General Design Guidelines for Boulder's Historic Districts and Individual Landmarks, November 2007

From introduction: "The early 1970’s saw an increase in the demolition of existing buildings with no thought as to their historical or architectural value to Boulder’s history. Among those demolished was Central School, the first school to have a graduating class in the Colorado Territory. Today, at the corner of Walnut and 15th is a plaque, embedded in rock, commemorating the school. Out of the school's destruction rose the demand for a legal mechanism for evaluating historic sites. In 1974, the Boulder Landmarks Ordinance was passed. The ordinance sets out the procedures for designation, design review, and the appointment and powers of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board (LPAB). The intent of the design review process is to ensure that proposed alterations of Landmark properties will not adversely affect or destroy their historic character or architectural integrity and that all changes are consistent with the spirit and purpose of the Landmark Preservation Ordinance. The Landmarks Board adopted the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation as the basis for guidance on rehabilitation design for historic properties. These guidelines expand those Standards and bring focus to Boulder’s own historic context and resources. The guidelines are intended to be used as an aid to appropriate design and not as a checklist of items for compliance. The purpose of the design guidelines is to facilitate both the application and approval of alterations proposed for design review by 1) providing the owners of historic properties some assistance in making decisions about maintenance and improvements, and 2) providing the Landmarks Board with a framework for evaluation of proposed improvements. The guidelines reflect the Landmarks Board’s philosophy that underlies all its decisions: to encourage the preservation and careful treatment of the city’s historically significant resources, while recognizing the need for continuing adaptation and improvements to these resources." Funding was provided in part by a 2005 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Boulder (project number CO-05-013) administered by the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 08-05-20407) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Boulder, Colorado is a Certified Local Government.

General Design Guidelines for Boulder's Historic Districts and Individual Landmarks, November 2007

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