presence in the area and mai.ntain their
control of the Hill. Most of the destruction was centered on College Avenue between 13th
and Broadway, with Jones Drug and Camera Center and the Colorado Book Store
sustaining the most damage. Police utilized tear gas to gain conuol of the situation and
arrested forty people, while street people armed themselves with clubs and Molotov
83Boulder CiTy Directories, 1961-83.
29
cocktails and threw rocks at passing cazs (See Figure 28) ~'
Problems with transients continued to trouble business owners for several yeazs.~ No
buildings were constructed on the Hill during the 1970s, reflecting the reluctance of
investors following the civil unrest experienced in the azea during the late 1960s and eazly
1970s. Merchants struggled to make the azea appealing to townspeople and the student
population once again. The Ellwood Building at 1211-15 13th Street was renovated in the
mid-1970s using plans developed by Boulder azchitect Charles A Haertling. Apartments
were added to the upper story and a plaza with a curving wall constructed in front. A Circle
K-convenience store and covered gas pump island was constructed at 1275 13th Street in
1987 (building number 29). Gruen's F.aocon service station was razed in order to construct
the new building. The site was previously occupied by a dwelling wluch housed a sorority
and the University Women's Club.
By 1975, the transient popularion was essentially gone from the Hill and townspeople and
students were returning to the area to shop. Merchants in the azea reorganized the
University Hill Association and sought to revitalize the district by sponsoring special events
such as pep rallies and Octoberfests, expanding parldng, and refurbishing storefronts (See
Figures 29 and 30).~ One concept favored by merchants was to model the azea after
Larimer Square in Denver. The commercial district progressively cast off the shadow of its
hippie days and once again became a flourishing neighborhood resource and a social and'- -:. `
commercial center for university students. ,
84Boulder Daily Camera, 2A May 1971, 26 May 1971 and 27 May 1971.
~Boulder Daily Camera, il September 1973.
~Boulder Daily Camera, 15 August 1975.
30
III. HISTORIC COMNIERCIAL DISTRICT ASSESSMENi'
An area with potential for designation as a City of Boulder Landmazk District exists within
the University Hill business district, encompassing the commercial azea's lustoric
development along 13th Street and including the eazliest commercial building erected on
University Hill at 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, the most intact commercial buildings within
the area along the eastem side of the 1100 block of 13th Street, and the individually
significant building at 1211-15 13th Street. Within the district aze twenty-one buildings, of
wtuch seventeen (81 percent) aze evaluated as contributing structures and four aze evaluated
as noncontributing buildings (See Map). The period of significance for the district is 1906
to 1954, reflecting its historical period of development and allowing buildings forty yeazs of
age or older to be included. The period was extended to 1954 in order to include two
buildings which have had a significant influence on the history of the Hill, Tulagi and the
Flatirons Theater. The table which follows contains a listing of all commercial buildings
within the study area, identified by number, address, contributing status, and date of
constsuction.
In terms of National Register potential, although the commercial area contributes to the
greater potential University Hill historic district, when viewed as a sepazate element, the
area does not display the historic integrity necessary for National Register designation. This
is due to the substantial alteration of some buildings and the construction of newer buildings
which fall outside the general the 5fty yeaz limit for National Register properties.
CITY OF BOULDER SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA
Historical Sign'ificance
1. Association with Historical Persons or Events: The commercial district is significant for
its association with Alfred A. Greenman, William L. Beach, and Henry Ellwood, three
prominent Boulder businessmen who guided the development of the area and operated
businesses in the district.
2. Distinction in tbe Development of the Community of Boulder: The district is significant
and has value as part of the development of Boulder's University Hill neighborhood,
representing the early twentieth century development of the streetcar suburb in which many
of the needs of the residential area were met by the creation of neighborhood businesses.
The district is also uniquely significant for its relationship to the university and its students,
as the businesses which were established provided necessities for students such as books,
foodx and entertainment, as well as classroom space when university facilities proved
inadequate. The symbiotic relationship between the commercial area and the university is
unique within Boulder.
31
3. Recognition by Authorities: Historic Boulder, Inc., is currently studying the significance
of the University Hill commercial district. Specific buildings in the district have been
discussed in newspaper articles authored by I,aurence Paddock (see for example: Boulder
Daily Camera, 2 January 1980). Several buildings withi.n the commercial district have been
documented as a result of projects conducted by the City of Boulder Planning Office and
the Colorado Historical Society. The district was included within the boundaries of the
potential National Register of Historic Places district ident'~f'ied in the lazger University Hill
neighborhood in 1992. '
4. Date of Construction: The district contains commercial buildings which were built during
the period 1906 to 1954, and incorporates some of the early lustoric homes in University
Hill which were converted to commercial structures, principally during the 1920s.
Architectural Significance
1. Arclutectural Identity: The contributing buildings of University Hill historic commercial
district display common characteristics sucb as brick construction; a height of one to two
stories; large display windows, often with clerestory windows and ]dckplates; recessed
entrances; and decorative cornices. The massive Murphy Building at 1211-15 13th Street
is exceptional both for iu size and its design, which includes a complex roofline, eyebrow
dormer, azched entrances, and stone trim. One of the singulaz chazacterisdcs`afthe district ~
is the conversion of some lustoric homes into commercial structures through facade
additions. The district is also signi~icant for encompassing two buildings wluch feature
University of Coiorado style stone masonry as adapted to commercial buildings in Boulder.
2. Recognized Period(s)/Style(s): The buildings of the district display elements popular
during the early twendeth century for small commercial structures and in design aze typical
of the Twentieth Century Commercial style defined by the Colorado Historical Society's ,
Guide to Colorado Architectwe: one to five story buildings with flat roofs constructed of
brick with decorative brickwork along the coivice. The buildings on the eastem side of the
block aze more highly omamented and retain more elements related to Nineteenth Century
Commercial style, witb bracketed metal cornices, pilasters, stone trim, and decorative
window elements.
6. Indigenous Qualities: Two buildings within the district, 'Ililagi and the Flatirons 'Theater,
display the stonework associated with buildings designed by Chazles Klauder on the CU
campus, reflecting elements of what is often called the "University of Colorado style."
Environmental Significance
3. Geograpluc Importance: The University Hill business dis'trict, widely Imown as "the Hill",
is sigruficant as a recognized and familiaz location within the city to current residents and
32
thousands of former university students. The commercial district is a unique geograpluc
azea, due to its configuration on the Hill, its compactness, the non-rectilineaz blocks caused
by the angled alignment of Broadway, and its proximity and ties to the University of
Colorado campus.
:i>
~ UNIVERSITY AVE. ~
RL ~ 25 ~~~^ ~• .~ ~ ~
- i J .\
~ \ 12~.~ ~ y>+~'~:~,_:, \--
... ~ r
29
~-~ P.~NN _ANIAAV~. '" ~,~'rrl ~
s1
i ._~.
~~~~
- .
Q ~~_
.
.
f 1
~
~-~L~
~~
' 7 -,
18
~
2T
UNIVERSITY N1LL SKETCN PLAN
- UNIVERSITY NILL GENERAI IMPROYEMENi DISTRI(T
ReOenaA' -~wr~db: ~
S H A P I N S ASSOCIA7'°S C(TY OF BDULDEX p• ~~
-vEBC warla D~vuom~a
h A.uocyrion win~
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~~
"~
/
~%
~
'~
~
MC ~
,
}
,' ~
`
~
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NoM
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U GnpN~
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~ _ ! ~` r Noncontributing
i
tt
`-`~_ 24 'c-~'~. ~ i
~ ~
~ ~' _ ~ ~ -- ai
~ ~ ` -. o~.-.. . ~~~ ~ ~ ~ , .:., _, u
33
TABLE
COMMERCIAL RESOURCES OF UNIVERSITY HILL, 1994
Building
Number
Street Address
Present Name Year
Built Dist.
Status
1 1301 Pennsylvania Buchanan's Coffee Pub 1906-08 C
2 1138-44 13th Roach Galleries 1923 C
3 1134 13th Stella's College Market 1911 C
4 1124-28 13th Teresa's Pizza Colore 1939 C
5 1118 13th Jacque Michelle Apparel 1911 C
and Home Decor
6 1100 13th Dairy Queen 1927-35 C
7 1111 Broadway Colorado Book Store 1964 OD
8 . 1121 Broadway Michael's Cafe 1963 OD
9 1127 Broadway Swayne Apartments 1900 OD
10 1135-43 Broadway Art Hardware 1960 OD
11 1165 13th The Sink 1900 C
12 1155 13th Kinsley and Company 1956-57 NC
13 1149 13th Mamacitas 1932-35 C
14 1143 13th Taylor's Bar and Grill 1900-05 C ~
~.. ~:p ~. , i~:i J_~?i~.~.
.
~
- - ~
- ;r: r • , ~~: ~ C.T1~.1 ~ ~`~ -~ '
' _ -. r,;
.. . . _.. .~.... !. ~'t
'~.{ ~
I
~
~.;~ TABLE (Con~t.)
` COMMERCIAL RESOURCES OF UNIVERSITY HILL, 1994
Building Year
Number Street Address Present Name Built
15 1135 13th Fox Theatre 1926
16 1129 13th Tulagi 1951
~ 17 1121 13th Buff Stuff 1965
18 1119 13th Boulder Boardwalk 1958
19 1101-11 13th Espresso Roma 1895
20 1089 13th Flatirons Theatre 1950
21 1310 College Hilltop Building 1965
22 1350 College James Travel Points Intl. 1927
23 1352-70 College Jones Drug and Camera
• 1961
24 1030 13th Economics Institute 1926
25 1335 Broadway Boulder Mountaineer 1968
26 1110-12 13th Bill Cronin Goldsmith 1919-21
27 1313 Broadway University Hi11 Plaza 1958
Zg 1303-1i Broadway La Iguana Taqueria 1925
Dist.
status
NC
C
NC
NC
C
C
OD
OD
OD ~
OD
OD
C
OD
OD
34
35
TABLE (Con't.)
COMMERCIAL RESOURCES OF UNIVERSITY HILL, 1994
Building Year Dist.
Number Street Address Present Name Built Status
29 1275 13th Circle K 1987 OD
30 1320-26 College Brillig Works 1911-17 OD
31 1211-15 13th Murphy/Ellwood Building 1912 C
32 1203-05 13th Patterson Gold and Silversmith 1906 C
33 1221 Pennsylvania Morgul Bismark 1900-05 C
~ 34 1116 13th Bolo Bagels 1913 C
NOTES: Dist. Status--Indi cates the contributing status for resources within the potential
historic district, C-contributing, NC-Noncontributing, and OD-outside the boundary
of the district.
Year Built--Indicates actual or estimated date of construction. For wrapped
houses, the date s hown is that of the original house.
36
Allen, Frederick S., Mark S. Foster, Emest Andrade, Jr., Philip I. Mitterling, and H. Lee
Scamehorn. The University of Colorado, 1876-1976. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc., 1976.
Boulder City Directories, 1892-1983.
Boulder County Clerk and Recorder. Plats of Additions to the City of Boulder.
" Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. Clipping Files.
Camegie Branch Library for Local History. Boulder, Colo. Boulder County Assessor files.
Subject Clipping Files.
. Photographic Collection.
Davis, William E. Glory, Colorado: History of _the University ;of Colorado to 1963.
Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Press, 1965. _ . ~
, _ `'x. ,
Deno, William R. Body & Soul: Arclutectural Style at the University of Colorado at ~-'
Boulder. Boulder, Colo.: University of Colorado Publications Service, 1994.
Ellwood, Henry V., Jr. Personal communication, Boulder, Colorado, 31 October 1994.
Gladden, Sandford H. The Early Days of Boulder, Colorado. Boulder, Colo.: Sanford
Gladden, 1982.
L' .:
McLeod, Warren H. Collection. University of Colorado Westem Historical Collections.
Boulder, Colo.
McRoberts, Mary. Genealogical Abstracts from the Boulder Daily Camera, 1891-1900.
Boulder, Colo.: Mary McRoberts, 1985.
Pearce, Sarah J. and Wilson, Merrill A. A Guide to Colorado Architecture. Denver: State
Historical Society of Colorado, 1983.
Repplier, F.O. As A Town Grows. Boulder, Colo.: School District No. 3, 1959.
Sanborn Insurance Company. "Boulder, Colorado." Fue insurance rating maps, 1906-31.
37
Schoolland, John B. Boulder Then and Now. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Press, 1979.
Sewall, Jane. Jane, Dear Child. Boulder, Colo.: University of Colorado Press, 1957.
Smith, Phyllis. A Look At Boulder Fmm Settlement to City. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett
Publishing Co, 1981.
. A History of Boulder's 1Yansportation, 1858-1984. Boulder, Colo.: City of
Boulder Transportation Division, 1984.
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'. ir ~
w' 1. Cottage No. 2, erected in 1884, is only major development visible in tlus photograph of
the junction of Broadway and 14th Street: Source: Schoolland. '
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3,
2. Fulton Tenace, erected in the early _1890s;'was one of the landmazks of the Hill for
many years. The site at 13th and Pennsylvania is now a parking lot. Source: Carnegie
Branch Library for I.ocal History, 207-3-11. .~ _
. ~ ~ , .
~' >
~ . _ . -.r' ...'=:~~4,~~xr~C,?-+sy b~~'..
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3. This view of the university campus from Loyer's Hill (Sunset Heights) taken in 1892
illustrates the area's isolation from the rest of the city. Source: Davis, Glory ('n~orado, 80.
';~~ ;~a:i'',;
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Camegie Branch Library for Local History, phq~o~aplric collection
,
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5. Boulder's first streetcar line ran through the University Hill neighborhood and stimulated
its development. Source: Camegie Branch Library for Loca1 History, BHS MPC 101 Box
9. Env. 29.
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si~~l:
~1' ~ KS `
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6. J.B. Sturtevant photographed Streetcaz No. 203 and its riders when it stopped at the
comer of College and 13th Street in June 1899. Source: M.R. Parsons Collection.
.
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7. ~,,,~;'' ~y _..~. ''- .•';,'~,,~~~~l`+`~;+'~'tfi;~•• .~.4'_ _ ,
y /~ ~,$~ t •L ~.
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7. Broadway with 14th Street in the foreground at University Hill about 1895. Source:
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, photographic collection.
.~'
~ :r~~:
.c ~..~.+x'Vi,Y,rL.:~__~~.~.:"~iYr`~'t,~+w,...v-. -:-..`. .it
8. Residential development of the Hill was well under way by the tum of the century.
Source: University of Colorado, Westem IIistorical Collections, Sturtevant Photograph, No.
XX410. , '
~_
;.
.: :~`~
: ,»
~~,:., ,~
~ 9. This a 1905-10 view provides a view of the Universiry Hill area from the west Source: ~
University of Colorado, Western Historical Collections, Negative No. Paddock 240.
10. A 1913 winter scene on the Hill taken by Professor Brackett from Old Main towazd the
southwest. Source: University of Colorado, Western Historical Collections, Negative No.
4608.
Sustaining the Beaury and Vitaliry of
Charleston for All Its Citizens
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .~oreph P. Rilry
This moming I will talk for
a while abnuc Chadescon. As
you know, Chadeston is a very
old American ciry; i[ was
built before the a~tomobile and
the elevators. And people like
you had the courage in the
eady 20th cenmry to save
Charleston's built rnvironment
[hat the mdustnal revolution
hadn't destroyed, because we
didn't have any economic
activiry after the Civil War.
Your work gave the fumre gen-
eration the remarkable beauty
and human scale of Charlesron.
Buc Charleston is not a theme
park, i~ is not a movie ser, and it
was filled wi[h all the opporm-
nities to make mistakes.
The main ching is to keep
the bad things from happen-
mg. In the 1950s the ciry
demolished the beautiful his-
toric Chadescon Hotel where
the National Democratic Con-
vention of 1860 met. It was
demolished because commu•
nity leaders knew that to be a
great city you needed a drive-
in motel. Every great ciry had
to have a drive-in motel.
Thankfully the ugly motel is
not chere any longer either.
Affordable Housing
Dut what we have t~ied to do
is not co make mistakes.
When work started m poor
sec[ions of our communiry in
[he 1950s and'60s, affordablc
housing was as ugly as sin,
usually with a cyclone fence
around it so you would know
it wasn't very safe, and you
wouldn't want to live there
anyway. We were decermined
ro budd beautiful affordable
housing. There is no excusc
to ever allow anythmg to be
built in our communities thac
isn'[ beautiful. If it doesn't add
to the beauty of the commu-
nity, it shouiddt be budt.
Years ago, when we got a
grant for a new public housing
project, I said to the housing
director, no, we aren i going m
do any more "projects." They
don'[ work. They ignore all
the accumulared lessons of
Western civilization. They
ignore human feelings and
neighborhood scale. We are
not going to build these brick
monoliths anymore. We are
going to scatrer affordable
6ousing throughouc the neigh-
borhoods. Well, the housing
department reluctandy agreed.
So then we debaced about
where to put them. We hired
architects, they came up with
designs, they were ugly as sin.
We fired them, we got some
other architecrs co do it.
What we finally built
didn't cost any more [han
the ugly stuff. We scattered
it in the neighborh~wds; it
IoukeJ like it belunged there.
People who lived there had
very nice homes.
When these opened, I
was at a party, and a server
came up to me and said,
"Mayor Rdey, l wanc to chank
yuu. Because on Monday 1'm
moving into 7 Marion Street,
and it'.s so beautiful." And 1
thought chen, the word "beaw
tiful" is not usually applied to
public housing. Yet we must
have a commitment ro make
everything beautiful.
One new affordable
apartment building was in a
neighborhood that was kind of
mn down. Market-rate hous-
ing siwn followed, around the
wmer more housing went in.
One building, good urban
design, very poor people, well
managed-it became a cata-
lyst for the resroration of the
entire neighborhood.
We workcd hard to keep
the bulldozers out of our poorer
neigh6orhoods. Every time we
let something come down, we
are forever taking away a
memory. Communities need
memoties. People need memo-
ries. And so we worked harcl [o
keep the bulldozers out. -t cas[
money and it wasdt easy.
In the regeneration of
our cities we want to make
sure that we have places that
are affordable. And as we
succeed in restoring our com-
munities, we don't wanc to
fose the diversiry. When we
make our cities more beauti-
ful, we want ro make sure that
people of all backgrounds and
incomes have a chance to
enjoy them.
Ofcen people say,'7t's just
housing for poor people, for
crying out loud." We said,
"No, we are going ro make it
° ~
,:T~«~pw;antlmodmaro-
'. i7ttonu bousing ir ftaaertd
~ ~=tl'roughoat Charkrton
s^~n'~/ tix daign and rrale
~ .~._.. _
~:~r'is~Dirt rhr.runounding
^:~GteilCingt. Pboto counery
~<__.,
`'~oyf `FhE City of Charlerron.
~~.?:; ,.
PORUM IOUNNAL WINTE•R•2•00.5.........~..~...~....~...~...~........~~..~....~....~..,
Thr human
Charletton i romi
buildingt, d
Jidewa[kf. ~
ureet-levtlw
make tht
vrritorr ana
Pharo
r{rr Ciry of (
beautiful, as beauciful as we
make anything in our city."
Comers are critical
because they can become a
vims. A vacant mmer causes
the virus to spread. Once you
lose che comer, you lose the
entire block forever.
Main Streets
The greatest and hardest
challenge is to maintain our
main streets, our public cen-
ter. We need to remember
what we keep fighting foc It
is the buildings, the tax base
and the jobs to be sure, but
the public realm is what every
culmre needs. lt is what mwns
and cities need; a public cen-
ter, a democratic place where
the richest, the poorest, peo-
ple of all backgrounds and
colors can come and renew
[heir citizenship. When cities
are res[ored, when they are
healchy, when they are acnve,
when there is eye contact,
therc is a civihzauon. Webe
got to be very careEul that we
don't give up to the private
realm. Otherwise we lose
what we share togerher. That
is why the ces~orauun uf our
main strce[s is so important.
Our downtown was very
difficult. It was dcad. It was
gone. We did it by thc num-
bers. Our planning stud~es
showed what the buildmgs
used to be like. We put some
money in and woulcin't let
them mar down buildings. We
restored our buildings, apart-
ments, and shops. We were
making some go~3 progres+.
But you know, the down-
town is an ecosysrem. There
are lots of umntended conse-
quences of well-meaning
actions. We've got ro know
exactly what we are domg. If
the downtown isn't doing too
well, we say, let's get a develop-
er ro do something. We've got
to be sure and underscand the
reverberations uf our actions.
People should not walk
past vacant lots or harsh build-
ings or blank walls in an urban
se[ting. Cines nezd lors of peo-
ple on the streets. We had to
add critical mass. We had to
respect the scale of the budd-
F O R U M J O U R N A L
mgs. For one project, we
moved the street back six feet,
acquired storefron[s, and got a
horel cunference cen[er and
retad. We changed the space
m hrmg acuviry [o che street.
From the street you can see
what is going on in chc budd-
mgs, and the people inside can
look ouc on the stree[.
When [he plans for that
new hotel/conference center
tn our duwntown called for a
blank wall on the side, I asked
if they could put in some real
srorefronts. The response was
that the sidewalk was ta~ nar-
row. And 1 sa~d, widen the
sidewalks. Then they said the
street would become too nar-
row. And I said give me two
smaller lanes. They said that
woulddt work. Why? Because
if there is a beer delivcry truck
illegally parked, then the Grey-
hound bus that uses that street
wouldn't be able ro pass ic So I
said, what if we don't let the
beer truck park illegally?
Sa now we've go some
real storefronts, and wider
sidewalks. And we have some
street vees. When it's the
mother holding the child's
hand walking down the side-
walk in a safe and attractivc
zone, celebrating the owner-
ship of the public realm-
that's what is really important.
(And the beer truck finds a
place m park-legally.)
W i N r[ x 2 0 0 S
When we make oair•
cities naore beautiful.,
we want to naake sure
th~tt people of all
backgrounds anc~
i~zcomes haue a
char.ce to enjoy t6~em.
1 ran mro a friend one
Sunday moming and he told
me that he liked to come
downtown and park his car
and walk around because
everything louked so nice and
he was so proud of it That is
why your main streets are so
impur[ant, ro give our citizens
a sense of pride in the heart of
the city.
Parking
Parking is a challenge. Years
ago when faced with a garage
on a prominent site, I said to
the designer, l want a parking
garage thac doesn't look like a
parking garage. The architect
said "form follows function;' a
building has got ro look like
what it is. 1 said, no, we will
not use thac theory in this par-
ticular I«ation in Charleston.
He was determined that you
would see the car. So 1 took
picmres from around tow~
where there are dosed shui
ters, to use an example. Whc
ever said that to have a goo
city yoa need really ugly par4
ing bts? •
We give our streets evet
chance we can to get back t
the pedestrian. The port
cocheres, the piercings, elim,
naung the blank walls. Thes
buildings, you give them
chance and produce life on th
street for the human bemg
that hve in the ciry.
Public Places
Chadeston, as you know, wa
built on the watec Whe~
faced with bumed-uut piers ot
the water we took the oppor
tunity ro build a public park. I
bebngs to everyone. It wa
beaunfully designed. Ever
park is different and you've go
to know the purpcue. In thi:
park, we have no events. Here
is the place you can go. No onf
has rights superior ro others
Its raison d'etre was "a thing o
beauty is a joy furever." Ir
busding cities, people neec
places of peace and repose anc
inspiration.
Development followed it.
We got the developer to build
an art gallery behind the park,
Don't be afraid to create a
great public realm; the private
development will soon follow.
n as "radicaP' by the auro-
tric public. Old neigh-
x~d strucmres in many
~s arc considered worthy of
wrecking ball by everyday
ple, but are tomorrow's
an showplaces in the eyes
7e crosaders. lndeed, urban
~zrvatioriists mus[ confmnt
iarp values divide.
Unfortunarely, mnfron-
on and the preserva[ion of
:oric crty environments
m to go togethec, in large
c, because the ma~ocity
mre m America is based
a suburban-onented value
eem. Suhurban culmcal
lucnces have been ~esponsi-
(or helpmg ro conceive and
plement many far-reaching
J oken devastating planning
:isions in citics. In order to
mpe~e with the growing
wcbs-[o a[tempt to scop
: attrition of res~denes, tax
Ilars, and services--c¢ies
ve tried to physically morph
:o something more suburb-
e. Suburban valaes began ro
ce over in cities, and trans-
ed yuickly inm cultural
idscapes that clearly reflect
e wltaral norms that crea[ed
em.
How else can the urban
~moval" movement of the
id-20th cenmry be explainedi
eservationis[s were ignored
uing this time, as they wit-
essed the leveling of entire
In order to compete
with thegrowing
suburbs-to attempt
to stop the attritian
OfTCSZG~Z72t5, tlt~
dolla~s, and
services-eities l~ave
tried to physically
morph znto
something more
suburb-like.
neighborhoods that were full
of character and history, and
then watched them be
replaced by srerile high-rise
buildings more suited ro old
Eastem Block countries.
Preservationists rallied
against cleanng historic build-
ings in order to plop suburban-
style shopping malls in the
middle of downrowns across
the nation. The pleas of the
historians were disregarded
as some ill-hted ciry cenrer
streets and sidewalks were
entirely covered and then con-
verred to an enclosed matl.
Nor were they heeded when
decision•makers who champi-
oned the idea of reconfiguring
historic Main Streets to mean-
der, in order to resemble the
more "attractive and appropri-
ate" subdivision streets.
Individual properry own-
ers in the historic core, to the
purists' dismay, changed their
values to suburban as well.
They hid their buildmgs'
omate rrim and blexked grand
enrrances with aluminum,
steel, or vinyl shcets (and
that awful plastered-on fake
s[ucco), to become mure
I~ke new, more popular strip
malls.OlJ duwntown buildmg
facades and fenestrauons were
hastardized. Entire quarters
6ill of significant histocic hous-
ing stock in roo many cities
have bee~ nearly abandoned.
Hisroric homes sit crumMing,
rocting, and wainng for an
arsonist's maah. Every city has
hlocks, even miles, of histonc
commercial mRidors featunng
too many lmildmgs wtth win-
dows with plywood nailcd over
them, and empry bts covered
in weeds, where beautiful,
place-making stmctures once
stood. It ~s time fur another
wide-sweeping valucs change
Eor ~rban America.
A Call to Promote
"Urban" Values
A values change is necessary
because none of these dra-
matic suburban adjustmencs
sropped most cities around
F O R U M J O U R N A L
the country from shrinking in
population or their tax coffers
frum dwindling. Va-ues must
change because many cities
have now lost half or more of
[heir peak popula[ions, whde
their suburban communities
have swelled. Even in cities
that are growing (mosdy "on-
, paper" because uf annexa-
uon), their downrowns and
surrounding netghbonc~wds
contam bwfdings that have
become laboratories for ur6an
archeulugists. And because so
many down[owns placed such
high value on bulldozing
grand wlmral anchors and
paving over what remained,
up to half of the land area in
many downtowns has been
~ ' transfonned into giant surface
parking luts.
Rallymg the preserva-
nomst troops to save build-
engs, to embrace h~sronc
zoning, and to pamt Main
Strcet is admirable. House by
house, block by bloek, aa-
saders continue to win many
hearts and minds to join the
cause of saving history. But
large•scale success cannot
happen without a paradigm
shift of American values. The
hisroric preservationists' job
will become easier and more
successful when more people
understand the value of cides.
A culturel shih sounds
difficult, but it happened
almost overnight in the years
after World War IL It can
happen again, and if it does,
this will be the grearest gift to
ever come to the hisroric
preservation movement in
cities.
A cultural paradigm shift
first requires a simple analysis
of what "normal" means in
che greater culture. Generally
speaking, the American way
of life is not an urban way of
life; suburban living is normal
for most people. Urban resi-
dence and lifestyle remain a
distant and vague anomaly
in the mind and experience
of most people ourside of
Manhatran and San fiancisco.
In fact, for many people, the
cicy lifesryle is radicai.
~from rha
~b the tiry antcr
rin imparing,
otra~ and
toming. It uiiU
.°zw/uts rhift"
u6urbaniteJ to
r~'making ir
u~ma Photo by
.......................................................................
WINTE0. 2005
"-~:'.^~Fa For example, most of us
TbisrmaUpark,rn"~', today consider walking to
Gawntown Louitvi~lt~~~
'
~'` work instead of driving to be
y. featuri»gtdit~
r bizarre. Driving everywhere
plantrngj, a;fo'u»trti~t' : has been a longstanding
romfortabjt?e~tzi! - American value. But many
andPu6~i~ ``, ciry dwellers value walking
'~'Shr?P~(?df~,rV and would never consider
Gardrn ur6alt~~" " driving ro work, to the srore, or
PAoto by Hxii~~ B to other proximate locations.
„°"' ;'" ~ Likewise, the entrenched
suburban value of living in
widely spaced single-family
homes with plency of room
to spread out in order to enjoy
an abundance of privacy and
independence is difficult to
shake. Urban values require
living in high-density neigh-
borhoods, sharing space with
many others in a small area.
Another suburban value
is having a desire for things
"new" and "clean," induding
houses, screets, neighb~m
hoods, churches, and stures.
When places get uld anJ dirry,
most subu~banites rclocare tu
newer and cleaner communi-
ties, ofren even farther outside
of [he ciry. Urbanites value
things that a~e old and full of
history. Neighborhood mcm-
oirs, g~itty stteets, handsome
amhitecture, and distincnve
street design and cha~acrer are
im~r[ant euy values.
llevelopment value+, thcbe
that govern how pcuple feel
ahoutconstrucnon and popu-
lation growth, must also
change. For instance, those
with suburban valucs frown on
proposed subd~visions bringing
new homes and pcople who
will surely clog roads, over-
crowd the school system, and
destroy back porch views. On
the other hand, ciry residents
with urban values will cheer
upon hearing news of a
restored historic buildmg in
the downtown that prom~ses
to bring in more peuple, busi-
ness, and vitaliry. Suburban
values place high worth on
cul•de-sac lots in tucked away
subdivisions that allow resi-
dents ro hide away from the
wodd; furthermore, suburban-
ices want co restrict further
growth immediately afrer they
~.
~
arrive. People with urban val-
ues applaud residential reha-
bilitations that are in the mid-
dle of the ciry's acaviry. They
also apprec~are new butidings
full of new people that are
6uilt on fonner parking lots
(where the historic buildmgs
were razed).
If only a fractiun of
Americans would begin to
qucstion these kinds of subur-
ban values, ~magine, the pro-
found impact they could bring
to the preservation movement
m cines! Consider the influ-
ence that a widespread change
in values could have on the
eEfecuveness of neighborhood
actrvists who have been strug-
gling to bring back their local
economy and welcome new
residents. Think of how an
influx ofpeople who are excited
about a "homerown down-
rown" lifestyle would increase
demand for living in historic
structures, as well as encourage
new residenria~an~'~ius ness
opportunities in ciry centers.
How many more historic
strucmres would be revived
and celebrated instead of
being razed for sudace parking
lotsi How many more stmc-
mres would be retrofitted into
stores, workplaces, residences,
or other neighborhood uses,
instead of having their wirv
dows covered over with alu-
minum or stucco?
Ways to Engage
"Everyday People"
Simplifying the language that is
used in urban professions such
as preservation and city plan-
ning is one useful way to
approach thc complex issue of
longstanding value systems.
Too oken, professionals can
only communicate effectively
within their own v«ational
whorr, they are unable ro
communicate ro [he public
ac large. For mstance, the aver-
age person dces not understand
New Market Tax Credits, or
care to analyze the Iocal his-
toric zoning code. Everyday
peuple are not going ro lobby
for the FHA to reauthorize leg-
islation for preservanon; neo-
ther will they usually partici-
pace in communiry meetings
other than to protest or com-
plain about a nearby develop-
ment proposal. This is impor-
tant because preservationists
and planners working in the
system wdl not be able ro influ-
ence a wider values change
alone. Everyday people will.
If the joys and benefits
of urban living were more
widely unders[ood, more peo-
ple would become drawn to
and interesced in a host of
issues for which city-oriented
professionals creace acronyms.
One way to catch peo-
ple's attention would be with
the kind of quiz many enjoy
taking, found in magazii
newspapers, such as F
Digest and USA Toda
following tes[ reptesec
kmd of widerappeal ap~
Are you tiTed of any
followirtg?
• Cuttinggrass
• Commuting
• Driving everywhen
everything ,
• Takingcareofane
huuse
• Being a long way fr
entertainment, uni
shopping,and wod
Are you longing frn...?
• A home in a specia
neighborhood that
has character and
~pecsonahry
• More dase relatior
with people who li~
nearby
• More wnvenience
your life
• A clase connectior
with a special place
• Easy and immediai
access ro shopping
andfun
Are you ready w...l
• Engage with a dive
group of people at :
sidewalk caf~
• Simplify your hom~
living so you can b~
out of the housc m~
• Park your car once
and for alI
• Walk to restaurant
~ .....................................••-•----..........................
" ' ~~`~~
> ., thearers, bookstoces,
~nverted watel~n;r,i~ ac[ gallecies
building thaf:'
~ • Say good-bye to boredom
~ouresartirtrtu,d~ Why not ask the general
rettauran&: a#
:r[ubmightupp~a public to "dixover their utban
l
f
"
_ i
esryle
and find out which
Postindurtriaj'qnd`.
`~ kind of cit nei hborhoal
Edertic urbanilt ~t matches theirg asres and
Photq bYi~~ } personality? In this following
C°!~!a :
~:~~ test, notice how many hisroric
prese~vation,ciryplanning,and
urban lifestyle topics emetge:
If you me a Postindustrial
urbani[e, then you...
• Like the thought of living
. in an avanogarde edgy
emironment.
' • Consider trees as
design accessories,
not as necessities.
• Like to buy food aropen
marke[s, farmcrs
markets, and m othcr
nontraditionol places.
• Prcfcr balconics and
rooEtopsove[pauosand
hackyacds.
• Thmk "buzzmg up"
friends warcing outside
~s fun.
• Want to Lve as dose m
duwntown as posa~ble nnd
every linear luo[ cou~cs.
• Appreciatepre-WWII
industrial buddmgs,
urban deaign, an~ mndem
m[cnars.
• Delieve u~ban a~t ~s best
inside a warehouse
envuonmen[.
• Unders[and "jus[ so" Co
mean as litdc fum~mre
as possible.
• Desiresubstantial
structures w¢h concrere
floors and ceilings,
steel frames, and stu~dy
Euundatwns.
• Enjoy having the best
city views possible out
of as many windows as
possible.
• Get initared when
sidewalks and streets
are "too swep[."
1(you are a Garden
urbanite, thert you...
• Fantasize abou~ birdbaths,
fish ponds, and outdoor
thermomerers as much
as you do the city itself.
F O R U M J O U R N A L
• Want to live in a
"Martha Stewart'
kind of environment.
• L~ke ro tackle a
major historic home
rehabili~ation.
• Seck plank-wood sidmg
over steel plating and
certainly ovei vinyl.
• Get excrced when you
see picket knces.
• Insist on a patch of
ground, no macter how
small, and will not
comprumise.
• Think [hat lots of cmes
are important in an
urban environment.
• Prefer everythmg m your
neighborhood to be more
"pedecP'than the typical
urban neighborhood.
• Consider too many mixed
uses in a neighborhood
Q~ke industnal and man-
ufacturing uses) to be too
much for a place where
you live.
• Are drawn ro traditional
fumiture, architecture,
and mterior design.
• Wish to havc front poreh-
es and potted planrs im
sraircases.
• See yourself as a small-
town person who just
so happens to want to
live in a city.
• Gravita[e toward grassy,
formal, open parks with
pondsandfoun~ains.
1 f you are an Edecnc urbanite,
then you...
• Consider yourself a
"weirdo" and want [o
be surrounded by other
"weirdoes."
• Hateconformingand
places that confortn-
especially those that have
preferred "color paletces,"
especially beige and
brown.
• Prefer to live where
"strangc" is normal and
"normal" is strange.
• Choose to Irve around
the most diverse se[ of
neighbnrs in the city.
• Appreciare having an
eclectic array of visual and
performing azts nearby.
• Want many local choices
(or, or have a desire to
live around, a diversity
of azchirecmral sryles.
• Opt to live in the most
innovative side of the ciry.
• Get bored easity and need
high levels and kequent
doses of urban energy.
• Like change, and revolt
againstneighborhood
stagnation.
• Are expressive and need
[o feel free to be able to
express yourself in a
variety of situations.
• Have divecse hobbies
and interests and wan[ to
live in a neighborhood
where you can leam from
If the joys and
benefits of urban
living were mare
widely undexrtood,
more people would
become drawn to and
interested in a host
of issues for which
city-oriented
professionals create `,'
acronyrn.c.
...................................................................... ~
W 1 N T E R 2 O O 5
many of the ciry's mos~
openly creative types of
neighbors.
1 f you are a Blank Canvas
urbanue, then you...
• Enjoy a good challenge.
• Like to know thac you
are "a part of something
happening" and enjoy
contributing to posi[ive
change.
• Are patient and able
to endure years of slow
progress.
• Want to make your
own mark and be able to
influence land•use and
development changes.
• Are a passionate urban
developer who wants
ro live and develop
where the most dramatic
changescan be
appreciaced.
• Do not mind living in the
part of ~he ciry with the
least available local
neighborhood services.
• Are not scared by empry
streets and sidewalks.
• See beaury and hope
in boarded-upand
abandoned buildings.
• Ih~ not mind living
around exis[ing manufac-
turing and industrial uses.
• Can live in a building noc
inrended for residential
living until you arrive.
• Think it would be fun to
establish or be a patt of a
new, active, influential
neighborhood group.
• Consider yourse(f an
"urban activisc"
Quizzes such as these are
found in popular periodicals
asking readers to "discover
your color season and dress-
forsuccess sryle" and "match
youc needs to a spouse." IE the
idea of city living was main-
streamed like this, then young
people who were incubated in
the suburbs might become
interesred in finding their
"Postindustrial" lifestyle in a
converted industrial ware-
house in their own ciry,
instead of eyeing the much-
sought•after SoHo. A good
number of baby boomers, 78
million s[rong, might seek out
a local "Garden" lifesryle and
cestore a historic home just
down the freeway insread of
dreaming about Savannah.
Attisans and funky-rypes who
want an "Eclecuc" I~fesryle
will find or creace one in the
ciry of their choice, inscead uf
considering San Francisco
neighburhoods to wrner the
market on funky. And people
whu [est out ro be "Blank Can-
vas" urbanites will think about
the decimated atcas of their
cities and become urban
ac[ivists.
It will take much more
than quizzes, but a mam-
streamed idea of city living is
possible. The benefits of this
happening for people who love
old buildings, his[oric neigh-
borhoods, and cities in general
are immeasurable. After all,
the radical idea of Irving in
tract housing in Levtttown,
N.Y. during the 1940s was
a huge success. A value-
change to a city lifestyle, wi[h
a popularized, everyday-pcople
approach, can have the same
success.
Kyle EuU ir the foundrr ofG~t Urban
Amnira, an argan~zatrar devetrd ro
rmrmlizrng ~itiee ruitb mw arban
dwr[lrn, rnergy and idens, ar wd! af
the autl~or of Get 146aa Nr ir rur-
rrntly projrrt caorGinaror for urban
rrvrtaLwtron in Cu[umbw, Ohio.