$18,429 raised by 65 donors
77% complete
$24,000 Goal
Relevance
Boulder frequently has been selected as one of the best places to live in the U.S. This is no accident...Boulder didn't just happen. Generations of citizens have been working in a myriad of ways to make this a special place and historic preservation has played a critical role. For 52 years Historic Boulder Inc. has been advocating for the preservation of ‘legacy’ properties. In partnership with the City, this has resulted in the protection of over 1,300 properties, ensuring that the lessons of the past are known in the present and the future. Historic preservation, from every era of Boulder, contributes to the remarkable spirit of our town.
Historic Boulder fosters the spirit and benefits of preservation through advocacy, education, rehabilitation and celebration.
Advocate
Historic Boulder’s advocacy to save historic places is busier than ever as our community faces mounting pressures to demolish buildings. This year we have lost the Harvest House Hotel and soon to go will be the Baseline Middle School building. Historic Boulder appears regularly before the Landmarks Board to support preservation of historic buildings, and works with willing owners to assist in the landmarking process. Brushing ourselves off from the City Council's rejection of a historic district around Central Park, we continue to work with community groups to promote the historic value of this civic center in order that preservation will be considered in the City's future planning for this heart of town.
Educate
Historic Boulder produces numerous live tours and programs throughout the year. Kicking off the year at the Colorado Preservation Inc. conference held for the second time in Boulder, we presented a tour of NCAR and programs on Historic Districts and 51 years of Preservation in Boulder. For Preservation Month in May we gave our "Little Rectangle and Beyond" tour, a Mid-Century Modern walking tour and a program on the naming of streets in Boulder. We repeated sold-out walking tours highlighting Mid-Century modern buildings in Table Mesa and Pearl Street downtown, and a new tour of the historic "Castle House." Our annual Secondary School Essay Contest drew a record number of participating students who wrote about their favorite historic buildings in their home downtowns...Boulder, Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette. We partnered with the Museum of Boulder to produce four programs on the history of Central Park in Boulder: Native American focus, Frederick Law Olmsted and Boulder's "Improvers", Displaced residents of the area and landmark architecture. The latter three programs are available for public viewing on YouTube.
Our virtual walking tours continue to be available to the public on the PocketSights app: a survey of Modernist buildings in Central Boulder and a tour of "The Little Rectangle" neighborhood which was home to many of Boulder's early black citizens. We continued our ‘history hikes’ on the trails around Boulder, including little known historical structures on Mount Sanitas, Chautauqua and the Flatirons.
Rehabilitate
This year Historic Boulder applied for and received a $227,000 State Historic Preservation Fund construction grant to rehabilitate the façade of the historic Boulder Theater. This iconic Art-Deco building is in the heart of Boulder's Downtown Historic District (on the National, state and local historic registers). Your donations towards the matching funds for this project will see the project through in the spring of 2025. Our "Save the Face" campaign includes a benefit concert at the Theater on January 26, 2025 - join us in supporting the Boulder Theater!
We also work to assist several homeowners to advise them on restoring their historic properties.
Celebrate
Our Annual Meeting was held in two landmarked buildings around Central Park - BMOCA and the Dushanbe Teahouse. We co-hosted the Square Nail Awards at Chautauqua and held one of the largest member appreciation parties ever at an iconic landmarked home in Mapleton Hill.
The biennial and popular "Meet the Spirits" hosted a record number of "spirits" and guests in the Columbia Cemetery with half of the proceeds going towards rehabilitation work in the historic Cemetery. We will finish the year with our ‘Homes for the Holidays’ tour featuring five historic homes in the Uni Hill neighborhood and historic district.
Historic Boulder Inc. was founded 52 years ago in response to the impending demolition of three historic properties: the Central School, Boulder Railroad Depot, and the Highland School. Members raised funds for the purchase of the Highland School, which was subsequently landmarked and sold to private developers. Today it is thriving as a unique office co-share center. With Historic Boulder's help in acquiring the depot, the Boulder Jaycees found a new site, moved, and renovated the building. It is serving as a restaurant anchor to a newly developing, higher density neighborhood. Unfortunately, the Central School was demolished.
Out of these preservation efforts, Historic Boulder began the advocacy for a landmark ordinance which was accomplished in 1974. Since then, over 212 individual landmarks have been created and 10 historic districts designated. This year Historic Boulder has renewed our preservation efforts as a member-driven, non-profit to protect and promote historic places that shape the vital cultural and economic spirit of Boulder. Please help us with your generous support.
Organization name
Historic Boulder, Inc.
other names
HBI
1972
Tax id (EIN)
23-7223041
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
1200 Pearl Street, Suite 314Headquarters
1200 Pearl Street, Suite 314Mailing
1200 Pearl Street, Suite 314Boulder County, CO, US