ABOUT US

OUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

MISSION

Historic Boulder fosters the spirit and promotes the benefits of preservation through education, advocacy, rehabilitation, and celebration.

VISION

A Boulder whose past is part of its future.

OUR STORY

Historic Boulder was born following a battle to save precious pieces of Boulder’s past. Highland School, the Union-Pacific Depot and Central School were all threatened with demolition in 1971. Historic Boulder, organized in 1972, was instrumental in saving Highland School (shown at right) and the depot. Sadly, Central School was demolished. Out of this experience rose the urgency for a legal mechanism to evaluate historic sites. In 1974 Boulder’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance was passed and, shortly after, the inventory of significant sites began. A county regulation allowing the landmarking of sites in Boulder County passed in 1992 and was the first regulation of its kind in Colorado.

Read Founder Joyce Davies' Carnegie Transcript

SAVES

Historic Boulder is proud of its role in creating historic districts, advocating for the landmarking of significant structures and exploring sites for future preservation. As the first permanent preservation organization in the city, Historic Boulder continues to champion the preservation of the physical reminders of Boulder’s heritage.

See Our Saves

CITY OF BOULDER LANDMARKS ORDINANCE

After the initial saves in the early 1970s, it became clear that Boulder needed a government mechanism to protect historic places, and to oversee and the administration of a local landmarking process. Historic Boulder drafted a historic preservation ordinance, which was unanimously voted into place by City Council unanimously adopted in 1974. To this day, Historic Boulder collaborates closely with the Landmarks Board and City Preservation Staff to support their mission to preserve and protect the historic, architectural, and environmental assets that contribute to Boulder’s unique sense of place.

See Boulder's Preservation Ordinance

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RENOVATE OUR ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES (R.O.A.R.)

This series of hands-on preservation training courses was led by Historic Boulder in the 1980s at the Kelso House, which was under the organization's ownership at the time. The program was so successful that people came from all over the Denver/Metro area to participate, and it attracted national attention. Historic Boulder received the prestigious Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in recognition of R.O.A.R.

Stay tuned for news about the resurrection of this program!