Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave 12.2.2020
MEMORANDUM TO THE LANDMARKS BOARD
December 2, 2020
Staff
Charles Ferro, Interim Comprehensive Planning Manager
Lucas Markley, Assistant City Attorney
James Hewat, Senior Historic Preservation Planner
Marcy Cameron, Historic Preservation Planner II
Clare Brandt, Administrative Specialist II
Landmark Designation Request
Public hearing and consideration of the proposed designation of two buildings
and a portion of the property at 90 Arapahoe Ave. as an individual historic
landmark, pursuant to Section 9-11-5 of the Boulder Revised Code 1981, and
under the procedures prescribed by chapter 1-3, "Quasi-Judicial Hearings,"
B.R.C. 1981 (HIS2017-00114).
Address: 90 Arapahoe Ave.
Owner: Curtis McDonald, Canyon Creek Villas, LLC
Case Number: HIS2017-00114
Case Type: Landmark Designation
Code Section: 9-11-5, B.R.C., 1981
Site Information
Date of Construction: c. 1920-1948
Zoning: RM-3 (Residential Mixed – 3)
Lot Size: 141,142 sq. ft. (Boulder County)
Legal Description: NORTHERN PORTIONS OF TRS 416K1, 416K2,
416K4, 416M 416N, 416N1, 416M1, 416L, 416F1 &
416F2
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends the Landmarks Board forward the application to the City
Council with a recommendation to designate two buildings and a portion of the
property as an individual landmark to be known as the Silver Saddle Motel.
I move that the Landmarks Board recommend that the City Council designate
two buildings and a portion of the property at 90 Arapahoe Ave. as a local
historic landmark, to be known as the Silver Saddle Motel, finding that it meets
the standards for individual landmark designation in Sections 9-11-1 and 9-11-2,
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 1 of 17
B.R.C. 1981, and adopt the staff memorandum dated Dec. 2, 2020, as the
findings of the board.
Findings
The Landmarks Board finds, based upon the application and evidence
presented, that the proposed designation application is consistent with the
purposes and standards of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, in that:
1. The designation of the property will protect, enhance and perpetuate a
property and buildings reminiscent of a past era and important in local and
state history and preserves a significant example of architecture from the
past.
2. The designation will maintain an appropriate setting and environment and
will enhance property values, stabilize the neighborhood, promote tourist
trade and interest and foster knowledge of the city’s living heritage.
3. The designation draws a reasonable balance between private property
rights and the public interest in preserving the city’s cultural, historic and
architectural heritage by ensuring that demolition of buildings important to
that heritage will be carefully weighed with other alternatives.
4. The property proposed for designation has historic, architectural or
aesthetic interest or value.
Summary
• On April 7, 2017, the property owner submitted a landmark designation
application for two buildings and a portion of the property at 90 Arapahoe
Ave.
• Consistent with policy 2.27 Preservation of Historic & Cultural Resources of
the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, the buildings were identified as
potentially eligible during the annexation process and a designation
application was submitted in 2017 as a condition of the annexation agreement
(LUR2015-00030).
• In 2018, the Landmarks Board approved a landmark alteration certificate for
the rehabilitation and construction of additions to the motel cabins and office
building (HIS2018-00069)
• Pursuant to Section 9-11-5(C) of the Boulder Revised Code, the Landmarks
Board must hold a public hearing between 60 and 120 days unless agreed
upon by the owner and the City. To provide more time to fulfill other
conditions of the annexation of the property, the application was held by
agreement until the Site Review application was approved.
• The criteria for the board’s review are found in Sections 9-11-1, Purpose and
Legislative Intent, and 9-11-2, City Council May Designate Landmarks and
Historic Districts, B.R.C. 1981.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 2 of 17
• Staff recommends that the Landmarks Board forward the application to the
City Council with the recommendation to designate two buildings and a
portion of the property, to be known as the Silver Saddle Motel.
Automobile Era in Boulder
In 1992, Silvia Pettem authored “Automobile Era in Boulder,” a historic context
report that provides a background of automobile-related history in Boulder and
includes a list of existing buildings associated with that period of Boulder’s
history. The Silver Saddle Motel is included as an auto camp/motor court. The
following is an excerpt of the historic context report. Read the full report online
https://bouldercolorado.gov/links/fetch/15799.
Auto Camps--
In the early 1920s, Boulder opened the first of its auto camps at what is now
Eben G. Fine Park at the mouth of Boulder Canyon. Travelers were provided with
electric lights, gas stoves, water, toilets, and laundry and bathing facilities.
Everything was free. The shelter house is still standing and used as a picnic
pavilion.
Fold-out beds and awnings were attached to the running boards and roofs of
their automobiles. Many of these early campers used these "auto tents"
advertised by Wilson Hardware, at 12th and Pearl. The "7-foot by 10-foot Khaki
'Amazon' auto tents sold for $18.50. Camp chairs cost $1.00. 'Kamp Kook'
gasoline stoves were $7.50 and "sanitary water bags" were $1.50.
The store's ad continued, "Can you imagine anything better? On a camping trip
you are your own boss. Stay where you please, stay as long as you like, eat and
sleep where you please."
In 1922, the Harris-Douglas Furniture Company advertised a novelty-- music in
camp. Its ad read, "Carry a portable Victrola with you on your trip to the
mountains. Handy, compact, they play all Victor records and are a most
enjoyable part of your camping equipment."
Cottage Camps--
As motor travel increased, "tourist camps" provided more of the comforts of
home. By 1930, in addition to the City's free camps, there were five private
facilities which welcomed the motorist in Boulder.
Next to the auto camp in Eben G. Fine Park was the Boulder Cottage Camp
which offered cottages by the day or week. Across Boulder Creek at 1st and Pearl
was the Red Rock Cottage Camp and Barbecue.
In North Boulder, on 12th Street (now Broadway) at Dellwood, were the Moss
Rock Cottages with adjoining service station.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 3 of 17
The Henshall Cottage Court was built near Arapahoe Avenue and 20th Street,
while those who preferred to be east of town stayed at Roxwood Park, at
Arapahoe Avenue and 55th Street, on the site of O. T. Jackson's earlier "resort."
Many motorists preferred the tourist, or cottage, camps over hotels, as they were
cheap, private, and convenient. With their automobiles parked next to their
cottage doors, guests carried their own suitcases rather than tipped a bellman.
Drive-In restaurants and new motor courts--
One of Boulder's first drive-in restaurants was True's Thirst Shop, at 1719 12th
Street (now Broadway), on the site of Mustard's Last Stand. The small building
was shaped like a barrel.
Then, just as Colorado's tourism industry got underway, the Great Depression
kept many people at home. Those who did travel to Boulder discovered the new
Foot of the Mountain "Camp" at 100 Arapahoe Avenue. Henshall's was replaced
with the Rainbow Cottage Camp and Nifty Nix Stand and Cottages, now the sites
of Econo Lodge and Daddy Bruce's Barbecue.
The love affair with the automobile continued--
During the World War II years, Detroit's factories turned to the manufacturing of
tanks and airplanes rather than cars. Gasoline and tires were rationed. Many
people were forced to stay home even longer, but in the late 1940s and the early
1950s, the love affair with the automobile began all over again. Suddenly
gasoline was cheap and plentiful. Attendants at service gasoline stations handed
out free maps, checked oil, and washed windshields with a smile.
Television viewers watched the "Texaco Hour," and singer Dinah Shore urged
everyone to "See the USA in your Chevrolet." Cottage camps became motels
and competed by offering new amenities including televisions and swimming
pools.
Property Description
The property at 90 Arapahoe Ave. is located at the mouth of Boulder Canyon,
south of Boulder Creek and Canyon Blvd./HWY 119. City of Boulder Open Space
borders the property on the south and west. The property at 96 Arapahoe Ave.
(pending landmark designation, HIS2017-00115) is located directly east of the
property. Together, the properties were annexed into the city in 2018.
The GIS map shows five buildings on the property: the c. 1920s-1948 motel
office and 1948 motel cabins, located on the northern portion of the lot; two rows
of motel cabins constructed c.1950 and c.1958, located on the southern portion
of the lot; and a two-story brick building constructed c.1970 and located on the
western portion of the site. The motel office and cabins are proposed for
landmark designation. The remaining buildings have been demolished (approved
through HIS2018-00303).
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 4 of 17
Figure 1. Location map, 90 Arapahoe Ave.
Figure 2. Bird’s Eye View, 90 Arapahoe Ave., 2018.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 5 of 17
Motel Office Building
Figure 3. Motel Office Building, 90 Arapahoe Ave., 2018.
Located to the west of the motel cabins, with its entrance facing east, he c. 1920s
building appears to have been originally constructed as a residence and
remodeled in 1948 as an Office Administration building. The L-shaped building
has a clipped gable roof extending east-west and a gable roof extending north-
south. The entrance is located beneath a recessed porch and a large picture
window is located to the south of the entrance. The building is clad in half-round
log siding, similar to that on the cabins, and arranged in a diagonal array on its
gable-ends.
Alterations
It appears a c.1920 residence on the property was repurposed as the motel office
building in 1948. At that time, the south addition was constructed, and the
building was clad in log siding. Three additions followed: a gable roof addition to
the west (rear) in 1972, an L-shaped addition to the south in 1993, and a roof
between the 1972 and 1993 additions since 1993. See Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 4. Silver Saddle Motel under construction, c.1948 (left) and c.1950 (right)
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 6 of 17
Motel Cabins
Figure 5. Motel Cabins, 90 Arapahoe Ave., 2018.
A parking lot is located in front of the four motel cabins, while the grade behind
the cabins inclines steeply toward the south. The motel cabins, connected by flat-
roofed carports, were constructed in 1948 as the earliest phase of development
of the Silver Saddle Motel. Identical in design, each of the cabins feature shallow-
pitched gable roofs, an off-center entrance accessed by concrete steps, and a
large plate-glass window with sidelights. The buildings are clad in half-round
simulated log siding, painted dark brown. The log siding in the gable ends are
positioned in a diagonal array, while the east, west and south faces of the cabins
feature small, square windows.
Alterations
Historic photographs indicate the row of cabins to be largely intact to its 1948
construction with the exception of 3-over-1 double-hung sash that have been
replaced with picture windows with sidelights.
Motel Signs
Three motel signs are located on the property. An earlier neon “Silver Saddle
Motel” sign and a red “MOTEL” sign on the ridge of the motel office roof and
visible in a c.1960s-1970s tax assessor photograph, and a second neon sign on
a sign post north of the parking lot. The applicant intends to preserve the neon
sign on the ridge of the motel office and move the second neon sign to the
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 7 of 17
ground to avoid confusion once the building transitions to a residential use. The
more recent “MOTEL” sign is proposed to be removed.
Property History
Constructed in 1948 by Thomas and Blanche Taylor, the Silver Saddle Motel
property is significant for its association with post-WWII automobile tourism in
Boulder, having remained in continuous operation until 2015. The motel is
located in an area which contained several automobile related lodgings
beginning in the 1920s. The property survives as a vestige of the automobile
tourist trade which flourished at the extreme west end of Arapahoe Avenue
during the 1920s through the 1960s. Located at the base of the Flatirons and just
off of Canyon Road, the area was a logical location for lodgings from which early
automobile tourists could launch exploration of the Colorado Rockies. The Silver
Saddle Motel was one of the many lodgings that contributed to the growth of
tourism in Boulder and to the City’s economy as a whole during the twentieth
century.
Figure 6. Silver Saddle Motel Under Construction, c.1948.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 8 of 17
Figure 7. Postcard View, 90 Arapahoe Ave., c.1950s (eBay)
Figure 8. Silver Saddle Motel, Tax Assessor Card, c.1960s-1970s.
Thomas and Blanche Taylor bought the property at 90 Arapahoe Ave. in the late
1940s. According to the Tax Assessor card, construction on the Silver Saddle
Motel finished in 1949. The site was previously owned by Ray and Genevieve
Imel.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 9 of 17
Taylor (c.1940 - 1984)
Thomas Taylor was born in South Dakota in 1919. He moved to Boulder in 1936
and married Blanche Revis in Laramie, Wyoming in 1943. Taylor enlisted in the
armed service during WWII in 1940 and served on four campaigns, one in the
Pacific and three others in France and in Germany.1 After the war, Thomas and
Blanche had two children named Thomas and Susanna.
Thomas owned and managed the Silver Saddle motel from its construction in the
1940s to his death in 1984. In the 1950s, Taylor had nine log cabin style units
built on the property. Each unit had an open entry covered garage adjacent to the
room. The main building directly west of the four northern cabins served as the
motel office and was the residential home of the Taylors.
In 1977, Taylor was arrested on the charge of menacing in a confrontation with a
University of Colorado football player by the name of Leon White. When White
arrived at the motel with a couple of companions, Taylor refused to rent rooms to
the group because they could not prove they were married. After a dog in White’s
car ran loose just as the group was leaving, White ran to catch the dog, bumping
an elderly man, and Taylor’s son began wrestling with White. Taylor fired a pistol
into the air in order to break up the fight, at which point Taylor was arrested. A
couple months later, Taylor was found innocent. 2
The Silver Saddle continued operation until 2015.
Criteria for the Board’s Decision
Section 9-11-5(c), Public Hearing Before the Landmarks Board, B.R.C. 1981,
specifies that in their review of an application for local landmark designation, “the
landmarks board shall determine whether the proposed designation conforms
with the purposes and standards in Sections 9-11-1, Legislative Intent, and 9-11-
2, City Council May Designate Landmarks and Historic Districts.”
Section 9-11-1, Legislative Intent, states:
a) The purpose of this chapter is to promote the public health, safety, and
welfare by protecting, enhancing, and perpetuating buildings, sites, and
areas of the city reminiscent of past eras, events, and persons important
in local, state, or national history or providing significant examples of
architectural styles of the past. It is also the purpose of this chapter to
develop and maintain appropriate settings and environments for such
buildings, sites, and areas to enhance property values, stabilize
neighborhoods, promote tourist trade and interest, and foster knowledge
of the city’s living heritage.
1 “Sgt. Thomas Taylor Receives Discharge.” Daily Camera. 6 Mar 1984.
2 “Motel Manager Found Innocent Of Menacing.” Daily Camera. 10 Feb 1978.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 10 of 17
b) The City Council does not intend by this chapter to preserve every old
building in the city but instead to draw a reasonable balance between
private property rights and the public interest in preserving the city’s
cultural, historic, and architectural heritage by ensuring that demolition of
buildings and structures important to that heritage will be carefully
weighed with other alternatives and that alterations to such buildings and
structures and new construction will respect the character of each such
setting, not by imitating surrounding structures, but by being compatible
with them.
c) The City Council intends that in reviewing applications for alterations to
and new construction on landmarks or structures in a historic district, the
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board shall follow relevant city policies,
including, without limitation, energy-efficient design, access for the
disabled, and creative approaches to renovation.
Section 9-11-2, City Council may Designate Landmarks and Historic
Districts, states:
(a) Pursuant to the procedures in this chapter the City Council may by
ordinance:
(1) Designate as a landmark an individual building or other feature or
an integrated group of structures or features on a single lot or site
having a special character and historical, architectural, or aesthetic
interest or value and designate a landmark site for each landmark;
Upon designation, the property included in any such designation is subject to all
the requirements of this code and other ordinances of the city.
To assist in the interpretation of the historic preservation ordinance, the
Landmarks Board has adopted significance criteria to use when evaluating
applications for individual landmarks. The criteria are included in Attachment C:
Significance Criteria.
Analysis
Staff’s analysis is based on the criteria for review provided above.
A. Does the proposed application protect, enhance, and perpetuate
buildings, sites, and areas of the city reminiscent of past eras, events,
and persons important in local, state, or national history or providing
significant examples of architectural styles of the past?
B. Does the proposed application draw a reasonable balance between
private property rights and the public interest in preserving the City’s
cultural, historic, and architectural heritage by ensuring that demolition
of buildings and structures important to that heritage will be carefully
weighed with other alternatives?
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 11 of 17
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The buildings at 90 Arapahoe Ave. meets criteria 1, 2 and 3 for historic
significance.
1. Date of Construction: c. 1920-1948
Elaboration: It appears a c.1920 residence on the property was repurposed
as the motel office building in 1948. The motel cabins were constructed in
1948.
2. Association with Persons or Events: Thomas and Blanche Taylor
Elaboration: The Taylors purchased the property in 1948 and operated the
Silver Saddle Motel and Beauty Shop until 1984.
3. Distinction in the Development of the Community: Automobile Tourism
Elaboration: The property survives as a vestige of the automobile tourist
trade which flourished at the west end of Arapahoe Avenue during the 1920s
through the 1960s. Located as it is at the base of the Flatirons and just off
Canyon Road, the area was a logical one in which to locate lodgings from
which early automobile tourists could launch exploration of the Colorado
Rockies. The Silver Saddle Motel was one of the many lodgings that
contributed to the growth of tourism in Boulder and to the City’s economy as a
whole during the mid-twentieth century.
4. Recognition by Authorities: None
Elaboration: The property has not been surveyed.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The buildings at 90 Arapahoe Ave. meet architectural significance criteria
1 and 4.
1. Recognized Period or Style: Rustic Motor Lodge
Elaboration: The half-round logs and simple trim contribute to the rustic
character of the motor lodge. Motels like the Silver Saddle were designed to
attract tourists looking for convenient and comfortable accommodations as
well as a rustic character to serve as a launching point to explore Colorado
wilderness. The cabins are connected by carports, exemplifying the building’s
use as an automobile-centered accommodation.
2. Architect or Builder of Prominence: Unknown
3. Artistic Merit: None Observed
4. Example of the Uncommon: Motor Lodge
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 12 of 17
Elaboration: While the automobile industry led to the construction of many
motels, there are few remaining examples left.
5. Indigenous Qualities: None Observed
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The buildings at 90 Arapahoe Ave. meets the criteria for environmental
significance 1, 2, 4 and 5.
1. Site Characteristics: The site retains its historic character, with parking lot
adjacent to the motel cabins and office building.
2. Compatibility with Site: The buildings are compatible with their site in terms
of scale and massing.
3. Geographic Importance: None observed.
4. Environmental Appropriateness: The setting at the edge of town is
complementary to its use as a motel and part of its history associated with the
automobile era in Boulder.
5. Area Integrity: The property is not located in an identified potential historic
district. Bordered by City of Boulder Open Space on the west and north, a
pending individual landmark (96 Arapahoe Ave.) to the east, and Boulder
Creek to the south, the immediate area retains its historic character.
Landmark Name
Staff recommends the landmark property be known as the Silver Saddle Motel,
which operated on the site from 1948 until 2015. This is consistent with the
Landmark Board’s Guidelines for Names of Landmarked Structures and Sites
(1988) and the National Register of Historic Places Guidelines for
Designation. See Attachment D: Guidelines for Names of Landmarked
Structures and Sites.
Landmark Boundary
Staff recommends that the boundary be established to encompass the motel
office and cabins and parking lot, as proposed by the owner. As shown in Figures
9 and 10, the landmark boundary provides a two-foot buffer around the west and
south sides of the buildings and follows the drainage easement on the east
(located 8’6 from the east property line). The north landmark boundary follows
the sidewalk. The northeast corner of the landmark boundary is located 41’6 from
the north property boundary and the northwest corner of the landmark boundary
is located 49’6 from the north property boundary. The Silver Lake Ditch,
protected by an easement, crosses the norther portion of the property in an
underground pipe. Language exempting ditch maintenance and improvement
from review will be included in the designation ordinance.
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 13 of 17
Figure 9. Proposed Landmark Boundary showing portion of property proposed
for designation.
Figure 10. Proposed Landmark Boundary (detail)
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 14 of 17
Proposed Plaque Language (limited to 350 characters, incl. spaces)
Silver Saddle Motel (c. 1920-1948)
Thomas and Blanche Taylor built the Silver Saddle Motel in 1948 and it remained
in operation until 2015. From the 1920s, this area was a popular stop on the way
to explore the Rocky Mountains by automobile, and this area contained several
automobile related lodgings until the 1960s.
Next Steps
Within 45 days of the hearing date, the Landmarks Board must adopt specific
written findings and conclusions approving, approving with modifications, or
disapproving the application. Should the board disapprove the application, the
board must notify the City Council of that action within 30 days of the hearing
date. City Council may call up a decision disapproving a designation. Should an
application be disapproved, the same application may not be submitted for a
period of one year.
If the board finds that the proposed designation conforms to Sections 9-11-1 and
9-11-2, B.R.C. 1981, it shall adopt specific findings and conclusions approving or
modifying and approving the application. If the board approves the proposed
designation, the application will be forwarded to City Council (within 45 days) for
a public hearing. The public hearing before City Council must be held within 100
days of the Landmark Board’s decision recommending designation.
Attachments
A: Landmark Designation Application
B: Tax Assessor Card
C: Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks (link)
D: Guidelines for Names of Landmarked Structures and Sites (link)
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 15 of 17
Attachment A -Landmark Designation application
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 16 of 17
Attachment B - Tax Assessor Card
Item 5B - 90 Arapahoe Ave Memo 12.2.2020 Page 17 of 17