Item 5A - 940 North StM E M O R A N D U M
December 5, 2018
TO: Landmarks Board
FROM: Jim Robertson, Comprehensive Planning Manager
Debra Kalish, Senior Counsel, City Attorney’s Office
James Hewat, Senior Historic Preservation Planner
Marcy Cameron, Historic Preservation Planner II
Caleb Gasparek, Historic Preservation Intern
SUBJECT: Public hearing and consideration of an application to demolish the
house at 940 North St., a non-landmarked building over 50 years
old, pursuant to per Section 9-11-23 of the Boulder Revised Code
1981 (HIS2018-00271).
STATISTICS:
1. Site: 940 North St.
2. Date of Construction: c. 1899-1907; new construction on property in 1973
3. Zoning: RH-5 (Residential High - 5)
4. Lot Size: 10,181 sq. ft. (approx.)
5. Building Size: 4,250 sq. ft. (County Assessor estimate)
6. Owner/Applicant: Daryl Carpenter / Brady Burke, Burke Builders
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Department recommends that the Landmarks Board adopt the following
motion:
I move that the Landmarks Board issue a stay of demolition for the building located at 940 North
St. for a period not to exceed 180 days from the day the permit application was accepted by the
city manager in order to explore alternatives to demolishing the building and adopt the staff
memorandum with the findings as listed below.
Staff encourages the applicant to consider landmark designation of the c. 1899 house and
its incorporation into future redevelopment plans for the site. A 180-day stay period
would expire on April 28, 2019.
Should the board choose to issue the demolition permit, or if the permit is allowed to
expire, staff will require that prior to demolition the following be submitted to Planning
staff for review, approval and recording with Carnegie Library:
1. Measured drawings of all exterior elevations of the house;
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 1/30
2.A site plan showing the location of all existing improvements on the subject
property;
3.Color medium format archival quality photographs of the interior and exterior of
the house.
SUMMARY:
On Sept. 12, 2018, the Planning Department received an application to demolish the
house at 940 North St. The building is not in a designated historic district or locally
landmarked but is over 50 years old and the proposed work meets the criteria for
demolition defined in Section 9-16-1 of the Boulder Revised Code 1981. On Sept. 19,
2018, the Landmarks design review committee (Ldrc) referred the application to the
Landmarks Board for a public hearing, finding there was, “probable cause to consider
that the building may be eligible for designation as an individual landmark.”
After detailed analysis, staff finds that the property meets the significance criteria for
individual landmark designation as it represents a well-preserved house dating from the
turn-of-the-twentieth century. For this reason, staff recommends the Landmarks Board
issue a stay of demolition for a period not to exceed 180 days from the day the permit
application was accepted by the city manager.
PURPOSE OF THE BOARD’S REVIEW:
Pursuant to section 9-11-23(d)(2), B.R.C. 1981, demolition requests for all buildings built
prior to 1940 require review by the Landmarks design review committee (Ldrc). The
Ldrc is comprised of two members of the Landmarks Board and a staff member. If,
during the course of its review, the Ldrc determines that there is “probable cause” to
consider that the building may be eligible for designation as an individual landmark, the
issuance of the permit is stayed for up to 60 days from the date a completed application
was accepted, and the permit is referred to the board for a public hearing.
If the Landmarks Board finds that the buildings proposed for demolition may have
significance under the criteria in subsection (f) of Section 9-11-23, B.R.C. 1981, the
application shall be suspended for a period not to exceed 180 days from the date it was
accepted by the city manager as complete, in order to provide the time necessary to
consider alternatives to the building’s demolition. If imposed, a 180-day stay period
would start when the completed application was accepted by the city manager (Oct. 30,
2018, when the Landmarks Board fee was paid) and expire on April 28, 2019. Section 9-
11-23 (g) and (h), B.R.C. 1981.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 2/30
DESCRIPTION:
Approximately 10,181 sq. ft. in size, the lot is located on the south side of North Street,
between 9th and 10th streets in the Neikirk-Stewart addition to the city, which was platted
in 1898. The original house is located on the northeast side of the property, with the
adjacent 1973 multi-family buildings constructed immediately to the west and south.
An alley runs along the west and south edges of the property, though due to the
existing grade, it does not support vehicular access from the south. The area is
comprised of an eclectic mix of historic and newer buildings of both residential and
commercial use. The Mapleton Historic District is located one-half block southwest of
the property, and the identified potential Expanded Mapleton Hill historic district is
located south of the subject property, west of 9th Street and south of Portland Place (see
Figure 1).
Figure 1. The orange shaded rectangle identifies the parcel of 940 North St.
Figure 2. Context along North Street, facing south. Google Street View, 2017.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 3/30
Figure 3. Tax Assessor Card Photograph, 940 North St., c. 1949.
Figure 4. Historic Building Inventory Form, 940 North St., 1990.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 4/30
Figure 5. Current view, north elevation, 940 North St., 2018.
Original House
The small one-story house was constructed between 1899 and 1907. An assessor card for
the property indicates 1899 as the date of construction, while deed and directory
research indicates it was built around 1907. An example of vernacular frame
construction, the house features a hipped-roof and front gable that projects toward
North Street, coursed shingles, and a small window with a pedimented surround. The
front window has a transom and a surround with dentil molding. The building is clad in
painted drop siding with corner boards and the building rests on a stone foundation.
Figure 6. South elevation, 940 North St., 2018.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 5/30
The west elevation is simple in design, with boxed eaves, drop siding, and three evenly-
placed double-hung windows. Three double-hung windows or varying sizes are located
on the south elevation and feature the same window surrounds as those on the west
elevation. All windows on the building appear to be original.
1973 Multi-Family Construction
Marion Rayback received a building permit in 1973 for the construction of a four-unit
apartment building on the site. The apartment building wraps the east and south sides of
the original building and is only connected to the original house via the front porch
roof (see Figures 5, 8 & 10). There are no wall adjacencies or interior connections between
the original house and 1973 buildings.
Figure 7. North elevation, 940 North St., 2018.
Two stories in height, with a shallow gable extending east-west the 1973 construction is
clad in T1-11 vertical siding. A gable roof projects over the entrance at the northeast
corner of the building. The doors and windows appear to have been replaced. There are
few window and door openings on the building.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 6/30
Figure 8. North elevation, 940 North St., 2018 showing
shed roof of original house connecting to 1973 Building.
ALTERATIONS:
While the 1973 construction has visually altered the character of the property the
original house has not been materially altered and appears to be largely intact to its
original construction. Staff considers that the 1973 construction could be removed with
little or no damage to the original building.
Building permits for the property include reroofing the building in 1951 and 1995 and
replacing the furnace and hot water heater in 1963 and 1966. In 1972, Marion Rayback
received a building permit to “bring existing structure to all codes; construct and add 4
units to existing one-unit apt.” The construction of fences was permitted in 1974 and
1983. In 1983, Dean Carpenter received a permit to put a new gable over an existing flat
roof.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 7/30
Figure 9. Diagram showing 1899 construction (yellow) and 1973 construction (green).
AREA HISTORY:
By 1900, Boulder’s population was 6,150, with twenty-eight subdivisions added to the
original townsite between 1890 and 1895.1 The property is located in the Neikirk-Stewart
addition to the city and is between the Mapleton Hill neighborhood, which primarily
developed between 1865 and 1946, and the Newlands area, which was largely
agricultural until it was incorporated into city limits beginning in the 1950s. The
proximity to the Boulder Community Hospital at Broadway and Alpine streets
influenced the character of this area during the second half of the twentieth-century.
PROPERTY HISTORY:
The address is first listed in the 1908 city directory. The 1929 tax assessor card records
the date of construction as 1899, while deed and directory research indicates the house
was built sometime around 1907.
1 Front Range Research. Survey of Scattered Resources. City of Boulder, 1995.
https://bouldercolorado.gov/links/fetch/26794
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 8/30
Figure 10. Garrett Hagerman
Short Term Residents (1908-1918)
The first recorded resident of the property is Jennie Wood in 1908. Wood was an
advertising clerk with the company Wellington and Associates. In 1910, the Cyrus and
Nellie Kite lived in the house with their three children Moneta, Ruby, and William. The
house appears to have been vacant between 1913 and 1916. Harry and Mamie Black
resided there from 1916 until 1918. Harry Black was a local chef in town.
Long Term Residents (1918 – 1972)
The property’s longest residents were the Hagerman family, who resided there from
1918 until 1972. The 1920 US Census lists G.P. (Garrett) and Etta Hagerman as renters of
940 North St. with their children George (21), Edna (21), Hazel (17) and Carl (14). Garrett
and George worked as miners in a gold mine and Edna worked as a clerk in a sewing
machine company. A decade later, the 1930 US Census records Garrett P. (65) and Etta
(55) as owners and residents of 940 North St. along with their daughter Hazel Horton
(28) and son Carl Hagerman (25). Garrett and
Carl worked as miners in a “metal mine.”
Henrietta (Etta) Hagerman was born in Ward,
Colorado in 1874 to George and Lucy Walker,
who had travelled across the prairie by ox team
from Iowa. The Walkers were responsible for
supplying lumber for many of Boulder’s early
structures, and took many photographs of
Jamestown in the late 1800’s. Her father was
actively involved with the Masonic lodges of
early Jamestown. She married Garrett Hagerman
in Jamestown in 1894.
Garrett P. Hagerman was born in 1865 in New Jersey. Following their marriage in 1894,
the Hagermans lived in Jamestown until they moved to 940 North St. in Boulder in 1918.
Garrett continued to work as a miner and died on November 15, 1931 at the age of 66.
Etta was actively involved with the First Methodist Church.
Etta continued to live in the house until her death in 1967 at the age of 92 years old. After
Etta’s death, her daughter Hazel D. lived in the house with her husband Norton until
1972. Norton was a mechanic in Boulder that worked for a local service center and with
Watts Hardy Dairy located along the 1200 block of Walnut. The Hagermans are buried in
Green Mountain Cemetery in Boulder.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 9/30
Multi-Family Apartments (1972-Present)
Marion Rayback purchased the property from the Hagermans in 1972 and constructed a
four-unit building the following year. The property continues to operate as a rental
property. The current owner, Daryl Carpenter, purchased the property in 1979.
CRITERIA FOR THE BOARD’S DECISION:
Section 9-11-23(f), B.R.C. 1981, provides that the Landmarks Board “shall consider and
base its decision upon any of the following criteria:
(1) The eligibility of the building for designation as an individual landmark
consistent with the purposes and standards in Sections 9-11-1 and 9-11-2,
B.R.C. 1981;
(2) The relationship of the building to the character of the neighborhood as an
established and definable area;
(3) The reasonable condition of the building; and
(4) The reasonable projected cost of restoration or repair.
In considering the condition of the building and the projected cost of restoration
or repair as set forth in paragraphs (3) and (4), the board may not consider
deterioration caused by unreasonable neglect.
As detailed below, staff considers this property may be eligible for designation as an
individual landmark.
CRITERION 1: INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK ELIGIBILITY
The following is a result of staff's research of the property relative to the significance
criteria for individual landmarks as adopted by the Landmarks Board on Sept. 17, 1975.
See Attachment E: Individual Landmark Significance Criteria
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house located at 940 North St. meets historic significance under criteria 1, 2, 3
and 4.
1. Date of Construction: 1899-1907
Elaboration: The 1929 Tax Assessor Card lists the date of construction as 1899, one year
after the Neikirk-Stewart Addition was platted. Deed research shows the lot first
appearing in 1907, with the address first appearing in the 1908 city directory.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 10/30
2. Association with Persons or Events: Hagerman family
Elaboration: The property is associated with Garret and Etta Hagerman, who resided
here between 1918 and 1972. Garrett Hagerman was a miner. Etta Hagerman was
part of the Walker family, early pioneers of Jamestown.
3. Distinction in the Development of the Community: Urban Residential
Neighborhoods, 1858-Present.
Elaboration: The house was constructed the decade after the Neikirk-Stewart
Addition was platted and represents the area's earliest period of growth and
development.
4. Recognition by Authorities: Front Range Research Associates, Inc.
Elaboration: The property was surveyed in 1995 and found to be in fair condition
with major alterations (“big apartment building in front and side of house; porch
gone”). The historical background states:
“This address does not appear in the city directories for 1901 and 1913. One of the
past owners of the house was Etta Hagerman, who died while still owning the
property in 1967. She was born in Ward, Colorado, in 1874 to George and Lucy
Walker, who had come across the prairies by ox team from Iowa. She was married in
Jamestown in 1894 to Garrett Hagerman, a miner. They moved to Boulder in 1918
and he died there in 1931.”
The 1995 survey found the building not have architectural or historic significance,
stating “Alterations to this house have diminished its historic integrity.” While staff
agrees that the construction of the large addition in 1973 has visually impacted the
character of the property, the original c.1899-1907 building has not been physically
impacted by the adjacent construction and appears to be remarkably intact. .
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house located at 940 North St. meets architectural significance under criteria
1 and 5.
1. Recognized Period or Style: Vernacular Frame
Elaboration: The property is an example of a Vernacular Cottage with simple
classically inspired design, including its pyramidal hipped roof with projecting gable,
pediment and dentil detailing, and double-hung windows. The building appears to
be largely intact to its original construction.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 11/30
2. Architect or Builder of Prominence: Unknown
Elaboration: The builder of this house is unknown.
3. Artistic Merit: None observed
4. Example of the Uncommon: None observed
5. Indigenous Qualities: The building rests on a stone foundation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house located at 940 North St. does not meet the criteria for environmental
significance.
1. Site Characteristics: Historically, the 900 block of North Street had a residential
character. The construction of the 1973 addition has impacted the historic character of
the lot.
2. Compatibility with Site: The 1973 portion of the building is out of scale with the
original building, overshadowing the mass and character of the hipped roof house.
3. Geographic Importance: None observed
4. Environmental Appropriateness: Mixed-Use Character
Elaboration: The area has a mix of commercial and residential properties.
5. Area Integrity: The character of the area changed over the last few decades, as the
original single-family houses have been replaced with large multi-family buildings.
The property immediately to the east (942 North St.) retains its original historic
character and relates to the building at 940 North St. and represents the area’s earliest
period of development.
CRITERION 2: RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHARACTER OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD:
The character of the area changed over the last few decades, as the original single-family
residences have been replaced with large multi-family buildings. The property
immediately to the east (942 North St.) retains its original historic character and relates to
the building at 940 North St. and represents the area’s earliest period of development.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 12/30
CRITERION 3: CONDITION OF THE BUILDING
Information on the condition of the building has not been received.
CRITERION 4: PROJECTED COST OF RESTORATION OR REPAIR:
Information on the condition of the building has not been received.
ANALYSIS:
While the 1973 construction at 940 North Street has visually impacted the character of
the property, the c.1899-1907 house appears to have been altered very little over the
years and retains its historic architectural integrity in terms of materials and design. To
this end, staff considers that there is “probable cause” to consider the 1899-1907 house at
940 North St. eligible for designation as an individual landmark based upon its historic
and architectural significance as a well-preserved building dating from the turn of the
twentieth century.
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENT:
Staff has received no comment to date from the public on this matter.
THE BOARD’S DECISION:
If the Landmarks Board finds that the buildings to be demolished do not have
significance under the criteria set forth in section 9-11-23(f), B.R.C. 1981, the city manager
shall issue a demolition permit.
If the Landmarks Board finds that the buildings to be demolished may have significance
under the criteria set forth above, the application shall be suspended for a period not to
exceed 180 days from the date the permit application was accepted by the city manager
as complete in order to provide the time necessary to consider alternatives to the
demolition of the building (Section 9-11-23(h), B.R.C. 1981). A 180-day stay period
would expire on April 28, 2019.
FINDINGS:
Staff recommends that the Landmarks Board adopt the following findings:
A stay of demolition for the property at 940 North St. is appropriate based on the criteria
set forth in Section 9-11-23(f), B.R.C. 1981 in that:
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 13/30
1. The property may be eligible for individual landmark designation based upon its
historic and architectural significance;
2. The property contributes to the character of the neighborhood as an intact
representative of the area’s past;
3. It has not been demonstrated to be impractical or economically unfeasible to
rehabilitate the building.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Current Photographs
Attachment B: Historic Building Inventory Form
Attachment C: Boulder County Tax Assessor Card c. 1929
Attachment D: Deed and Directory Research
Attachment E: Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 14/30
Attachment A: Current Photographs
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 15/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 16/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 17/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 18/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 19/30
Attachment B: Historic Building Inventory Form
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 20/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 21/30
Survey Form Photo, 1995.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 22/30
Attachment C: Boulder County Tax Assessor Card c. 1929
Tax Assessor Card Photo, c. 1929.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 23/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 24/30
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 25/30
Attachment D: Deed and Directory Research
Deed and Directory Research – 940 North St.
LOT 4-5 BLK 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART
c. 1899 (Historic Building Inventory Form, 1995)
Research Owner
(Deeds)
Date Occupant(s)/Directory
House constructed
c. 1899 (survey and
assessor card)
Deed and Directory
seems to indicate
1907-1908 more
accurate for
construction
1900 Census
Freeman Luce
1907 – 1908
Thomas G. Wood
1908 – 1910
Cyrus Kite
1910 – 1910
Henry
Holkenbrink
1910 - 1922
1908 -Jennie Wood (Advertising Clerk at
Wellington and Associates)
1910 Census -Cyrus R. Kite (Preacher) + Nellie E. Kite
-Moneta B.
-Ruby N.
-William M.
1913 Vacant
1916 -Harry E. Black (Cook) + Mamie A. Black
1918 -John L. Hagerman (Miner) + Ettie
Hagerman
1920 Census -G. P. Hagerman (55, miner at Gold Mine)
+ Etta Hagerman (45)
-Eda Hagerman (21, clerk at sewing
machine co.)
-Hazel Hagerman (17)
-Harry Hagerman (23, miner at Gold
Mine)
-Carl Hagerman (14)
1921 -Carl Hagerman (Machinist)
-Garrett P. Hagerman (Miner) + Etta
Hagerman
-Geo Hagerman (Laborer)
-Hazel Hagerman
Hagerman Family
(Garrett, Etta, and
Carl respectively)
1922 – 1971
1923 -Garrett P. + Etta Hagerman
1926 -Garrett P. + Etta Hagerman
-Carl P. Hagerman (miner)
1930 Census -Garrett P. Hagerman (65, miner at Metal
Mine) + Etta Hagerman (55)
-Hazel Horton Hagerman (28)
-Carl P. Hagerman (25, miner at Metal
Mine)
1932 -Etta Hagerman
(Garrett P. Hagerman listed as having
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 26/30
died Nov 15, 1931 aged 66)
1936 Etta Hagerman
1940 Census Etta Hagerman (From directory)
1949 Etta Hagerman
1951 Etta Hagerman
1953 Etta Hagerman
1961 Etta Hagerman
1964 -Kenneth Horton (Machinist) + Hazel D
Horton (Hagerman)
1967 Kenneth (Mechanic at Earl and Sons tire
center located at 2800 Walnut) + Hazel D.
Horton
Marion Rayback
1971 – 1976
Boulder
Investment Co.
1976 – 1979
Daryl Carpenter
1979 - Present
1969 Kenneth (Mechanic at Watts Hardy Dairy
at 1248 Walnut) + Hazel D. Horton
1970 Kenneth (Kenneth: Mechanic at Watts
Hardy Dairy at 1248 Walnut) + Hazel D.
Horton
1972 Collie Marshall (freelance artist) + Hazel
D. Marshall
1975 Converted to apartments
Deeds
Luce H. Freeman (19xx-1907)
Thomas Wood (1907-1908)
90059642 0309 0383 GE WOOD THOMAS G GR LUCE FREEMAN H WARRANTY DEED 09/05/1907
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART ADDITION
Nancy Wood (1908-1910)
90066521 0327 0542 GE WOOD NANCY A GR WOOD THOMAS G WARRANTY DEED 07/07/1908
SEC T R TR L 4 ETAL B 4 NEIKIRK & STEWARTS ADDITION
Cyrus Kite (1910-1910)
90080026 0357 0433 GE KITE CYRUS R GR WOOD NANCY A WARRANTY DEED 04/20/1910
SEC T R TR L 4 ETAL B 4 NEIKIRK & STEWARTS ADDITION
90080027 + 0356 0020 GR KITE CYRUS R GE BROMLEY CHAS C DEED OF TRUST 04/20/1910
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART ADDITION
Henry Holkenbrink (1910-1922)
90083052 0358 0371 GE HOLKENBRINK HENRY L GR KITE CYRUS R WARRANTY DEED 10/10/1910
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK & STEWARTS ADDITION
Etta Hagerman (1922-1967)
90181265 + 0356 0268 GR HAGERMAN G P ETTA GE WHITE FRED DEED OF TRUST 11/13/1922
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK--STEWART ADDITION
90181264 0490 GE HAGERMAN G P GR HOLKENBRINK HENRY WARRANTY 11/13/1922
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 27/30
0209 ETTA L DEED
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART ADD
90308627 0625 0067 GR HAGERMAN ETTA GE SAHM HENRY J JR DEED OF TRUST 07/25/1934
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART ADD
90410308
0739
0586 GR HAGERMAN G P
ESTATE + GE HAGERMAN G P
ESTATE
RELEASE OF
INHERITANCE TAX
LIEN
02/07/1944
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEWKIRK-STEWART
90410308
0739
0586 GE HAGERMAN G P
ESTATE GR COLORADO
STATE OF +
RELEASE OF
INHERITANCE TAX LIEN 02/07/1944
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEWKIRK-STEWART
90410311
0740
0315 GR HAGERMAN
ETTA GE HAGERMAN ETTA
CARL
WARRANTY DEED JOINT
TENANCY 02/07/1944
SEC T R TR L 4 ETAL B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART
90410311
0740
0315 GE HAGERMAN ETTA
CARL GR HAGERMAN
ETTA
WARRANTY DEED JOINT
TENANCY 02/07/1944
SEC T R TR L 4 ETAL B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART
90919452
GR HAGERMAN ETTA
ESTATE + GE HAGERMAN ETTA
ESTATE
RELEASE OF INHERITANCE
TAX LIEN 07/24/1969
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK STEWART ADD
Marrion Rayback (1971 – 1976)
90984702
GR HAGERMAN CARL GE RAYBACK MARION A WARRANTY DEED 08/03/1971
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK-STEWART
00163134
GR RAYBACK MARION
A GE BOULDER INVESTMENT
CORP
WARRANTY
DEED 01/07/1976
SEC T R TR L 4 5 6 B 4 NEIKIRK STEWART AD
Daryl Carpenter (1979 – Present)
00347491
GR BOULDER INVESTMENT
CORP GE CARPENTER DEAN I
DARYL L
WARRANTY
DEED 07/11/1979
SEC T R TR L 4 ET B 4 NEIKIRK STEWART ADD
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 28/30
Attachment E: Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks
SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA
Individual Landmark
September 1975
On September 6, 1975, the City Council adopted Ordinance #4000 providing procedures for the
designation of Landmarks and Historic Districts in the City of Boulder. The purpose of the
ordinance is the preservation of the City’s permitted cultural, historic, and architectural heritage.
The Landmarks Board is permitted by the ordinance to adopt rules and regulations as it deems
necessary for its own organization and procedures. The following Significance Criteria have been
adopted by the board to help evaluate each potential designation in a consistent and equitable
manner.
Historic Significance
The place (building, site, area) should show character, interest or value as part of the
development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the community, state or nation; be the site of a
historic, or prehistoric event that had an effect upon society; or exemplify the cultural, political,
economic, or social heritage of the community.
Date of Construction: This area of consideration places particular importance on the age of the
structure.
Association with Historical Persons or Events: This association could be national, state, or local.
Distinction in the Development of the Community of Boulder: This is most applicable to an
institution (religious, educational, civic, etc) or business structure, though in some cases
residences might qualify. It stresses the importance of preserving those places which demonstrate
the growth during different time spans in the history of Boulder, in order to maintain an
awareness of our cultural, economic, social or political heritage.
Recognition by Authorities: If it is recognized by Historic Boulder, Inc. the Boulder Historical
Society, local historians (Barker, Crossen, Frink, Gladden, Paddock, Schooland, etc), State
Historical Society, The Improvement of Boulder, Colorado by F.L. Olmsted, or others in
published form as having historic interest and value.
Other, if applicable.
Architectural Significance
The place should embody those distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen, a
good example of the common; be the work of an architect or master builder, known nationally,
state-wide, or locally, and perhaps whose work has influenced later development; contain
elements of architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant
innovation; or be a fine example of the uncommon.
Recognized Period/Style: It should exemplify specific elements of an architectural period/style,
i.e.: Victorian, Revival styles, such as described by Historic American Building Survey Criteria,
Gingerbread Age (Maass), 76 Boulder Homes (Barker), The History of Architectural Style
(Marcus/Wiffin), Architecture in San Francisco (Gebhard et al), History of Architecture
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 29/30
(Fletcher), Architecture/Colorado, and any other published source of universal or local analysis of
a style.
Architect or Builder of Prominence: A good example of the work of an architect or builder who is
recognized for expertise in his field nationally, state-wide, or locally.
Artistic Merit: A skillful integration of design, material, and color which is of excellent visual
quality and/or demonstrates superior craftsmanship.
Example of the Uncommon: Elements of architectural design, details, or craftsmanship that are
representative of a significant innovation.
Indigenous Qualities: A style or material that is particularly associated with the Boulder area.
Other, if applicable.
Environmental Significance
The place should enhance the variety, interest, and sense of identity of the community by the
protection of the unique natural and man-made environment.
Site Characteristics: It should be of high quality in terms of planned or natural vegetation.
Compatibility with Site: Consideration will be given to scale, massing placement, or other
qualities of design with respect to its site.
Geographic Importance: Due to its unique location or singular physical characteristics, it
represents an established and familiar visual feature of the community.
Environmental Appropriateness: The surroundings are complementary and/or it is situated in a
manner particularly suited to its function.
Area Integrity: Places which provide historical, architectural, or environmental importance and
continuity of an existing condition, although taken singularly or out of context might not qualify
under other criteria.
Item 5A - 940 North St., page 30/30