Eldora Historical and Architectural Survey, 2007-08 (Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Report)

Historitecture, LLC; Thomas, Adam; Standish, Sierra

From introduction: "Like many of the small towns scattered in the mountains west of Boulder, Eldora began as a hopeful mining camp at the end of the nineteenth century. Despite claims of unimaginable wealth and enormous investments made to extract the precious ore, Eldora failed. But unlike most boomtowns in the area, it never became a ghost town. Tourists from Boulder, Denver, and across the Midwest found the union of spectacular scenery and rustic charm in Happy Valley to be particularly appealing. They returned again and again,making Eldora one of the most successful summer vacation destinations in Boulder County. Much of the relatively densely settled area at the core of Eldora is now a National Register Historic District. But Eldora, particularly those properties outside of the district, faces a variety of threats requiring careful preservation planning. Brutal winters exact a heavy toll on the valley’s historic buildings. As better utilities and high-speed internet connects the village to Boulder and the world,more and more people are living–and working–in Eldora year round. This change has altered the built environment as the small cabins of miners and tourists become sprawling, year-round residences. Spearheaded by Carol Beam, Historic Preservation Planner, Boulder County Open Space pursued a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to conduct an intensive-level survey of 50 properties in Eldora that had not been previously inventoried. The county reviewed proposals from a variety of cultural resource contractors and selected Historitecture, an Estes Park-based architectural history consulting firm. Architectural Historian and Managing Principal Adam Thomas conducted the survey. The goals of the intensive-level survey were to: Inventory 50 of 58 possible properties; determine the significance and eligibility of all properties surveyed; analyze historic district potential and boundaries; and develop a report summarizing the findings of the survey. Of the 50 properties, one property (or two percent of the total) was field determined eligible for individual listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and 13 (or 26 percent)were field determined eligible as Boulder County Landmarks. Historitecture found no new districts and did not recommend any changes to the existing Eldora Historic District. Funding was provided in part by a 2007 Historic Preservation Fund grant to Boulder County (project number CO-07-012) administered by the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 08-07-21609) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Boulder County, Colorado is a Certified Local Government.

Eldora Historical and Architectural Survey, 2007-08 (Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Report)

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