HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave Memo 09.06.23
MEMORANDUM TO THE LANDMARKS BOARD
September 6, 2023
STAFF
Brad Mueller, Director of Planning and Development Services
Kristofer Johnson, Comprehensive Planning Senior Manager
Lucas Markley, Assistant City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office
Marcy Gerwing, Principal Historic Preservation Planner
Clare Brandt, Historic Preservation Planner
Aubrey Noble, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator
Olivia Simard, Historic Preservation Intern
CONSIDERATION OF LANDMARK DESIGNATION REQUEST
Public hearing and consideration of an application to designate the property at 604 Mapleton 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.
Address: 604 Mapleton Ave.
Legal Description: LOTS 21 22 23 & 24 BLK 6 MAPLETON
Case Number: HIS2023-00128
Owner/Applicant: Judith Reid and Richard Collins
Case Type: Landmark Designation
Code Section: 9-11-5, B.R.C., 1981
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owners nominated their property at 604 Mapleton Ave. to be designated as an individual landmark.
The house is currently designated as a contributing property in the Mapleton Hill Historic District. Staff
considers the property is additionally eligible as an individual landmark based on its architectural
significance as a Tudor Revival style house designed by Arthur E. Saunders with features specific to the
period where the automobile was becoming popular; and its historic significance for its association with
multiple prominent families in Boulder; and its environmental significance for its mature trees and
prominent location on a corner lot.
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Landmarks Board forward the application to the City Council with a
recommendation to designate the property as an individual landmark to be known as the Eastman-Reid-
Collins House.
RECOMMENDED MOTION
The Landmarks Board recommends to the City Council that it designate the property at 604 Mapleton
Ave. as a local historic landmark, to be known as the Eastman-Reid-Collins House, finding that it meets
the standards for individual landmark designation in Sections 9-11-1 and 9-11-2, B.R.C. 1981, and adopt the
staff memorandum dated September 6, 2023, as the findings of the board.
BACKGROUND
• In 1982, the Mapleton Hill Historic District was designated by Ordinance 4702. The house at 604
Mapleton Ave. was identified as a contributing feature of the district. In addition, the house was
surveyed in 1986 and found to be in excellent condition, have minor modifications, and be significant
to the district.1
• On June 23, 2023, staff accepted an application to designate the house as an individual local landmark.
A hearing must be scheduled between 60 and 120 days of an accepted application (between August 22
and October 21, 2023).
• Staff recommends that the Landmarks Board forward the application to the City Council with the
recommendation to designate the property as the Eastman-Reid-Collins House. If designated, it would
be Boulder’s 214th individual landmark.
1 Front Range Research Associates. “604 Mapleton Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1986. Call Number 780 Mapleton
604. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37207
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 2 of 30
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
The property at 604 Mapleton Ave. is located on the southeast corner of 6th Street and Mapleton Avenue
in the Mapleton Hill Historic District. The house faces north onto Mapleton Avenue. Mapleton Alley
borders the property on the south side. There are no accessory buildings on the property.
The Mapleton Hill Historic District was home to many of Boulder’s early, prominent citizens and more than
half the buildings predate World War I. The district is architecturally significant due to the variety and
blending of an assortment of designs; Mapleton Hill Historic district has representations of virtually every
late nineteenth century architectural style. The district’s environmental significance includes the mature
trees and the prominent bluff location. See Mapleton Hill Historic District Design Guidelines (link) for
additional information the description and significance of the district.
Figure 1. Location Maps, 604 Mapleton Ave. within the Mapleton Hill Historic District (purple).
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
The house at 604 Mapleton Ave. was built in 1913 in the Tudor Revival style. It is a two-and-a-half story red-
brown brick house with sandstone trim and half-timbered and stucco upper levels. The front is
asymmetrical with a pair of front-facing gables, the east gable more dominant than the west. The gables
flank an arched entrance with a crenelated porch above.
The west side (facing 6th Street) features a narrow brick porte cochere (carriage porch) and stone and
brick carriage steps leading to an ice box door, all original to the house. In addition, the rear of the west
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 3 of 30
side of the house includes an original attached one-story hipped-roof garage.2 There is no separate
carriage house or other accessory building on the property, and the inclusion of the garage demonstrates
early acceptance of the automobile.3
The roof includes wide overhanging eaves and exposed rafter tails. The windows are wood, predominantly
double-hung and multi-lite. The basement features glass block windows on all but the north elevation; and
there are decorative leaded glass windows in multiple locations.
The house also features a raised stone foundation, and brick end chimneys on the south and east
elevations.
Figure 2. 604 Mapleton Ave., north elevation (façade), 2023.
2 Boulder County Assessor. “604 Mapleton Avenue real estate appraisal.” Call Number 880-Mapleton-604. 1929-1963. Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A84003
3 The automobile arrived in Boulder around 1904. Pettem, Silvia “The Automobile Era in Boulder.” 1999.
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 4 of 30
Figure 3. 604 Mapleton Ave., west elevation (facing 6th Street), 2023.
Figure 4. 604 Mapleton Ave., south elevation (alley), 2023.
Figure 5. 604 Mapleton Ave., east elevation, 2023.
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 5 of 30
According to Jane Valentine Barker’s 1979 book, “Historic Homes of Boulder County,”4 the house was
designed by Arthur E. Saunders (1860-1930), who also designed 410 Highland Ave. and the Howe Mortuary
at 1045 Spruce St. (both within the Mapleton Hill Historic District), the Mercantile Bank at 1201 Pearl St.,
and multiple other buildings alone and with Charles Wright (1859-1929). According to The Architects of
Boulder 1859-1959:5
Arthur E. Saunders was born in England on April 14, 1860 and reportedly apprenticed in the building
trades and took a course in the “science of construction” before immigrating to California in 1885.
There he designed buildings with Daniel A. Damkroeger, and married Caroline “Carrie” Gould in
1896. Beginning in 1897, he practiced architecture on his own for five years in Spokane, Washington
where he designed around thirty homes.
By 1904, he had a partnership in Boulder with Charles H. Wright which lasted until 1907. Saunders
received Colorado Architect License No. 44 (Form A) in 1910, and had his own practice until he
died. Carrie died in 1914 and he married Alda A. Hodge in 1917. Saunders died in October 1930 at the
Presbyterian Hospital in Denver. It was his last request that Howe Mortuary (located in a building
he designed) conduct his burial in Boulder’s Green Mountain Cemetery. His son, Arthur G., worked
as a draftsman in various architectural firms, but never became a licensed architect.
Integrity
The building retains a high degree of historic integrity, with alterations limited to the addition of a dormer
on the south (alley) elevation in 2013; the construction of a brick wall around the east side of the property
and along the alley (2004); and construction of an 18” sandstone wall around a patio in 1983.6
A property may be eligible for landmark designation if it meets the criteria outlined in the Significance
Criteria for Individual Landmarks (link). However, the building must also retain physical features that allow
it to convey that significance. The National Park Service provides standards 7 in the “aspects of integrity”
that can be used to define whether a building retains enough integrity to convey appropriate historical
4 Barker, Jane Valentine. “Historic Homes of Boulder County: Eastman House”. 1979. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colo.
5 Anderson, Marti, Estella Cole, Kristin Sann-Gunderson. “The Architects of Boulder 1859-1959.” 2022. Call Number 997-2-5.
Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A97053
6 City of Boulder Permit Records. http://lfprod/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=2423631&repo=LF8PROD&dbid=0
7 U.S. Dept. of the Interior. “National Historic Landmarks Glossary of Terms.” National Park Service. Accessed November 2022. htt
ps://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/glossary.htm
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 6 of 30
associations or attributes. The building meets the aspects of integrity outlined by the National Park
Service in that its location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association are intact.
Figure 6. 604 Mapleton Ave. c. 1929. Real Estate Appraisal image.8
Figure 7. Left: 604 Mapleton Ave. 1986 Historic Building Inventory image. 9 Right: 2023
8 Boulder County Assessor. “604 Mapleton Avenue real estate appraisal.” Call Number 880-Mapleton-604. 1929-1963. Carnegie Libr
ary for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A84003
9 Front Range Research Associates. “604 Mapleton Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1986. Call Number 780 Mapleton 60
4. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37207
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 7 of 30
Figure 8. Brick and stone detailing. Staff photographs.
Figure 9. Porte cochere (carriage porch), carriage steps to ice box door, attached garage details.
Figure 10. Window details. Staff photographs
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PROPERTY HISTORY
Owners of the property and house have included:
Ernest and Lurene Grill and the Ernest Grill Lumber Company (1907 - 1913)
Prior to the construction of the house, Ernest and Lurene Grill and the Ernest Grill Lumber Company
purchased lots 20 through 24 in 1907 from Amos and Sarah Colborn. They sold lots 22, 23, 24 to Asenath
Eastman for $1 on March 11, 1913.
Figure 11. Advertisement from the 1911 City Directory.10
Figure 12. Lots 20 through 24 that comprise 604 Mapleton Ave. in 1910 11 before the house was constructed, and
in 1918, after construction over lots 22, 23, and 24. 12
10 “City Directory Vol, VI.” April 1911. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/dvm_lochist011682-
00001_1?usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFQ26&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1497510261
11 “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map” July 1910. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4314bm.g009581910/?sp=2
12 “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map” March 1918.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4314bm.g009581918/?sp=2&st=image&r=0.512,0.488,0.523,0.255,0
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 9 of 30
Frank H. Eastman and Asenath K. Eastman (1913 - 1935)
According to Frank Eastman’s obituary: “Seeking an environment for the raising of their children, Mr. and
Mrs. Eastman visited Boulder in the summer of 1912 and became so infatuated with the city that they
chose it as their home. The following year they built a handsome home on Mapleton Hill.”13
Frank Eastman was treasurer of Western States Cutlery Company in 191014, a stockbroker in 193015, and
co-founder and president of the Lashley-Persons Investment Company by 1933. He was “one of the most
popular and highly respected citizens of Boulder.”16 He was born in New Hampshire on January 8, 1865 and
died in 1933.
Mrs. Eastman was born Asenath Klepper on September 15, 1866, in Illinois. She and Frank married in 1889
and they had two children together: Leslie (born in 1899) and Harold (born in 1897). Asenath Eastman died
in 1950 after a long illness.
In 1920, Anna Johnson, whose occupation is listed as a servant, lived with the Eastmans, although it’s
unclear if she worked at the house or lodged with them while working elsewhere.17 Anna was a white
woman born in Colorado in about 1900 to Swedish parents, Andrew and Emma. She became a laundry
worker by 1921 and moved to Frederick, Colo. by 1930 to live with her brothers, both farmers.
13 “F. H. Eastman Prominent Banker Died.” March 4, 1933. Call Number VF-Eastman. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.
14 Federal Census Record. “Frank H. Eastman.” 1920. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/62272471:6061
15 Federal Census Record. “Frank H. Eastman.” 1930. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/101341772:6224
16 “Frank Eastman Funeral Held At His Home Today.” 1933. Call Number VF-Eastman. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.
17 Federal Census Record. “Anna Johnson.” 1920. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/62272471:6061
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 10 of 30
Figure 13. Frank and Asenath Eastman in 1921.18
Figure 14. Examples of Frank and Asenath Eastman’s volunteer work, 1915 through 1918.19
Asenath Eastman sold the house, including lots 22, 23, 24 to Andrew A. and Josephine Zangara on Aug. 16,
1935 for $100.
Ernest Grill (1907 - 1936)
Ernest Grill had retained lots 20 and 21 and sold them to Zangara one year later for an additional $100.
18 “Passport application” March 25, 1921. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/42191:1174; “Mr. and Mrs. Frank H.
Eastman portrait” 1913-1930. Call Number 249-6-6. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A64510
19 Boulder Daily Camera Volume 24, Number 256, January 13, 1915; Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 27, Number 22, April 11, 1917;
Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 28, Number 137, August 24, 1918
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 11 of 30
Andrew A. and Josephine Zangara (1935 – c. 1937)
Andrew Zangara purchased the house in 1935. Andrew was born in 1895 in Michigan to Italian parents.20 In
1936, he was President of the St. Joe Mining and Milling Company.21 The St. Joe was Boulder County’s
largest gold mining operation. He died in 1963.
Josephine was born Josephine Moheiser in 1897, in Illinois. In 1940, the Zangara family included Andrew,
Josephine, and children Margaret (age 24), Michael (age 22), Josephine (age 16) and Elizabeth Ann (age 9),
all living at 604 Mapleton Ave.
Zangara experienced financial difficulties in the late 1930s, and borrowed heavily against the house. The
creditors sold it around 1942.
Figure 15. A. A. Zangara. Boulder Daily Camera.
Ross L. and Elsie H. Benson (1942 – 1955)
Ross Laverne Benson was born on November 21, 1899, in Kansas to William and Mary Benson, farmers.22
He and Elsie Henry married in 1921. Ross and Elsie Benson sold their lumber yard in Great Bend, Kansas, in
20 Federal Census Record. “Andrew A. Zangara.” 1940. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-
content/view/40637409:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=b1ab0b2b0c22efa4517f34919f7cdb4e&_phsrc=DxR140&_phstart=successSour
ce
21 “Polk’s Boulder County Directory” 1936. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/834971478:2469
22 Federal Census Record. “Ross Benson.” 1910. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/132634582:7884
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 12 of 30
1942 and relocated to Boulder. 23 They lived in the house with their children: Robert (born 1925), Patricia
(born 1925), Pauline (born 1927), Charles (born 1931), Ross (born 1938) and Barbara Ann (born 1940).24
Ross and son Robert, with Patricia’s husband Erwin Mantooth, opened the Benson Lumber Company at
1738 Pearl St. in 1946. “[Ross Benson] will continue his work as a building contractor while his son and son-
in-law will take charge of the lumber yard. Benson is to build 37 houses for war veterans and will break
ground this week for the first six. These six will be located on 10th and 11th Streets directly west of the Moss
Rock cabin camp25 at 3011 Broadway.”26
The Bensons are noted in Historic Homes of Boulder County27 as avid hunters and installed a large
refrigerator in the basement to hang venison and other game.
The Bensons sold the house in 1955. Ross died in 1976, Elsie in 1990.
23 Boulder Daily Camera. “New Lumber Yard Being Constructed At 18th And Pearl” March 6, 1946. Carnegie Library for Local History,
Boulder.
24 Federal Census Record. “Ross Benson.” 1950. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19739493:62308
25 In North Boulder, on 12th Street (now Broadway) at Dellwood, were the Moss Rock Cottages with adjoining service station.
Pettem, Silvia “The Automobile Era in Boulder.”
26 Boulder Daily Camera. “New Lumber Yard Being Constructed At 18th And Pearl” March 6, 1946. Carnegie Library for Local
History, Boulder.
27 Barker, Jane Valentine. “Historic Homes of Boulder County: Eastman House”. 1979. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colo.
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 13 of 30
Figure 16. George Colclasure, Walter R. Colclasure, R. L. Benson, Ross L. Benson, Clyde R. Reedy and others
unknown after a hunting trip. 1948.28
Figure 17. Left: Benson Lumber Company at 1738 Pearl St. C. 1947.29Right: advertisement from city directory,
1953.30
1955 - 1969
After the Bensons left, the house changed hands many times. Ray E. and Frances A. Smith owned it with
Viggo and Evangeline Smith from 1955 to 1956. Verner R. and Adelaide L. Shoup purchased the property in
1956 and deeded it to Merrill E. Shoup in 1958 (although Verner continued to live in the house until 1960).31
Merrill sold it to Earl, Jr. and Mary Ellen Moore in 1960. The Moores sold it to David A. and Anne H Boore in
1963, who deeded this property and another in West Boulder to Marshall Rosenshine for $10 in 1964.
Rosenshine also sold the property for $10 to Virginia V. Sutton in 1964. Ms. Sutton sold the house for
$46,840 after 5 years of ownership.
28 “Photo taken at the Benson Lumber Yard on Pearl Street, and published in the Camera on 28 October 1948. The local men are
identified as: George Colclasure, Walter R. Colclasure, R. L. Benson, Ross L. Benson, and Clyde R. Reedy.” 1948. Call Number BHS
205-1-22. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A56510
29 “1738 Pearl Street real estate appraisal cards.” 1947-1966. Call Number 880-Pearl-1738. Carnegie Library for Local History,
Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A98437
30 “Polk’s Boulder County Directory” 1953.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/14498522?usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFQ47&_phstart=successSo
urce&usePUBJs=true&pId=837385172
31 “Polk’s Boulder County Directory” 1960.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/14888022?usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFQ47&_phstart=successSo
urce&usePUBJs=true&pId=837385172
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René A. and Charlotte E. Wolf (1969 – 1975)
René A. and Charlotte E. Wolf owned the house from 1969 until 1975. Dr. Charlotte Wolf was a professor of
sociology at Temple Buell College32 in Denver with “special interests in sociological theory, social
psychology and the sociology of women.”33 She received degrees from the University of Colorado and the
University of Minnesota, and is included in the volume of “American Men of Science.”34
Figure 18. Dr. Charlotte Wolf. 1972. Boulder Daily Camera.
32 Its name changed to Temple Buell College in 1966, and changed again to Colorado Women's College in 1973 and merged into the
University of Denver in 1982. duarchives.coalliance.org
33 Daily Camera “Dr. Charlotte Wolf to Discuss Feminist Movement On Sunday.” October 12, 1972. Call Number VF-Wolf. Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder.
34 Daily Camera “Women’s Liberation To Be Council Program.” March 24, 1971. Call Number VF-Wolf. Carnegie Library for Local
History, Boulder.
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Richard B. Collins and Judith L. Reid (1975 – Present)
Current owners, Richard Collins and Judith Reid have owned the house since 1975. They moved to Boulder
from Window Rock35, Arizona, so Richard could work as a staff lawyer for the Native American Rights Fund.
According to the family:
Judy soon became involved in feminist issues, working on retaining Colorado’s Equal Rights
Amendment, a successful battle. She was later the president of Boulder’s chapter of the National
Organization for Women, and the director of the Boulder Educational Equity Project. BEEP was
formed with a grant from PEER (Project on Equal Education Rights, an arm of NOW), and lobbied
the Boulder Valley School district to remove and update sexist textbooks and to hire women as
school principals. Both of those goals were implemented, among others.
Rick was closely involved in six American Indian law cases in the US Supreme Court, arguing in
front of Colorado’s Justice Byron White (who asked him personal questions about Boulder!) Most
are landmark cases. He joined CU’s Law School faculty in 1982, retiring 39 years later. He
specialized in American Indian Law and Colorado government, also teaching Constitutional Law
and Property Law. He received student awards for his teaching.
Rick was President of the Colorado Music Festival board and board President of September
School. He is on the Boulder Bach Festival board. Judy has served on both city and school district
committees, including the creation of the Mapleton Hill Historic District and was president of the
Boulder Center for Performing Arts, an attempt to build an auditorium for the city.
Rick is a native of Cincinnati, graduated from Yale with a degree in chemistry and, after three years
in the Navy, attended Harvard Law School, after which he clerked for a federal judge on the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals. Judy is a native of Berkeley, graduated from Colorado College, and did
graduate work in French at Cal. They have three daughters and two granddaughters.
35 Known in Navajo as Tségháhoodzání, Window Rock is a census-designated place (CDP) that serves as the seat of government
and capital of the Navajo Nation, the largest territory in North America of a sovereign Native American nation.
https://www.navajo-nsn.gov/
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Figure 19. Judith Reid (center) and Richard Collins (right) with family, 2020.
AREA HISTORY
According to the Mapleton Hill Historic District Design Guidelines (link):
The architecture and environment of the Mapleton Hill area combine to create a unique neighborhood
in Boulder. The mature trees which cover the neighborhood lend to the quality of the environment.
Mapleton Avenue, running along the spine of the hill, is a tree-canopied boulevard providing the focal
point for the area. The wide variety of homes and architectural styles reflects the western tradition of
“rugged individualism”. It is this variety, which also characterizes the heritage of Boulder and western
settlement, that is significant in the district. The heterogenous nature of the area represents Boulder’s
growth over several periods. The architecture of the area demonstrates a wide combination of
elements, styles, and motifs, that harmonize to create a lively environment and an animated, fresh
fabric. The trees create a feeling of enclosure by providing a canopy throughout the neighborhood. The
variety in lot sizes, front yards, architectural styles, scale, and building materials add texture to the
neighborhood fabric.
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Of significance to the unique style of Mapleton Hill is the architectural variety and blending of an
assortment of designs. Preserved in the Mapleton district are representations of virtually every late
nineteenth century architectural revival style. No one style predominates and many buildings are
combinations of elements from a variety of historical sources. The period during which the majority of
houses in the Mapleton area were built was characterized by a preoccupation with past styles as well
as technological advancements in building techniques. Because of this, decorative period motifs were
applied to modern buildings as a function of taste rather than of structural demands, and plans were
altered as necessary for modern convenience.
Figure 20. Looking east along Mapleton Avenue.36 Carnegie Library for Local History (top) staff photo (below)
36 Nelson, Delbert A. “One panoramic photograph looking southeast down the 600 block of Mapleton Avenue. The house at 604
Mapleton, on the southeast corner of Mapleton and 6th, can be seen at right of the photo. The house at 625 Mapleton appears at
the left edge of the photo.” 1965-1971. Call No. 497-3-32. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, CO.
https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A78939.
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Figure 21. Looking east along Mapleton Avenue, 1896 (left) and similar view in 2023 (right). Carnegie Library for
Local History.37
PURPOSE AND CRITERIA FOR THE BOARD’S DECISION
Section 9-11-5I, 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 § 9-11-1, Purpose and Legislative Intent, and § 9-
11-2, City Council May Designate or Amend Landmarks and Historic Districts. The Significance Criteria for
Individual Landmarks (link) was adopted by the Landmarks Board on Sept. 17, 1975”
STAFF ANALYSIS
The following is a result of staff’s research of the property relative to the Significance Criteria for Individual
Landmarks (link).
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house located at 604 Mapleton Ave. meets the following historic significance criteria.
1. Date of Construction: 1913
Elaboration: The house was constructed for Frank and Asenath Eastman and their two children.
2. Association with Persons or Events: Associated with the Eastman Family; Andrew and Josephine
Zangara; the Benson Family; René and Charlotte Wolf; and Richard Collins and Judith Reid, families
prominent in Boulder community and business activities.
3. Distinction in the Development of the Community: Mapleton Hill Historic District
37 Sturtevant, J. B. “Views of Boulder taken from Sunset Hill looking towards Mapleton Hill.” 1896. Call No. BHS 208-1-20. Carnegie
Library for Local History, Boulder, CO. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A65878.
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 19 of 30
Elaboration: The area represents Boulder’s growth. Frank Eastman, for whom the house was
constructed, was a wealthy professional. The house is distinct within the district for its style and size
spanning multiple lots.
4. Recognition by Authorities: Identified as a contributing resource in the Mapleton Hill Historic District
(1982); Front Range Research Associates (1986);38 featured in “Historic Homes of Boulder County:
Eastman House”. (1979).39
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house at 604 Mapleton Ave. meets the following architectural significance criteria.
1. Recognized Period or Style: Tudor Revival
Elaboration: From History Colorado:40 “The most dominant features of the Tudor Revival style are
the false or ornamental half-timbering, which covers the upper story, and the steeply pitched roof.
Exterior texturing, through the use of brick, stone, or stucco, together with the half-timbering and
asymmetrical massing, gives a Tudor Revival style building a picturesque composition.”
2. Architect or Builder of Prominence: Arthur E. Saunders
Elaboration: The house was likely designed by Arthur E. Saunders (1860-1930), who additionally
designed 410 Highland Ave. and the Howe Mortuary at 1045 Spruce St. (both within the Mapleton
Hill Historic District), the Mercantile Bank at 1201 Pearl St., and multiple other buildings.
3. Artistic Merit: Masonry
Elaboration: The masonry detailing, such as the brick lintels with stone detailing at the corners
show exceptional skill.
4. Example of the Uncommon: Narrow brick porte cochere (carriage porch), carriage steps, and
attached one-story hipped-roof garage.
Elaboration: The automobile arrived in Boulder around 1904. The inclusion of these original
features in 1913 (and no carriage house on the property) demonstrates the changes in architecture
due to the increasing popularity of the automobile.
38 Front Range Research Associates. “604 Mapleton Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1986. Call Number 780 Mapleton 6
04. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37207
39 Barker, Jane Valentine. “Historic Homes of Boulder County: Eastman House”. 1979. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colo.
40 “Colorado's Historic Architecture & Engineering Guide: Bungalow.” History Colorado. https://www.historycolorado.org/tudor-
revival
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5. Indigenous Qualities: Likely utilized local stone and brick.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Summary: The house located at 604 Mapleton Ave. meets the following environmental significance criteria.
1. Site Characteristics: The orientation of the house on the corner lot allows for the façade to face
Mapleton Avenue, and allow the cars (or carriage) to enter from either Mapleton Avenue or 6th
Street, and draw up to the side of the house and access the attached garage. Additionally, the
mature street trees are all character-defining features of the house within the context of the
Mapleton Hill Historic District.
2. Compatibility with Site: Consistent with similarly grand houses in the district, the house spans
multiple lots on the corner and is set back from the street.
3. Geographic Importance: The house is centrally located within the Mapleton Hill Historic District.
4. Environmental Appropriateness: None observed.
5. Area Integrity: The property is located in the Mapleton Hill Historic District.
Elaboration: The house contributes to the architectural variety and character of the Mapleton Hill
Historic District.
LANDMARK NAME
Staff recommends the property be known as the Eastman-Reid-Collins House to recognize the original
owners, Frank and Asenath Eastman and the civic contributions of the longest owners, Richard Collins
and Judith Reid, who have lived at the house from 1975 to the present day. 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 Guidelines for Names of Landmarked
Structures and Sites (link).
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LANDMARK BOUNDARY
Staff recommends that the boundary be established to follow the property lines of the lot, consistent with
current and past practices and the National Register Guidelines for establishing landmark boundaries.
This boundary is supported by the property owners.
Figure 22. 604 Mapleton Ave., proposed Landmark boundary (dotted yellow line).
PROPOSED PLAQUE LANGUAGE (LIMITED TO 350 CHARACTERS, INCL. SPACES)
Eastman-Reid-Collins House
1913
Frank and Asenath Eastman constructed this house with features specific to the newly popular
automobile. Richard Collins and Judith Reid purchased it in 1975. Collins spent a legal career fighting for
Native American Rights; Reid for women’s rights and civic equity.
Designated a City of Boulder Landmark in 2023
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:
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 22 of 30
1. The designation of the property at 604 Mapleton Ave. will protect, enhance, and perpetuate a
property reminiscent of a past era of history and preserve an important example of Boulder’s
historic architecture.
2.The proposed designation will maintain an appropriate setting and environment for the building,
and enhance property values, stabilize the neighborhood, promote tourist trade and interest, and
foster knowledge of the city’s living heritage.
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:
B:
C:
D:
Application Materials
Historic Building Inventory Form, 604 Mapleton Ave. (link)
Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks (link)
Guidelines for Names of Landmarked Structures and Sites (link)
Item 5A - 604 Mapleton Ave. LB Memo 09.06.2023 Page 23 of 30
Judith L. Reid/Richard B. CollinsJudith L. Reid/Richard B. Collins 303-440-6040303-440-6040 reidjudy@hotmail.comreidjudy@hotmail.com
604 Mapleton Avenue604 Mapleton Avenue BoulderBoulder coco 8030480304
May 31,2023May 31,2023
604 Mapleton Avenue604 Mapleton Avenue 19131913
Tudor revivalTudor revival Arthur E. SaundersArthurE. Saunders
Attic dormer window, 2013Atticdormer window, 2013
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