2020.2.25 Ramsey LPAB Teahouse LetterFrom:Lara Ramsey
To:Hewat, James; Brandt, Clare
Subject:Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse Landmark Initiation/ Designation
Date:Tuesday, February 25, 2020 2:41:38 PM
Attachments:LPAB Teahouse Letter.docx
External Sender
James,
Can you please include my letter of support for the March 4th LPAB hearing?
Hope all is well with you!
Thank you,
Lara Ramsey
February 24, 2020
Dear Members of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board,
This letter is to urge the Landmarks Board to support both the initiation and landmarking of the
Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse located at 1770 13th Street.
In 2010, Kathryn Barth and I served as consultants to the City of Boulder to study the historic,
architectural and environmental significance of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse. Aside from
the building’s high artistic value, what struck me as amazing was the fact that “the Boulder-
Dushanbe Teahouse is the only Central Asian Teahouse in the Western Hemisphere and the
first gift of an actual building between United States – Soviet Union sister cities” (Boulder-
Dushanbe Teahouse, Historic Context and Survey, 2010, p8).
The Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse is eligible for both Local Landmark Designation and National
Register Listing. The Teahouse is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion A
and Criterion C in the areas of politics/government, social history, architecture, and art. The
Teahouse meets the exceptional significance requirements of Criteria G as a resource less than
fifty-years of age.
I urge you to carefully consider the boundaries of the proposed landmark site. The Historic
Context and Survey recommended the landmark boundary “generally follow the fence along
the north and west sides of the site, the south edge of the irrigation ditch along the south side
of the site, and the building footprint along the east side of the site. Inclusion of the Teahouse
Trail is recommended because it was designed in conjunction with the Teahouse landscape and
site plan and contains design elements related to the Teahouse, such as the recessed tiles,
surface concrete, fences and bridges” (Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse, Historic Context and
Survey, 2010, p123).
Thank you for your consideration of preserving an architectural and historical gem unique to
Boulder, Colorado, the United States of America, and the Western Hemisphere!
Sincerely,
Lara Ramsey
Historic Preservation Consultant
Former Staff to the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, 1994-1999