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Item 5A 904 Mapleton Ave Memo 05.01.24
MEMORANDUM TO THE LANDMARKS BOARD May 1, 2024 STAFF Brad Mueller, Director of Planning and Development Services Kristofer Johnson, Comprehensive Planning Senior Manager Chris Reynolds, Deputy City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office Marcy Gerwing, Principal Historic Preservation Planner Clare Brandt, Historic Preservation Planner Aubrey Noble, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator Meron Shiferaw, Historic Preservation Intern CONSIDERATION OF LANDMARK DESIGNATION REQUEST Public hearing and consideration of an application to designate the property at 904 Mapleton Ave. as an individual 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: 904 Mapleton Ave. Legal Description: LOT 10 BLK 151 SQUIRES TO BOULDER O T WEST Case Number: HIS2023-00262 Owner/Applicant: Anne and Samuel Sandoe Case Type: Landmark Designation Code Section: 9-11-5, B.R.C., 1981 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The owners nominated their property at 904 Mapleton Ave., located in the Mapleton Hill Historic District, to be designated as an individual landmark. Staff considers the property is eligible as an individual landmark based on its architectural significance as an Edwardian Vernacular house constructed out of local Dakota sandstone by stone-masons Andrew Fraser and Donald Grant; its historic significance for its association with the house’s original owner, Frank Gardiner, and James Sandoe, who was instrumental in establishing the annual Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder, and for the Sandoe family, who have been careful stewards of the property for more than 80 years; and for its environmental significance as a contributing property in the Mapleton Hill Historic District. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 1 of 28 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 Gardiner- Sandoe House. RECOMMENDED MOTION The Landmarks Board recommends to the City Council that it designate the property at 904 Mapleton Ave. as a local historic landmark, to be known as the Gardiner-Sandoe 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 May 1, 2024, as the findings of the board. BACKGROUND • On December 14, 2023, staff accepted an application to designate the house as an individual local landmark. A hearing is typically scheduled between 60 and 120 days of an accepted application (between February 12 and April 12, 2024), however due to scheduling difficulties the owners agreed to postpone the hearing until May 1. • Staff recommends that the Landmarks Board forward the application to the City Council with the recommendation to designate the property as the Gardiner-Sandoe House. If designated, it would be Boulder’s 216th individual landmark. PROPERTY LOCATION The property at 904 Mapleton Ave. is located on the southeast corner of 9th Street and Mapleton Avenue. The house faces north onto Mapleton Avenue. The Farmers Ditch follows the southern property line and an alley is located on the south side of the ditch. There are no accessory buildings on the property. The property is located within the boundaries of the Mapleton Hill Historic District. Figure 1. Right: Location Map of central Boulder showing 904 Mapleton Ave. within the Mapleton Hill neighborhood. Left: 904 Mapleton Ave. on the southeast corner of 9th Street and Mapleton Avenue. Maplink+ Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 2 of 28 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Figure 2. 904 Mapleton Ave., north elevation (façade), showing the curved front porch and roof deck and Palladian- style window in the gable end. 2023 Staff photograph. The house at 904 Mapleton Ave. was built between 1895 and 1897 for Frank J. Gardiner by Andrew Fraser and Donald Grant (of the firm Grant and Fraser, stone-masons), and Grover and Kelliger (carpenters) . It is a one-and-a-half story front-gable house constructed out of locally quarried Dakota sandstone. The front gabled end is clad in wood shake with a Palladian-style composition of a door and two double hung windows and a wood arch and decorative trim above. The front of the house features a semi-circular porch with a railing above. The porch includes a wide frieze board with decorative dentils, overhanging trim and columns that sit on a curved wall constructed of Dakota sandstone. The upper deck includes a curved railing with decorative posts and square supports with decorative finials. The main entry is located under the porch alongside a small vertical window. A second, rectangular window is located to the west of the porch and features a stone sill and header. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 3 of 28 Figure 3. 904 Mapleton Ave., west elevation (facing 9th Street), showing the central gable dormer above a bay window with roof deck, 2023. Staff photograph. Figure 4. 904 Mapleton Ave., east elevation showing the pair of gable dormers with shed roof addition below, 2023. Staff photograph. The west elevation features a gabled dormer above a wood bay window with a small roof deck above, which is accessed via a deep double-hung window. At the east elevation there are two gable dormers: The front-most dormer is wider and includes three vertical wood double-hung windows. The dormers and gable ends are clad in wood shingle and include fine dentil and trim detailing. The lower windows and doors feature sandstone sills and headers and all of the windows feature diamond pattern divided lites. A shed roof addition with skylights is located at the rear of the east elevation. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 4 of 28 Figure 5. 904 Mapleton Ave., south elevation (rear) showing one story addition originally constructed as a garage, with deck above, 2023. Staff photograph. The rear of the house includes a frame one-story addition, constructed as a garage sometime after 1929, with a deck above. Above the addition (at the original house) there is an offset bay window with roof deck above. The gable end includes a pair of windows and a door on the west side (to access the roof deck) without the Palladian detailing seen on the façade. Integrity 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 1 in the “aspects of integrity” that can be used to define whether a building retains enough integrity to convey appropriate historical associations or attributes. The house at 904 Mapleton Ave. meets the aspects of integrity outlined by the National Park Service in that its location has not changed since its original construction and its setting within a local historic district retains a high degree of integrity. Its design, including its roof form and footprint are largely unchanged from its original construction (see below). The original materials remain, including the stone, wood siding, diamond-paned windows and fine detailing, conveying its original workmanship. Overall, the property retains its ability to convey its feeling of an 1890s house and its association with its historic residents. 1 U.S. Dept. of the Interior. “National Historic Landmarks Glossary of Terms.” National Park Service. Accessed November 2022. https://www.nps.go v/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/glossary.htm Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 5 of 28 Alterations include the construction of a small shed-roof addition on the east side after 1946, replacing the original gable roof side porch (see Figure 5). An attached frame garage at the rear of the house was added sometime between 1929 and 1949. The garage addition included a roof deck, which can be seen on the 1929-1949 Tax Assessor image (Figure 6.) The garage was converted to living space c. 1970, the garage door was removed and windows added. Both additions are subordinate to the house and do not obscure character-defining features. The porch railing on the curved porch had been removed and has since been restored to its original appearance based on historic photographs (see Figure 8.) The rear deck railing, replaced recently, reflects the detailing of the original upper-level railings. Figure 6. Left: Northwest corner of 904 Mapleton Ave. in 1900 before the completion of the front porch, showing the façade Palladian window/door and west elevation bay window with roof deck above. 2 Carnegie Library for Local History. Right: Similar northwest corner view in 2023 showing the façade and west elevation bay window with roof deck. Figure 7. Left: Northeast corner of 904 Mapleton Ave. 1929-1949 3 showing the east elevation dormers and original side entry porch replaced with a shed-roof addition. Right: Similar northeast corner view in 2023 showing east elevation dormers and shed roof addition below. Staff photograph. 2 Watts, Hugh. “Green photograph album: page ninety.” 1900. Call Number BHS 125-1-90. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://loc alhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67909 3 Boulder County Real Estate Appraisal. “904 Mapleton Avenue real estate appraisal card.” 1929-1961. Call Number 880-Mapleton-904. Carnegie Lib rary for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A86035 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 6 of 28 Figure 8. Left: façade of 904 Mapleton Ave. in 1986 showing the semi-circular porch, frieze board, and railing. 4 Right: Current 2023 view showing porch repaired and railing restored based on historic images. Staff photograph. Figure 9. Left: Gable end windows and doors showing the Palladian detailing at the façade. Right: The simpler Palladian- style ornamentation at the rear. Both include original doors leading to a roof deck. Staff photographs. Figure 10. Window details showing stone sill and lintel at lower level windows and detailed trim work including dentil details, 2023. Staff photographs. 4 Front Range Research Associates. “904 Mapleton Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1986. Call Number 780 Mapleton 904. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37342 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 7 of 28 PROPERTY HISTORY The house was constructed by local stonemasons Donald Grant and Andrew Fraser, whose firm Grant and Fraser is credited with constructing many prominent buildings in Boulder, including the University of Colorado Armory Hall at 1511 University Ave. and the First Congregational Church at 1128 Pine St. Donald Grant was born in Scotland around 1855 and emigrated in about 1879.5 He lived in Boulder from before 1900 until his death in 1919.6 Andrew Fraser was also originally from Scotland and emigrated in about 1882. He settled first in Kansas before moving to Colorado around 1891 and Boulder the following year. Fraser is known to have been involved in the construction of multiple stone buildings in Boulder, including the National State Bank building at 1242 Pearl St. where he was photographed as part of the construction crew and the original Masonic Temple at 1344 Pearl St. When this building was destroyed by fire in 1945, the Daily Camera wrote: “[Andrew] Fraser, who talks with a scotch burr as big as a walnut on his tongue, was contractor on the mason work when the building was built.... The firm of Fraser and Grant came to Boulder in 1891 and their first job was construction of the Methodist church building. They later built many other Boulder business buildings, including the National State Bank building [1242 Pearl St.] and Mt. St. Gertrude Academy [940 Aurora Ave.]”7 Figure 11. Andrew Fraser (5th from left, indicated) during the construction of the National State Bank building at 1242 Pearl St. in 1899.8 5 Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1964606:7884 6 Pettem, Silvia and Ed Raines “Use of Native Stone in Boulder.” 1999. Boulder Historic Context Project / Boulder Planning Department. 7 Boulder Daily Camera. July 13,1945. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. 8 “Photo 1 - Under construction with contractor Lionel Edward Fisher (holding rolled plans), stone mason and contractor Andrew Fraser (5th from left), J.P. Salberg (6th from left) and other laborers posed in front. George Farnsworth, who was with Railway Express, is the man nearest the door Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 8 of 28 A letter from Frank Gardiner’s executor, Attorney Rudolph Johnson, dated 1951 (See Attachment A: Application Materials) says that first owner Frank Gardiner told him that the house “was built of the Dakota sandstone, a very hard crystalline sandstone quarried up Sanitas Ravine back of the Sanitarium, a stone so difficult to work that the masons soon quit using it, taking instead the more easily worked Lyons sandstone.” Frank J. Gardiner (1894 - 1934), Isabelle Watts (1894-1901), Helen Robinson (1905-1934) Frank Gardiner and Isabelle Watts married in Michigan on October 3, 1889.9 They moved to Boulder around 1891 and lived at 914 Mapleton Ave. (next door to 904 Mapleton Ave.) with Isabelle’s mother, Jane Frasier Watts, brother, Hugh Watts and sister-law Clarabelle Watts.10 Hugh was an avid amateur photographer, and he made many of the early photographs of the house at 904 Mapleton Ave. Frank Gardiner purchased the lot for $350 on April 7, 1894 11 and then contracted with the firms Grant and Fraser, stone-masons, and Grover and Kelliger, carpenters,12 to build the house at 904 Mapleton Ave. Photographs by Hugh Watts dated 1895-1897 show the building complete with the exception of the front porch.). A newspaper article notes that Isabelle and Frank Gardiner moved into “their handsome new home near the Mapleton School” in April 1898.13 Frank was born in Michigan in 1860 and in the early years worked selling “illuminating and lubricating oils.” See attachment B: Gardiner family genealogy.14 Isabelle was born in Michigan in 1867 and was a music teacher before her marriage. The couple had one child who died in infancy in 1901. They divorced shortly after, and Isabelle is believed to have moved to California. in the background with packages.” 1899. Call No. BHS 207-11-26. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A61201 9 Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9093/images/41326_342431-00441?pId=3919477 10 Boulder City Directory. 1896. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/dvm_lochist011740- 00038_0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFQ47&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=837385172 11 County Records: https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181238683 12 Boulder Daily Camera. “F. J. Gardiner Sells Home on Mapleton Hill.” 1934. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. 13 “Local News.” April 26, 1898. Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 8, Number 29. https://www.ppc-historicnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC18980426- 01.2.47&srpos=8&e=-----1910--en-20--1-byDA-img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22F.+J.+Gardiner%22-------0-----Boulder+%28CO%29- 14 “Photographs of Frank Gardiner and one page of photocopied newspaper articles and a one-page biography of Frank.” 1910-1951. Call no. 420- Gardiner-Frank. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 9 of 28 Figure 12. Left: Photograph by Hugh Watts, brother of Isabelle Gardiner, in front of the house at 904 Mapleton Ave. c. 1895- 1897.15 Right: 904 Mapleton Ave. c. 1900 16 with two people on the porch, possibly Isabelle and Frank Gardiner. Figure 13. Left: Woman at the rear of the house, before the construction of the rear attached garage.17 Right: Interior view of dining room during the same time period, 1895-1897.18 Frank Gardiner ran a grocery store and bakery from 1901 until 1908 when he opened a second-hand furniture store. He remarried in 1905, to a woman named Helen M. Robinson. Helen was born in Canada in 1870. The couple lived at the house, along with intermittent lodgers, until they sold the house to Dr. Porter in 1934.19 Helen died in 1949; Frank in 1951. 15 Watts, Hugh. “Librarium: page forty-eight.” 1895-1897. Call No. BHS 125-1-48. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67616 16 “Photo 1. View of the house at 904 Mapleton Avenue with two people on the porch, probably Isabela and Frank J. Gardiner.” C. 1896. Call Number BHS 207-6-57. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A48174 17 Watts, Hugh. “Librarium: page forty-six.” 1895-1897. Call No. BHS 125-1-46. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67590 18 Watts, Hugh. “Librarium: page sixty-four.” 1895-1897. Call No. BHS 125-1-64. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67733 19 “F. J. Gardiner Sells Home On Mapleton Hill.” 1934. Boulder Daily Camera. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 10 of 28 Figure 14. Left: Newspaper advertisement for Frank Gardiner’s grocery store at 930 Pearl St.20 Right: Interior of Frank Gardiner’s second-hand furniture store, 1908-1936.21 Figure 15. Left: Frank Gardiner in a rocking chair c. 1910.22 Right: Portrait of Helen and Frank Gardiner.23 Dr. Milton B. Porter and Dr. Goldie Horton Porter (1938 – 1944) Goldie Horton Porter purchased the house from the Gardiners for $100 on September 8, 1938.24 According to a newspaper article about the sale: 20 “Advertisement.” August 24, 1901. Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 11, Number 126. https://www.ppc- historicnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=BDC19010824-01.2.20.3&srpos=19&e=-----1910--en-20--1-byDA-img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA- %22F.+J.+Gardiner%22-------0-----Boulder+%28CO%29- 21 “Photo 3: Frank standing inside his furniture store. From 1908-1937, the furniture store was located at three different addresses on Pearl Street: 1029, 1626, and 1627.” 1908-1937. Call No. 420-Gardiner-Frank. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A61621 22 “Photo 1: Frank Gardiner sitting on a rocking chair in a home with heavy brocade drapes with tassels.” 1910-1937. Call No. 420-Gardiner-Frank. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A61617 23 “Frank J. and Helen M. Gardiner portrait.” 1908-1911. Call No. BHS 249-7-69. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A44523 24 County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181510080 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 11 of 28 “Dr. Porter is a graduate of the University of Texas and has a master’s and doctor’s degree from Harvard. He joined Texas university faculty in 1897.”25 Married couple Milton Brockett Porter and Goldie Horton Porter both held doctorate degrees in mathematics and were long time members of the University of Texas math faculty. There is no indication that the Porters lived in the house while they owned it. In 1940, the house was vacant 26 and the Porters lived in Austin, Texas.27 They sold the house to Truman S. Caldwell in 1943, finalizing the transaction on June 3, 1944.28 Truman S. and Leah W. Caldwell, Julia and James Sayre Sandoe and family (1944 - present) The family of the current owners, siblings Anne and Samuel Sandoe, moved into the house in 1943. Their maternal grandparents, Truman Samuel Caldwell (1890-1971 29; an engineer born in Syracuse, New York) and Leah Willard Wolfe (1889-1964 30; born in Bentleysville, Pennsylvania) lived in Denver and purchased the house for their daughter and son-in-law.31 Their daughter, Julia Anne Caldwell (born on April 28, 1918 32), and son-in-law, James Sayre Sandoe (born in Alameda County, California on September 13, 1912 33), married six years prior on July 25, 1938.34 James was educated at Stanford, Columbia and the University of California at Berkeley and was employed as the Purchasing Librarian (later the manager of the library’s acquisitions program) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Their first child, John Stephen was born on January 5, 1941, followed by Julia (Jill) in 1943. Anne and Samuel followed in 1947 and 1954 respectively. 25 “F. J. Gardiner Sells Home On Mapleton Hill.” 1939. Boulder Daily Camera. Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder. 26 Boulder City Directory. 1940. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/14722980?usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFQ47&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs =true&pId=837385172 27 United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/157138277:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=2aac0848-fed0- 4dc7-9bb3-5cef8ac9b027&_phsrc=XQN42&_phstart=successSource 28 County Records. https://boulder.co.publicsearch.us/doc/181570441 29 Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui- content/view/8845513:3693 30 State of Florida. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998. Florida: Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, 1998. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/968323:7338 31 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing From Honolulu, Hawaii, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3091757:1502 32 Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/45637094:60901 33 U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/18787849:2238 34 Colorado, U.S., County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/355165:61366 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 12 of 28 Figure 16. Left: John and Jill Sandoe on the porch at the house shortly after moving in during the summer of 1943. Right: Leah Caldwell, with grandchildren John and Jill c. 1945. Courtesy of the owners. Figure 17. Top left: Jill, Anne and John Sandoe on the porch c. 1948. Top right: Jill and Anne with mother Julia Sandoe, and grandmothers Leah Caldwell and Edith Sandoe c. 1950. Below: Jill and Anne with mother Julia Sandoe, and grandmothers Leah Caldwell and Edith Sandoe and grandfather Truman Caldwell c. 1950. Courtesy of the owners. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 13 of 28 Leah Caldwell died in 1964 and Truman in May 1971. Truman left the house at 904 Mapleton to his daughter Julia C. Sandoe. As faculty member at the University of Colorado at Boulder, James Sandoe was asked to direct a play during the summer of 1944. At the time, the University Theatre was being used for the war effort by the Navy, so Sandoe used the Mary Rippon Theatre. The Mary Rippon Theatre had been completed in 1938, but Sandoe’s production of Romeo and Juliet was the first play to be performed there. In 1947, Jack Crouch, professor in the Department of English and Speech, took over as director and formally established the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in 1958,35 with Sandoe becoming a regular director three seasons later in 1961. According to the university archive: James Sayre Sandoe, a University of Colorado at Boulder faculty member for many years, was manager of the library’s acquisitions program, a drama teacher and coach, as well as a widely- known director of Shakespearean productions. … During the summers between 1948 and 1960, Sandoe directed productions for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. He became a regular director of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in 1961. He directed seven plays for the CU Outdoor Theatre during the summers and staged a number of productions for the University of Colorado Theatre’s regular season. He was often a guest director for Boulder’s Nomad Players, but he was on stage as much as he was off, playing such roles as Mercutio, Baptista, Glendower, and Nym. 36 For many years, Sandoe was a mystery novel critic who edited short stories. He was honored with Edgar Allen Poe awards from the Mystery Writers of America in 1949, 1950 and 1961 37, for his “Outstanding mystery critisism.” Mr. Sandoe taught Shakespeare, Dickens and the Humanities survey course, and is best remembered for his directing skills as well as his knowledge of Shakespeare and the stage. 38 35 University of Colorado Boulder University Libraries. “Colorado Shakespeare Festival Records.” 1958-1999. https://archives.colorado.edu/repositories/2/resources/714 36 University of Colorado Boulder University Libraries. “James Sandoe Papers.” 1930-1985. https://archives.colorado.edu/repositories/2/resources/1117 37 “Edgar Awards Info & Database.” Undated. Mystery Writers of America. https://edgarawards.com/category-list-outstanding-mystery-criticism/ 38 University of Colorado Boulder University Libraries. “James Sandoe Papers.” 1930-1985. https://archives.colorado.edu/repositories/2/resources/1117 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 14 of 28 Figure 18. Cover photograph of James Sandoe from “Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus: A Solo Reading” by James Sandoe, 1965. Julia taught art in Boulder schools until she retired in 1978. James and Julia divorced in 1964, and Julia continued to live in the house at 904 Mapleton Ave. Their oldest child, John Sandoe served as a medic with the Marines in Vietnam, where he was awarded a Purple Heart. He made a career with the Navy, retiring as a Master Chief. He died in 2014.39 Jill followed her mother into public school teaching. She is retired and currently living in Vancouver, Canada. Anne and Samuel followed their father into the theater arts and acted in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival for many seasons. James died in 1980 at age 67.40 Julie died in 1992 at the age of 74 and left the house to her son, Samuel. The house remains in the Sandoe family today. AREA HISTORY 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 constructed in Boulder. The district’s environmental significance includes the mature trees and the prominent bluff location. According to the Mapleton Hill Historic District Design Guidelines (link): 39 Moore, John. “Sandoes have the Bard in their Boulder blood.” July 12, 2015. https://www.denvercenter.org/news-center/sandoes-have-the-bard- in-their-boulder-blood/ 40 “James Sayre Sandoe.” 1912-1980. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9256100/james-sayre-sandoe Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 15 of 28 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. 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 19. Photographs from 904 Mapleton Ave. of the neighborhood made by Hugh Watts c. 1895. Left: Looking south at rooftops over Mapleton Hill, down the valley. Right: Looking west from the house showing the rear of Mapleton School and the mountains beyond.41 41 Watts, Hugh. “Librarium: page seventy-two.” 1895-1897. Call No. BHS 125-1-72. Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A67788 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 16 of 28 PURPOSE AND 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 Section 9-11-1, Purpose and Legislative Intent, and Section 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 904 Mapleton Ave. meets the following historic significance criteria. 1. Date of Construction: 1895-1897 Elaboration: The house was constructed for Frank and Isabelle Gardiner. 2. Association with Persons or Events: Associated with the Gardiner and Sandoe families. Elaboration: Frank Gardiner was a retailer in Boulder, who operated a grocery, bakery and later a second-hand furniture store. James Sandoe was instrumental in establishing the annual Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder, by directing the first Shakespearean performance at the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Mary Rippon Theater. The Sandoe family have been careful stewards of the property for more than 80 years. 3. Distinction in the Development of the Community: Mapleton Hill Historic District Elaboration: The area represents Boulder’s growth at the turn of the twentieth century. The original owner, Frank Gardiner, was a local businessman who operated a grocery, bakery and later a second- hand furniture store., 2. Recognition by Authorities: The house was surveyed in the Boulder Historic Places Inventory in 1977, which included 130 of Boulder’s most prominent historic buildings. It was designated as a contributing property in the 1982 designation of the Mapleton Hill Historic District and was again surveyed by Front Range Research Associates in 1986.42 The 1986 survey states “This house was built in about 1895 by Frank J. Gardiner. It was constructed of Dakota sandstone from a quarry north of the Sanitarium, by stone mason Andrew Fraser. Mr. Gardiner came to Boulder in 1891 and established a grocery store. He also started a bakery and a second-hand 42 Front Range Research Associates. “904 Mapleton Avenue historic building inventory record.” 1986. Call Number 780 Mapleton 904. Carnegie Lib rary for Local History, Boulder. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37342 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 17 of 28 furniture store.” The survey states the house has historical significance for its association with significant persons and for its contribution to a historic district, reading “The Gardiner house represents the work of noted stone mason Andrew Fraser. Fraser also built several University buildings, the Fraser Home and Carnegie Library. Owner Frank Gardiner established a grocery, bakery and second-hand furniture store in Boulder, thereby contributing to the town’s economic growth.” ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: Summary: The house at 904 Mapleton Ave. meets the following architectural significance criteria. 1. Recognized Period or Style: Edwardian Vernacular 43 Elaboration: The house is an example of a variant of the Edwardian Vernacular style popular in Boulder at the turn of the twentieth century. Character-defining features include its one-and-a-half story front gable form, masonry and frame construction, elaborate curved porch with classical columns, and decorative detailing including wood shakes, Palladian window and door composition, dentils and wreath motif. 2. Architect or Builder of Prominence: Andrew Fraser and Donald Grant (firm Grant and Fraser, stone-masons), and Grover and Kelliger (carpenters) Elaboration: Donald Grant was born in Scotland around 1855 and emigrated in about 1879. He lived in Boulder from before 1900 until his death in 1919. Andrew Fraser emigrated from Scotland in about 1882 and settled first in Kansas before moving to Colorado around 1891 and Boulder the following year. Their firm, Grant and Fraser is credited with constructing many prominent buildings in Boulder, including the University of Colorado Armory Hall at 1511 University Ave. and the First Congregational Church at 1128 Pine St. They were likely also involved in construction of the National State Bank building at 1242 Pearl St. and the Carnegie Library at 1125 Pine St.. 3. Artistic Merit: Skilled masonry using Dakota sandstone and carpentry work Elaboration: A letter from 1951 notes that “it was built of the Dakota sandstone, a very hard crystalline sandstone quarried up Sanitas Ravine back of the Sanitarium, a stone so difficult to work that the masons soon quite using it, taking instead the more easily worked Lyons sandstone.” Additionally, the detailed carpentry on the exterior includes the fine curved front porch. 4. Example of the Uncommon: Original upper decks and balconies Elaboration: Although upper roof decks and balconies themselves are not uncommon, the original doors accessing the roof decks are unusual for the period, as are the number of roof decks. The original design includes a door and roof deck giving views to the north (front porch), south and west sides of the house. 43 Pearce, Sarah J. Field Guide To Colorado's Historic Architecture & Engineering. Denver, CO: Colorado Historical Society, 2008. https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2017/1625Field.pdf Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 18 of 28 5. Indigenous Qualities: Local stone quarried from the Shinkle Quarry found along the “Dakota Ridge hogback just west of Boulder. At places along Dakota Ridge the sandstone is firmly cemented by silica cement and makes a strong durable building stone. But the Dakota “J” sandstone has proved as difficult to quarry and work as the Lyons is easy. The problem is that the Dakota “J” sandstones are massive beds, laid down as channels and sand bars through the Cretaceous delta complex. Because of its massive character, the sandstone does not easily split into building stone sized blocks. Instead it had to be sawed, adding a costly step in the quarrying process that prevented competition with quarries extracting the Lyons Sandstone.”44 ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE: Summary: The house located at 904 Mapleton Ave. meets the following environmental significance criteria. 1. Site Characteristics: The site falls steeply to the south with the house at the top of the hill facing Mapleton Ave. The Farmer’s Ditch flows from the west across the southern property line. 2. Compatibility with Site: Consistent with similar houses in the district, the house is set back from the street and is surrounded by mature vegetation. 3. Geographic Importance: The house is centrally located within the Mapleton Hill Historic District at the prominent intersection with 9th Street. 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 Gardiner-Sandoe House to recognize the original owner, Frank Sandoe, and the longest owners, the Sandoe family, and their contributions to Boulder. 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). 44 Pettem, Silvia and Ed Raines “Use of Native Stone in Boulder.” 1999. Boulder Historic Context Project / Boulder Planning Department. Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 19 of 28 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 20. 904 Mapleton Ave., proposed Landmark boundary (dotted yellow line). PROPOSED PLAQUE LANGUAGE (LIMITED TO 350 CHARACTERS, INCL. SPACES) Gardiner-Sandoe House 1895-1897 The house was constructed by stonemasons Donald Grant and Andrew Fraser out of local Dakota sandstone for Frank Gardiner, a local retailer. The house is associated with James Sandoe who was instrumental in establishing the annual Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder. The Sandoe family have been careful stewards of the property for more than 80 years. Designated a City of Boulder Landmark in 2024 Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 20 of 28 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 at 904 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 the City Council for review in a public hearing no more than 100 days from the Landmark Board’s decision recommending designation. ATTACHMENTS A: Application Materials B: Gardiner family genealogy C: Real Estate Appraisal Card (link) D: Historic Building Inventory Form, 904 Mapleton Ave. (link) E: Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks (link) F: Guidelines for Names of Landmarked Structures and Sites (link) Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 21 of 28 A.City of BoulderW Planning & Development Services HIS Individual Landmark Designation Application ►REQUIRED MATERIALS FOR ALL APPLICATIONS � Signed application � Current photographs of each side the property, including the view from the street. ►TO SUBMIT YOUR INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION APPLICATION •Email application to _. � ___ •___ _i:_ _ _ (put Historic Preservation in the subject line) •The $25 filing fee will be invoiced to the email address listed in contact information below •Questions? Contact Historic Preservation staff at 303-441-1994 or •Si necesita ayuda para traducir esta informaci6n al espaiiol, llame al 303-441-1905. ►OWNER CONTACT INFORMATION Name 0 ALL OWNERS SUPPORT LANDMARK DESIGNATION Phone# Anne Sandoe 303-442-2884 Email Address anne.sandoe@colorado.edu Address904 Mapleton Ave CityBoulder ►APPLICANT CONTACT INFORMATION 0 SAME AS OWNER Name Phone# Email Address Anne Sandoe Address City Signature of owner or owner's authorized agent: d. a� �d /.-e__, ►PROPERTY INFORMATION {INCLUDE ALL KNOWN INFORMATION) Address 904 Mapleton Ave Architectural stylecraftsman Date of Construction 1900 Architect and/or Builder Additions I Alterations to exterior, including dates if known a greenhouse porch was added to the east side of the house in the 19701s Updated November 2022 Planning & Development Services I 1100 Arapahoe Ave. P.O. Box 791 Boulder, CO 80306 303-441-1880 boulderplandevelop.net State co State Zip 80304 Zip Page 1 of 1 Attachment A - Application Materials Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 22 of 28 Attachment A - Application Materials Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024Page 23 of 28 Attachment A - Application Materials Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 24 of 28 Attachment A - Application Materials Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 25 of 28 Attachment A - Application Materials Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 26 of 28 RUDOLPH JOHNSON ATTORNEY AT LAW BOULDER,COLORADO December 7th, 1951. Prof. James S . Sandoe, 984 Mapleton Avenue, Boulder, Colorado. Dear Sir:- nmong the papers and records of Frank J. Gardiner, deceased, of wh ich estate I am executor, is the enclosed photorraph of the house at 904 Mapleton, Boulder, which he built about 1900. This photograph also shows Kr. Gardiner and his first wife, from whom he was divorced. You may like to have this picture; if not, just return it for the use of the Bould�r Historical Socie ty, or give it to A. A. Paddock for that purpose. I lived in t:-1.a t house for several ye ars about 30 years a�o, as a roomer of the Gardiner family, and remember that Mr. Gardiner said he financed it through the Boulder Buildinv and. Loan Association; that it was built of the Dak ota §and.stone, a very hard crystalline sandstone quarried up Sanitas Ravine back of the Sanitarium, a stone so diffi cult to work t11at the masons soon quit using it, taking in stead the more easily worked Lyons sandstone. On this house Mr. Fraser was the mason, the rr:an who built so many stone houses and other buildings in Boul der. 1ours very truly, Rudolph Johnson, Bou lder, 0olorado. 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B ă : -ă ă »ă ă ă ă : ă ă ¤ ă ă ă ă ă Ðă ă ă ă ă 1ă O¾ă K 5ă > ă ă àă ½ ă ă ă *¶ă ' ă ă ă Q ă ă ôă ă ă Êă ă ' $ă á ă * ă & ă ă & ă ® ă ă %4Ü ă ă /$ă ;¼ă ! ă ă # ă ă ă ă = @ă |ă Dă NË ă H ă ă ă ¿ă "À ă ă ă M2ă & ă ă ă ă F.ă ? ă ă ă ă ă ă ý ă 1ă ă 6ă Nă ă ă ă Q ^ă ă øă ă < ă ă ă ză %ă ă ; ă & ăă ă 4ăă ! ă ă *ă' ă ^ă W ă ¡ă <¬ ă ă ă ă þăâă ă ă Ò ă ă ă Y ă U÷ ă V ă -ă ? ă $ă 7ă ă ă ă Ñă S ă ă ă ă ă õ3ă Ă² ª ă ă ă + ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ?3Áă ăă ă ă ă C ă ă ă + ă ă ă ă ă ă \ă ă r) ă S ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă #ă ă ă Attachment B - Gardiner family genealogy Item 5A - 904 Mapleton Ave LB memo 05.01.2024 Page 28 of 28