Colorado's Most Endangered Places 2023

ndangered laces rogram 2023

COLORADO’S MOST ENDANGERED PLACES PROGRAM

Colorado’s Most Endangered Places Program (EPP) was developed in 1997 to spotlight significant and threatened historic resources needing assistance. A signature initiative for Colorado Preservation, Inc.(CPI), EPP brings awareness and assistance to sites, structures, and cultural landscapes statewide. This program engages community leaders to find creative and innovative ways to keep Colorado’s heritage alive.

Each year, EPP focuses on its listed resources while working with communities to advocate for preservation efforts statewide. By empowering communities, local governments, individuals, and organizations, the impact of Colorado Preservation, Inc. has extended beyond its selected endangered places to hundreds of historic resources throughout Colorado.

As of 2023, the program includes a total of 135 resources in 49 counties; 72 remain in active progress or alert status; 55 have been saved, and eight have been lost.

Site Selection:

EPP sites are selected annually through an in-depth process that engages the preservation community and the public. Resource nominations are submitted electronically or mailed throughout the year from individuals, organizations, local governments, etc. Nominations are typically due mid-August. The nominations are reviewed by staff and assigned to a regional reviewer. Reviewers are responsible for visiting the property, meeting with the nominators, and providing a written project evaluation. Nominated resources are reviewed at regional review meetings and a statewide meeting (referred to as “Big Monday”). Presented resources are ranked based on guiding program criteria, and these recommendations are given to CPI staff and board for final selection.

Which resources are listed each year is determined by CPI Board and staff based on significance, the urgency of the threat, level of community support, plans, what assistance is required, and determination of what a SAVE would look like for the project. Selected resources are announced at the CPI Saving Places Conference in February. A long-standing program partnership with CBS4 allows for minidocumentaries to be filmed at the selected resources leading up to the February announcement. CBS4 airs the documentaries during 30-minute specials each year following the February conference.

The program is paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.

Jennifer Orrigo Charles Executive Director|jorrigocharles@coloradopreservation.org|303.893.4260 x 237

Katie Peterson Endangered Places Program Director| kpeterson@coloradopreservation.org

|303.893.4260 x 222

Endangered Resource Communities

Northwest

Carbondale

Craig

Fraser

Rangely

Steamboat Springs

Toponas

Winter Park

Yampa

Northeast

Brush

Genoa

Hugo

Kit Carson

Snyder

Central

Avondale

Cañon City

Cripple Creek

Manitou Springs

Pueblo

Victor

San Luis Valley

Alamosa

Antonito

Conejos

Creede

Farasita

Garcia

Mogote

Monte Vista

Saguache

San Francisco

San Luis

Walsenburg

Southwest

Cortez

Delta

Durango

Fruita

Grand Junction

Hotchkiss

Ignacio

Lake City

Mancos

Mesa Verde

Montrose

Pagosa Springs

Silverton

Telluride

Tiffany

Uravan

Southeast

Aguilar

Granada

Fort Lyon

La Junta

Las Animas

Model

Rocky Ford

Trinidad

Western Slope

Alma

Aspen

Basalt

Breckenridge

Como

Georgetown

Leadville

Redstone

Salida

Thomasville

Denver Metro

Arvada

Black Hawk

Boulder

Brighton

Central City

Denver

Estes Park

Fort Collins

Foxton

Greeley

Littleton

Milliken

New Raymer

Shaffer’s Crossing

South Platte

Windsor

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: NORTHWEST

Carbondale: Satank Bridge

Craig: Craig Railroad Depot

Fraser: 4 Bar 4 Ranch

Moffat Road

Rangely: Shield Rock Art

Steamboat Springs: Hahn’s Peak Fire Lookout

Toponas: Rock Creek Stage Stop

Winter Park: Balcony House

Yampa: Crossan’s Market

Satank Bridge

Listed: 2003

Constructed: 1900

Threat: Natural elements

Closest Town to Resource: Carbondale

Significance: One of Colorado's oldest bridges and the longest-spanning timber truss in the state. Today, the Satank Bridge is believed to be the last remaining timber wagon truss in Colorado, dating from the 19th century. In 2004, the State Historical Fund awarded the Town of Carbondale a grant for structural rehabilitation. Listed as SAVED in 2011, the bridge has been established as an interpretive stop along the river trail from Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

Craig Depot

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1917

Threat: Demolition by neglect; proximity to railroad tracks

Closest Town to Resource: Craig

Significance: Constructed in 1917, the Craig Depot and the Moffat Line were the main connection to the Yampa Valley. The depot was a hub of activity for transporting livestock, coal, and supplies. The depot was shut down in 1985. Union Pacific Railroad, the current owners, have postponed the demolition of the building, but there are currently no plans to move the building, which may be required to save it.

Site Needs: Discussions with Union Pacific to postpone demolition, identify a community advocate to lead the project, and find funding to support moving the structure.

Update: Over the past decade, significant damage and vandalism have afflicted the Depot. Sitting between active railroad tracks, negotiations began to move the quickly deteriorating building. Unfortunately, funding fell through, and the Craig Depot was demolished in April 2022.

4 Bar 4 Ranch

Listed: 2014

Constructed: 1885

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Fraser

Significance: The original 320-acre

4 Bar 4 Ranch was homesteaded in 1895 to provide a stop for the Georgetown Stage Line and serve as a roadhouse for travelers. The hotel and barn were constructed using trees from the property, and the hotel remained open until 1913. Following the closing of the stage line, the ranch continued to host travelers until it was purchased, and the barn converted into a Ford Motor Company dealership. Ford vehicles were sold in the building until 1917. The buildings have been vacant since the 1980s.

Site Needs: The Stagecoach Hotel building has been carefully dismantled and stored, with ongoing funding needed for its restoration.

Update: The site has new hope, with Historic Fraser taking over the project. A new team with the Homeowners Association and interested parties have reinvigorated the project. An official NR nomination was completed, and the team is working with the SHF, CPI, and Hord Coplan Macht to phase its restoration. An HSA has been completed, and a $200,000 SHF grant was awarded for the rehabilitation of the Ford Barn, completed in 2019.

Moffat Road

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1903, rails removed in 1930s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; closed road

Closest Town to Resource: Fraser and Tolland

Significance: The Moffat Road was constructed as a railroad line intended to connect Denver to NW Colorado through the Continental Divide to Utah and the West Coast. The Moffat Road roughly follows an earlier constructed Wagon Road that followed an old Ute Trail. The rails were removed in the 1930s, but many of its historic features remain, including the rail bed, several trestles, the Needle’s Eye Tunnel, telegraph poles, remnants of the snow sheds and foundations from the hotel and depot that were built atop the Divide at Rollins Pass.

Update: The Rollins Pass Restoration Association continues to work to reopen Moffat Road. Future goals include funding repairs to the Needle’s Eye Tunnel, restoring east/west access, installing signage, and restoring the Twin Trestles. Some want to apply for Rollins Pass and the Needles Eye Tunnel to become National Monuments. In 2021, a major threat from a proposed land swap between a private developer and the U.S. Forest Service that would have threatened the resources in the vicinity of Fraser was thwarted by a coalition of interests led by CPI and several partners.

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1200 A.D.

Threat: Natural elements; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Rangely

Significance: The Shield Rock Art site dates to 1200 A.D. and is in an area that has some of the oldest Native American pictographs and petroglyphs in the state. As part of the area’s Canyon Pintado Project, the site falls into phase II of trail and interpretive installation conducted by the Bureau of Land Management. New interpretive signage has been installed, and increased staff visits to the site have decreased the threat of vandalism.

Hahn’s Peak Fire Lookout

Listed: 2014

Constructed: 1912

Threat: Natural elements: lightning; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Steamboat Springs

Significance: Hahn's Peak Lookout is located on the historic Hahn's Peak Mine. The site is one of the first officially funded Forest Service fire management lookouts constructed in Colorado. The lookout is one of only 16 left in the state. When first listed, the site suffered from severe deterioration. The building has since received a grant from History Colorado’s State Historical Fund, and HistoriCorps has been actively involved in its restoration. The vandalism that occurred in 2018 was repaired.

Rock Creek Stage Stop

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1880

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Toponas

Significance: The Rock Creek Stage Stop was a halfway station on the first Wells Fargo mail route into Yampa Valley until the railroad line took over in 1887. The property was a family home, hotel, post office, and stage stop. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When first listed, the stage stop desperately needed stabilization and restoration. Its stabilization resulted from generous funding from the State Historical Fund, hours of labor by dedicated volunteers, and a partnership between the Steamboat Springs Tread of Pioneers Museum, Historic Routt County, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service.

Winter Park Balcony House

Listed

Constructed: 1955

Threat: Demolition, neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Winter Park

Significance: Winter Park’s original base area ski lodge, known as the Balcony House, vividly represents the early history and pioneering evolution of the City of Denver’s first Mountain Park while fostering groundbreaking developments in the Colorado ski industry. Since 1955, the Balcony House has played an essential role in skiing, snowboarding, and summer activities and in enhancing visitors' overall experience, including “non-skiers and sightseers,” as the marketing efforts have proclaimed for years.

The Balcony House was designed by Stephen Bradley, the first director of the Winter Park Recreational Association (WPRA), who also invented the first ski packing and grading device in the United States. The two-story Balcony House, with its panoramic views from cascading balconies, is a unique example of Midcentury Modern architecture. The Balcony House was one of America’s very first passive solar ski lodges, and its style captured America’s fascination with futuristic designs and the coming space age.

A 2009 Master Plan for the ski resort's base area calls for its demolition and replacement with 5-6 stories of condominiums above one level of resort operations. Advocates for preservation think a better way can be found to accommodate future growth on the same footprint without sacrificing the Balcony House. Listing the Winter Park Balcony House on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places will raise awareness of its historical importance within the Denver Mountain Park System and ski industry, build on its historic, unique marketing and thematic appeal, and enhance the building for future generations.

Site Needs: Adaptive reuse plan.

Crossan’s Market

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1903

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant since 1964

Closest Town to Resource: Yampa

Significance: Built in 1903, Crossan’s Market is an excellent example of a smalltown mercantile building that stands as evidence of the development of Yampa. The building retains much of its original fabric and still has merchandise from when it closed in the 1960s. The building has been owned by the City of Yampa since 2006. The local friends group and Historic Routt County successfully raised over $1.2 million to convert the building into the new Town Hall and an interpretive museum. The project was awarded an EPP Progress Award at the 2017 DCA dinner.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: NORTHEAST

Brush: Central Platoon School

Genoa: World’s View Wonder Tower

Hugo: Hugo Roundhouse

Kit Carson: Union Pacific Pumphouse

Snyder: Antelope Springs Church

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1928 with mid-20th century addition

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant since 1997

Closest Town to Resource: Brush

Significance: Designed by noted architect Frederick Mountjoy (Rocky Mountain Bank Note Co. Building, Avalon Theatre in Grand Junction, Del Norte High School, etc.), the nearly 50,000 square foot Central Platoon School is a prominent and beautiful architectural landmark situated on an entire city block in downtown Brush. Constructed in 1928, the school was designed for the platoon educational system that emphasized a curriculum focused on activity-based learning and featured multiple teachers per class. The building continued as a school until the late 1990s when it closed The Town of Brush has since become an official Colorado Main Street community, and many see the successful rehabilitation of Central School as a key piece to the town’s economic development.

Site Needs: Continue the relationship with the new owner and help determine new use.

Update: The building has been assessed to analyze its stability and potential reuse. In 2018, the school district conveyed the property to the Brush Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which is seeking to secure the building and has issued an RFP for adaptive reuse proposals for rehabilitation. A local developer has since purchased the site and is developing affordable housing.

World’s Wonder View Tower

Listed: 2017

Constructed: 1926

Threat: Site closed; demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Genoa

Significance: The World’s Wonder View Tower is a lasting vestige of this unusual and distinct roadside architecture that has intrigued tourists traveling across Colorado’s Eastern Plains along Interstate 70 and Highway 24 near Genoa for nearly a century. Charles Gregory and his partner Myrtle LeBow began building a roadhouse, café, and filling station at the site in 1926; they soon started constructing an “observation tower and elaborately equipped recreation camp.” The tower would become the highest point between New York City and the Rocky Mountains (a fact confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey). The claim that one could see six states from the top of the tower (Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and New Mexico) was published by Ripley’s Believe It or Not in 1933. The tower quickly became the primary attraction in Lincoln County, CO, and was featured in guidebooks from the 1930s until 2013. A partnership of artists, writers, and preservationists purchased the site and is working to preserve it.

Site Needs: Development of Master Plan, Funding

Update: In early 2018, a Historic Structures Assessment was completed for the property, and redevelopment efforts are progressing. A successful mothballing effort occurred in late 2018 to better secure the property, and extensive clean-up and an inventory of the site’ s vast artifacts are underway. A major $1.2 Million Colorado Creative Industries grant has been approved, and plans include a possible restaurant, museum, art studios, residencies, a community meeting space, and arts programs and tours. Another grant from DOLA’s Rural Economic Development Initiative was applied for in 2022.

Hugo Roundhouse

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Hugo

Significance: Listed on the State Register of Historic Properties, the Union Pacific Railroad roundhouse was established in 1909 and is the only brick-constructed roundhouse in the Union Pacific inventory. Roundhouse Preservation, Inc., the nonprofit formed by concerned local citizens to develop and implement a preservation plan for the Roundhouse, has produced a great deal of progress and success in recent years. Even after strong winds toppled nearly the entire north wall, insurance funds were fortunately available to complete a high-quality masonry reconstruction. Due to ongoing cooperation between Roundhouse Preservation, Inc. and the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Roundhouse was recently selected to receive $555,000 in federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to rehabilitate the entire roof structure. The next phase of work will include restoring the windows and doors towards the eventual reuse of the Roundhouse as a museum and community meeting space. CPI currently holds an easement on the property.

Site Needs: Ongoing funding for site interpretation and interior elements.

Update: Work is moving forward with the roundhouse, as the site received the EPP Progress Award in 2016. New windows have been installed, and they continue to acquire items for the new museum tied to its railroad heritage. Grants from CDOT and the State Historical Fund have been received for exterior rehabilitation. The site also helped host the appearance of Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” steam engine in late 2019.

Union Pacific Pumphouse

Constructed: 1870s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; proximity to railroad tracks

Closest Town to Resource: Kit Carson

Significance: The Union Pacific Railroad Pumphouse in Kit Carson supplied water for steam engines and is believed to have been constructed in the 1870s. Located at the end of the rail line, Kit Carson boomed to a population of 1,500 and became a junction point for the Kansas Pacific route and the first passenger train to Denver. The Kit Carson Historical Society currently leases the building from Union Pacific but cannot fundraise or perform the necessary repairs until they are notified if the Pumphouse must be moved or can remain in place.

Site Needs: Union Pacific conversations to allow the site to remain in place if other provisions are met, stabilization of the site.

Update: CPI has been working with the Historical Society to plan a response to Union Pacific. UP has stated the property is too close to the track and needs to be moved or demolished. Moving would likely require dismantling the building. CPI has reached out to other states and communities for examples of “wins” with the railroad companies. The Chamber of Commerce in Kit Carson County also supports efforts to save the pumphouse. After a long hiatus, CPI reestablished contact with the site, engaged a group of Senior engineering students at UC-Denver to complete a structural analysis and preservation plan, and reestablished a connection with Union Pacific. Future work depends on the railroad.

Antelope Springs Methodist Episcopal Church

Listed: 2020

Constructed: 1915; 1932 addition

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vandalism: arson fire in 2019

Closest Town to Resource: Snyder

Significance: The Antelope Springs Methodist Episcopal Church is one of the only early-20th century, community-built, timber frame churches still standing in Northeastern Colorado. Throughout its history, the church has demonstrated strong community support, with many early members playing an active role in its construction and expansion in 1932. The church is the only building still standing on its original site from the Antelope Springs community. The property has been vacant since 2000 but is privately owned with the hope that it will remain as a community center once rehabilitated.

Site Needs: Mothballing to close the open roof and identify funding for future restoration

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: CENTRAL

Avondale: Doyle Settlement

Cañon City: Deputy Warden’s House

Cripple Creek

Manitou Springs: Manitou Springs Spa

Pueblo: Beaumont Home

Pueblo: Colorado Fuel & Iron Plant

Pueblo: Eastside Neighborhood

Pueblo: Goodnight Barn

Pueblo: Hose Company No. 3 Fire Museum

Pueblo: McLaughlin Building

Pueblo: Studzinski Block

Victor: Christian Science Church

Victor: Isis Theatre

Victor: Silver Dollar Saloon

The Doyle Settlement

Listed: 2018

Constructed: 1859

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Avondale

Significance: The Doyle Settlement was established by Joseph Bainbridge Lafayette Doyle when he purchased 1200 acres of land along two miles of the Huerfano River from the Vigil and St. Vrain Land Grant. Doyle was one of the builders of Fort Pueblo in 1842 and worked as a trapper and trader before becoming a pioneer agriculturalist, businessman, and territorial lawmaker. Doyle was elected the first county commissioner for the newly established Huerfano County and elected to State Council in 1864, representing Huerfano, Pueblo, Fremont, and El Paso counties. When he passed away, he left the property to his wife, Maria De La Cruz “Cruzita” Sauso. It remained in the family for decades and represents Colorado’s multicultural pioneer heritage.

Site Needs: Preservation and rehabilitation of the school building, cemetery, and site interpretation. A mothballing of the structure was completed in late 2019, and a historic structure assessment is needed to guide preservation efforts by Pueblo County, which supports the project.

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1901

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Cañon City

Significance: Located on the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility grounds, the Deputy Warden’s House is an unmistakable architectural landmark in Cañon City. Designed by architect C.C. Rittenhouse in the Queen Anne Style, the house was built in 1901 for $7,500 using prison labor to quarry the stone from the hill behind the prison and to construct the house. The house was used as a private residence until the mid-1970s when it was converted into a foster home for juvenile delinquents and ultimately into administrative office space for prison staff. The Deputy Warden’s House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. In 2007, the Department of Corrections moved staff out, and it has been vacant since. Failing HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems combined with a compromised roof and gutters are making the house increasingly derelict. The Colorado Prison Museum hopes to eventually obtain ownership of the building.

Site Needs: Reestablish the conversation between the Colorado Prison Museum and the DOC. Identify new use.

Update: A partnership with CPI, HD, and ICAA brought interested individuals on a tour of Deputy Warden’s House. This tour reengaged the Colorado Prisons Museum and the Department of Corrections. CPI learned the DOC is interested in moving forward with a transfer of the property to the Colorado Prisons Museum, but the DOC has made no decision, despite expressed CPI support for the idea.

Listed: 1998

Constructed: Various

Threat: Development

Significance: Three of Colorado’s most historic mining towns have been threatened due to development from the gambling laws. Since their listing in 1998, each city has tried to preserve its historical sites. Strong preservation efforts in Cripple Creek have led to its classification as a SAVE! Central City is currently implementing a plan for historic preservation and economic recovery and is listed in progress. Black Hawk is making preservation strides, but the historic district is still considered threatened. Cripple Creek provides the best example of how gaming revenues could help with the local economy, including the preservation of most of the historic fabric of the community.

Manitou Springs Spa

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1920

Threat: Natural elements: flooding; demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Manitou Springs

Significance: The Manitou Springs Spa is one of the oldest surviving reminders of century-old natural springs tourism in Manitou Springs. At the time of EPP listing, the City of Manitou Springs threatened condemnation and demolition due to the condition of the building. In 2005 the building was purchased by partners who had successfully completed a rehabilitation project. The building now has commercial space on the main floor and residential units on the upper two floors.

Listed: 2004

Constructed: 1889

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: During the late-1800s and early-1900s, Pueblo’s old Northside neighborhood was a place of grandeur, boasting some of Colorado’s finest architecture. A handful of successful businessmen who lived in this neighborhood made a name for themselves statewide and helped establish Pueblo as a thriving community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Beaumont home was designed by Morris Stuckert near Pueblo’s Mineral Palace Park.

The house represents residences within the area associated with the John H. Thatcher family, one of Pueblo’s most well-known citizens in the city’s late 19thcentury boom years. After initially wanting to demolish the building, the owner, Parkview Medical Center, obtained a grant from the State Historical Fund, which surveyed the Historic Northside Neighborhood in 2004, including the Beaumont Home.

Colorado Fuel & Iron Plant and Museum

Listed: 1999

Constructed: Late 19th , early 20th Century

Threat: Highway Expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: Colorado Fuel & Iron (CF&I) dominated regional coal and steel-making production in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. This large industrial complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered a Local Landmark. Four buildings and six acres were acquired by the Bessemer Historical Society, which later was renovated into the museum, archives, and education center (across the highway from the steel plant. While the four buildings have become part of the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture, the Colorado Fuel & Iron plant (across the highway) remains threatened with future CDOT expansions.

Site Needs: Monitoring and Section 106 participation and support for ongoing fundraising efforts. Establish contacts with Evraz Steel Corporation, which now operates the plant site Consider re-use options for non-working portions of the plant site that could incorporate some of the industrial structures, blast furnaces, and smokestacks, including a possible park and interpretive signage.

Update: The museum property is progressing towards a save, but the plant remains threatened with CDOT expansion plans. CPI continues to provide comments and monitor changes. Steelworks is planning a $12 million renovation of the former administrative building into a multi-use space for the museum’s expansion. In 2018, a Brownfields Cleanup grant was awarded to help clean up the buildings that are part of the Steelworks museum complex.

Historic Eastside Neighborhood

Listed: 2012

Constructed: Various – 1872-1940

Threat: Various

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: The Historic Eastside Neighborhood in Pueblo is part larger Eastside neighborhood but focuses on the residential and commercial district largely developed between 1880 and 1940. The neighborhood physically separated from Pueblo by Fountain Creek and has historically home to a mix of classes and ethnicities. The Eastside neighborhood from a negative perception, and the subsequent disinvestment has detrimental. Vacancy rates are high, and many houses and businesses that are occupied suffer from deferred maintenance. A historic context report of the neighborhood (A Place Set Apart: The History and Architecture of Pueblo’s East Side Neighborhood) was published in 2009 and has increased awareness of the neighborhood’s historical significance. Recent focus has centered on the “Little Red House” (now occupied). The Housing Authority has rehabilitated the neighboring community garden and a series of terrace block apartment buildings for permanently disabled veterans. A new neighborhood park and skatepark have been completed as well.

Site Needs: Determine new use for church/school building.

Update: CPI met with Pueblo Planner Bill Zwink to discuss a plan for engaging the neighborhood and has also established contact with staff at the Pueblo Economic Development Authority, which has spearheaded re-investment in the neighborhood.

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1870

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: Constructed in 1870, the Goodnight Barn is the sole surviving structure from the Goodnight Rock Canyon Ranch. In 1864, the GoodnightLoving Trail (CO to TX) was the most heavily traveled cattle trail of the time in the southwest. In 2002, the barn was in danger of being relocated to the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. Once listed as an EPP site, CPI secured support from U.S. Representative Scott McInnis to keep the barn in Colorado. An agreement was reached with the owner Transit Mix, to relocate their operation away from the site.

Site Needs: Continued fundraising for future phases and ongoing advocacy

Update: Efforts to save the Goodnight Barn are moving forward quickly. Stabilization of the barn has begun, including foundation, structural framing, and stonework. The Goodnight Barn Historic Preservation group has raised over $965,000 from grant sources for Phase I, and an Interpretive Plan has been completed for the site. Significant work on the barn concluded in the Spring of 2020, which included stabilization of the foundation, reconstruction of half of the west wall, replacement of the roof and addition of rafter support posts, replacement of deteriorated wall stones, tuckpointing, and removal of the dairy building. In 2018, Goodnight Barn was awarded the Endangered Places Progress Award at the Dana Crawford and State Honor Awards in Denver. In 2021, the site was declared a Save and is now available for use.

Hose Company No. 3 Fire Museum

Listed: 2009

Constructed: 1895

Threat: Poor condition; limited funding

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: Constructed in 1895, the building housed Hose Company No. 3 from its construction to 1978. In 1978, the first station closed, at which time it opened as a local museum on fire fighting history. The museum holds many original artifacts, including an 1882 hand-pulled hose cart, an early fire alarm base station system, and equipment that illustrates the history of firefighting in Pueblo. The building is owned by the City of Pueblo and operated by the Pueblo Firefighters Historical Society. The Historical Society is looking for ways to raise matching funds to maintain the building and receive grants.

Site Needs: Fundraising efforts; façade stabilization

McLaughlin Building

Listed: 2007

Constructed: 1891

Threat: Demolition by neglect; deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: The McLaughlin Block was built in 1891 in the Eclectic Victorian style with Romanesque features. The building was erected in dedication to Michael McLaughlin, who died in 1888. Originally constructed as a multi-purpose building, it contained a hotel and, on the commercial floor, two saloons, two restaurants, a barbershop, and a shoe shop. Before 1921, there was a garden level in the front of the building that was never unearthed after the flood later that year filled the area with mud and debris. This three-story building was/is vital in Pueblo’s Union Avenue Historic Commercial District. The Union Avenue area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building continues to stand vacant and continues to deteriorate with an out-of-town landowner.

Site Needs: Exterior maintenance, reestablish contact with the property owner, potentially pursue new preservation-minded owner (site may be for sale).

Update: There was little to no movement on this privately owned property until recently when it was sold to a real estate developer with tentative rehabilitation plans. CPI has been in contact to support restoration and potential funding for improvements.

Studzinski Block

Listed: 2001

Constructed: Late 1800s

Threat: Development; demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Pueblo

Significance: When first listed, Pueblo County officials wanted to demolish the buildings of the Studzinski Block in favor of a “landscaped parking lot” to serve the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center. After weeks of negotiations, the commissioners and City Council reached a land-swap deal that removed the threat of demolition.

The Studzinski Block and Holden Block buildings were later sold to the Pueblo Housing Administration and designated a Local Landmark. The Pueblo Housing Administration, with the help of the Downtown Association and Colorado Preservation, Inc., used tax credits to rehabilitate the buildings. The rehabilitation of the Studzinski Block was finished in August 2005. When removing plaster and stucco during renovation, the city discovered original stained glass windows and an advertisement painted on the side of the building, now restored. Both buildings have reached full occupancy in residential spaces on the upper floors and commercial spaces on the first floor.

Christian Science Church

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1880s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; condemned

Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: Christian Science Church was constructed as a saloon and bowling hall at the turn of the 20th century. The property was converted to a church in the early1900s. Located within Victor’s downtown National Register Historic District, this rare architecturally designed building stood as an example of the town’s rich mining history and architectural heritage. Over the years, the building had developed severe cracks in its walls, which required the city to close off the street immediately in front of the property over concerns for public safety. The owners had placed it on the market, hoping a preservation-minded buyer would rehabilitate the building. Still, an attempt to find a buyer was unsuccessful, and the building was deemed a hazard and demolished.

Isis Theatre

Listed: 2020

Constructed: 1899; rebuilt in 1900

Threat: Demolition by neglect; development

Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: The Isis Theatre is a rare survivor of a minimally altered, vaudeville-style theatre. Originally constructed in 1899, the building was burned in a fire that leveled the majority of Victor to the ground that same year. Rebuilt in 1904, the theatre witnessed countless important figures in entertainment in the early 20th century. The building maintains a high degree of integrity, with hundreds of the original seats still on the property, original projector systems operating with DC electricity, and decorative elements. The outside evokes a sense that the building might have been remodeled in an Art Deco style but adds to the overall historic character of Victor

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1899

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Victor

Significance: The Silver Dollar Saloon is one of the many buildings rebuilt in 1899 following a fire that destroyed most of downtown Victor. Built by Jimmy Doyle, founder of Colorado’s richest gold mine (the Portland Mine), the building is one of only two stone buildings in town. Early directories show that the upstairs housed ten offices. Downstairs housed the Gorman Clothing Company, shoe store, haberdashery, and barbershop. At the height of the Art Deco era, the first floor was transformed into a saloon. The owners spared no expense to attract patrons, as evidenced by the surviving Can-Can stage, dining booths, bar stools, and counter. In 2008, the Silver Dollar Saloon was sold to sympathetic owners who immediately applied for and received a State Historical Fund grant to reroof the building and perform a Historic Structure Assessment. In more recent years, the broken storefront windows have been replaced, and work has begun on the interior. A recent sickness in the family and concerns for funding have stalled progress on the site.

Site Needs: Funding and partnership with Victor’s Main Street Program.

Update: There has been little change. The site is privately owned, and while they have done some work to the building, health concerns with the family have put the project on hold.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: DENVER METRO

Arapahoe, Denver, and Douglas Counties: City Ditch

Arvada: Ralston Cemetery

Black Hawk

Boulder: Glenn Huntington Bandshell

Boulder: Gold Hill Town Site

Boulder: Grandview Terrace Neighborhood

Brighton: Great Western Sugar Factory

Central City

Central City: Belvidere Theatre

Denver: Capitol Dome

Denver: Civic Center

Denver: Currigan Exhibition Hall

Denver: Denver Tramway CO Streetcar No. 04

Denver: Evans School

Denver: Grant Ave Church

Denver: Hangar 61

Denver: Neon Colfax

Denver: Riverside Cemetery

Denver: 16th St. Mall

Denver: Sullivan Gateway

Denver: Sundial Plaza

Estes Park: Elkhorn Lodge

Fort Collins: Preston Farm

Foxton: Foxton Post Office

Gilpin County: East Portal Camp Cabins

Greeley: Dearfield Farming Colony

Greeley: Downtown Greeley

Greeley: P.O.W. Pillars Camp 202

Greeley: Greeley, Salt Lake Pacific Railroad Grade

Idaho Springs to Graymont: Historic I-70 Communities

Littleton: Bradford House

Littleton: Mid-Century Resources Littleton Blvd

Littleton: Willowcroft Manor

Milliken: Daniels Schoolhouse

Moffat Road*

New Raymer: Centre Avenue

Shaffer’s Crossing: Elk Creek Barn & Octagon

South Platte: South Platte Hotel

Windsor: Windsor Mill

* See EPP Regional Division: Northwest

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1865, completed

Threat: Highway Expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: Built in the 1860s, the 26-mile hand-dug City Ditch introduced irrigation and “greening” to a brown and dusty Denver. It was called an engineering marvel for its use of only gravity to carry water from the Platte River northward. The ditch became a hub for off-shoot ditches that attracted newcomers to the area. One section in Washington Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. City Ditch is one of over 20,000 irrigation ditches and canals in Colorado. Only a few are as old as City Ditch. When City Ditch was first listed on the Endangered Places list, the Denver Water Board had intended to abandon a significant part of the historic ditch to accompany an I-25 highway widening project. This abandonment would dry up the ditch along its route through Englewood and Denver north of Hampden Avenue, a stretch of several miles.

Since listing, partnerships were formed, and the City Ditch is now a Save! As a result of a collaborative agreement between the City of Englewood Utilities Department, the Denver Water Board, the Denver Parks and Recreation Department, a concerned neighborhood group, and Colorado Preservation, Inc., City Ditch continues to convey water and serve irrigation and recreation needs along its stretch. A celebration of the 150th anniversary of the City Ditch was held on August 12, 2017, in Washington Park.

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1847-1870s

Threat: Vandalism; lack of maintenance

Closest Town to Resource: Arvada

Significance: In June 1850, Lewis Ralston made the first documented discovery of gold in Colorado. The resulting settlement bore his name, and a highly productive farming colony developed that would later be renamed Arvada. Ralston Cemetery, a modest prairie cemetery located on a knoll with sweeping views of the Denver metro area, is now all that remains of the original settlement of the Ralston town site. The first marked graves contain the Osborn triplets, who died in quick succession in 1869, though it is speculated that the first burial is a mass grave dating to the late 1840s. These and the other grave markers tell an important story about early gold strikes in Colorado and the settlement of the Rocky Mountain West.

In 1994, the City of Arvada purchased the site and surrounding land for open space. A fence has been constructed, and friends and descendants installed a stone marker noting the site. However, vandals continue to cause significant damage to the graves and markers. A local student became a passionate advocate for the cemetery by publishing an informational website, fundraising, organizing investigatory work with ground penetrating radar, and coordinating with the City of Arvada to maintain the site. The site is better protected now, and its historical significance is better understood, which has helped reduce vandalism and other mischiefs.

Black Hawk

Listed: 1998

Constructed: Various

Threat: Development

Significance: Three of Colorado’s most historic mining towns have been threatened due to development from the gambling laws. Since their listing in 1998, each city has tried to preserve its historical sites. Strong preservation efforts in Cripple Creek have made it a SAVE! Central City is currently implementing a plan for historic preservation and economic recovery and is listed in progress. Black Hawk is making preservation strides, but the historic district is still considered threatened. Some remaining structures, including the Lace House, were demolished or moved, eliciting much controversy.

Site Needs: There is debate over whether this site should be considered a loss as there is very little historic fabric left, and the scale of new development overwhelms the historic town.

Update: CPI has had little involvement with this site in recent years, but new large-scale casino development continues.

Glen Huntington Bandshell

Listed: 2016

Constructed: 1900-1930s

Threat: Development; demolition; loss of integrity

Closest Town to Resource: Boulder

Significance: The Glen Huntington Band Shell was constructed in 1938 and designated as an individual landmark in 1995. Local architect Glen Huntington and landscape architect Saco R. DeBoer designed the band shell and its site. The band shell has hosted hundreds of concerts and events over the years and is colorfully illuminated at night on special occasions. Concerns about demolition related in part to the Civic Area Master Plan process, but a backlash against the removal of the 1950-era seating has shifted the focus of the planning effort to other areas of the site.

Site Needs: Continue to work with Boulder Landmarks and Historic Boulder, Inc. to ensure that the band shell remains in the master plans for the park area. Some compromise may have to be worked out regarding the seating, which is not original to the site but still considered significant as part of the National Register nomination. The boundaries of the National Register district may be amended to include all park elements in 2022.

Gold Hill Town Site

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1859

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Boulder

Significance: Located west of Boulder and known as an important archaeological site, the historic area of the Gold Hill Town Site includes the ruins of the Horsfal Mine and one of Colorado’s earliest Masonic halls. Within months of listing, Boulder County purchased the site and has maintained the property as an open space. Boulder County is currently working to acquire additional adjoining land, with plans to create trails and interpretation of the original site. A recent proposal to develop a solar farm to power the entire electrical needs of the town of Gold Hill may impact some of this area.

Grandview Terrace Neighborhood

Listed: 1999

Constructed: 1900-1930s

Threat: Development; demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Boulder

Significance: The early-1900s Grand View Terrace Neighborhood was threatened in 1999 with demolition due to future plans for the University of Colorado. The University of Colorado regents and the city of Boulder negotiated a deal to allow 11 bungalows to be preserved on-site and help move others offsite. One of the houses was moved to the Chautauqua section of Boulder. There may be future concerns for this site as the university covets this site at the top of the hill adjacent to the north edge of the campus. Development pressures from the Broadway corridor also are at play here.

Great Western Sugar Factory

Listed: 2016

Constructed: 1916

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Brighton

Significance: The Brighton Board of Trade met on March 9, 1903, to consider securing a sugar beet factory for Adams County. The Great Western Sugar Company began construction in Brighton for its ninth Colorado beet sugar processing factory on Sept 15, 1916. The factory was often billed as the company’s showcase factory, with state equipment and beautiful landscaping. This factory site is one of only six Great Western Sugar Company factories that remain in the United States. In 2017, the main factory with a tall smokestack was demolished, as shown in the top photo, but the silos and administrative office building have been preserved as operations continue.

Update: In 2017, the main factory building was demolished, and explosives brought down the smoke stack as much of the iconic structure was lost. Through the Endangered Places listing, however, seven of the remaining ten buildings and structures remain. Before demolition, documentation through photography, oral histories, and a comprehensive historical report, including the factory layout and refinery process, was realized.

Central City

Listed: 1998

Constructed: Various

Threat: Development

Significance: Three of Colorado’s most historic mining towns have been threatened due to development from the gambling laws. Since their listing in 1998, each city has tried to preserve its historical sites. Strong preservation efforts in Cripple Creek have led to its classification as a SAVE! Central City is currently implementing plan for historic preservation and economic recovery and is listed progress. Black Hawk is making preservation strides, but the historic district is still considered threatened.

Site Needs: Preservation workshops and outreach efforts to with the preservation of many vacant structures (see Belvidere Theater)

Update: CPI has had little involvement with this site in recent except for the Belvidere Theatre. New leadership in the community is making strides in diversifying the economy and growing the presence, which could help preservation efforts.

Belvidere Theatre

Listed: 2016

Constructed: 1875

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Central City

Significance: Originally constructed after Central City’s Great Fire of 1875, the Belvidere Theatre has a long and diverse history, including serving as the Armory Hall, Behman’s Central Bottling Works, Fire Department (1890s), Garage and dealership (1915), WPA project (1938), and a dinner theater (1970s). The building closed in 2002 and served as storage until recently. Gilpin County recently acquired the property and plans to maintain the site and retain it for future City use. In 2017 a Colorado Main Street mini-grant helped paint the façade.

Site Needs: Acquire funding and preservation volunteers to develop a long-term plan for the building. CPI is helping strategize and plan a capital campaign for the site in 2020.

Updates: The City of Central City has set aside $700,000 in funding and has begun Phase I rehabilitation. Phase 2 will require a similar amount and focus on the theatre portion.

Colorado State Capitol Dome

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1908 (dome first gilded)

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: The gold-plated Colorado Capitol dome is an iconic symbol of the state and one of only 11 gilded capitol buildings in the nation. Originally meant to be copper, the dome was gilded in 1908 due to a desire to create a grander statement. With time the dome began to deteriorate, which prompted restoration work on the structure in 2011. The dome is now a SAVE thanks to formed partnerships and group efforts. The dome has been re-gilded with gold leaf mined in Cripple Creek and donated by AngloGold Ashanti/Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company.

Civic Center Park

Listed: 2009

Constructed: 1913-1924

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Constructed in 1913, Denver’s Civic Center was designed to be the cultural and governmental hub of Denver. Located in the heart of the city, Civic Center was originally threatened by deferred maintenance and redesign of the area. In 2009, the city began a 9-milliondollar rehabilitation that included re-establishing original walkways and paths and restoring the original granite balustrade.

Thanks to these efforts, the site is today considered a SAVE! Efforts to regularly program activities in the Civic Center and restoration of the nearby original Carnegie Library building have greatly helped with the overall renaissance of the Civic Center. The Civic Center Conservancy continues to champion preservation and reuse, but challenges with entrenched homelessness and vagrancy continue to plague the park. However, the buildings and structures on site are being preserved as part of the National Register District. Recent social problems relating to homelessness and addiction have strained the capacity of city officials to make this major City Beautiful asset safe and secure for all people who wish to use it. Much of the site is temporarily closed to enable the lawn and landscape elements to recover.

Currigan Exhibition Hall

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1969

Threat: Development; demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Currigan Exhibition Hall long stood as one of Denver’s precedent-setting works of modern architecture. Upon completion in 1969, Currigan boasted 100,000 square feet of column-free exhibition space and was the world’s largest rigid space frame. The building became one of the largest uses of weathering steel (CorTen) in a public building. It received worldwide recognition as the prototype for exhibition halls and airline hangars. To make way for the expansion of Denver’s convention center, the hall’s demolition was completed in 2002, even though sections of the building could have been individually disassembled and moved.

Denver Tramway Company Streetcar no.04

Listed: 2015

Constructed: 1911

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Denver Tramway Company Streetcar No.04 was the last car to run in Denver when the streetcar system ended on July 3, 1950. The 1911 streetcar is one of only a few remaining streetcars from the Denver Tramway Company, and one of only four cars converted from a standard gauge rail to a narrow gauge. The car is one of four new sites listed in 2015. The City of Arvada, in partnership with the Arvada Historical Society, hopes to restore the site for future interpretation near the Gold Line commuter rail station in Olde Town.

Site Needs: Identified grant funding and plans for interpretation and display.

Update: Since listing, a strong partnership has formed with interested parties working on its restoration, to be guided by a completed HSA. Stakeholder meetings occur regularly with CPI as an active member. In 2018, the Friends of the .04 Trolley organization was formed to raise awareness of the importance of the streetcar, identify additional funding for display and interpretation, and help finalize a site for this important resource. In 2018, a $200,000 State Historical Fund Grant was awarded to support the project, and the trolley was temporarily moved to a shop in Cheyenne, WY, for rehabilitation. The trolley has been rehabilitated, and a display site has been chosen in Olde Town.

Evans School

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1904

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Evans School was designated a Local Denver Landmark in 2001, and since that time, the owners have nearly completed an extensive rehabilitation of the building. A temporary certificate of occupancy has been issued, and an elevator has been installed to serve future tenants.

Update: In 2018, an apartment developer bought the century-old former elementary school in Golden Triangle. The project currently features mixed-use purposes, including offices and community meeting space. A successful farmer’s market now occurs in the front yard of the former school on a seasonal basis.

Grant Avenue Church

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1907

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Grant Avenue Community Church and Sacred Space has graced the corner of South Grant and Cedar in Denver since 1907. As the urban congregation declined, by 2000, developers were pitching a loft project on the site. Faced with the potential building loss, the church donated it to the community. The congregation voted to form a non-profit organization, the Grant Avenue Community Center & Sacred Place, Inc. At the time of its listing, the building needed more than $2.5 million for rehabilitation, much of which was later grant funded. Today, the Community Center is home to a number of local nonprofit and arts groups in addition to ongoing use by several small church congregations.

Listed: 2005

Constructed: 1959

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Constructed in 1959 within the former Stapleton International Airport complex, this unique 9,400 square-foot barrel-vaulted thin-shelled concrete hangar was designed by architect firm Fisher, Fisher, and Davis, and engineered by Milo Ketchum (a Denver engineer of national renown). Thirty-three feet at its apex, the thin shell concrete arch is diamond-shaped and spans 160 feet without center supports. Built to house the Fairchild F-27 turbo-prop airliner, Hangar 61 is unlike other hangars from the old airport. The Ideal Cement Company, one of the largest in the industry and one of the most successful companies in Colorado history (owned by the prominent Boettcher family of Denver), built the structure as a private hangar for the company.

In 1995 the City and County of Denver closed Stapleton International Airport, and with no use found for Hangar 61, demolition seemed imminent. Because the building had been vacant since the mid-1990s and no developer had produced a viable rehabilitation plan, Forest City Stapleton, Inc. felt demolition might be the only solution for this “eyesore” in the midst of a dynamic redevelopment project. Colorado Preservation, Inc. purchased the property with the assistance of State Historical Funds in 2007. Ownership later was transferred to 620 Corp, LLC., which had first heard about the building from the Most Endangered Places listing. In 2010, the 200-member Stapleton Fellowship Church purchased the property and added a 300-seat auditorium, state-of-the-art stage, children’s ministry space, and gathering areas for public use.

Neon Signs of Colfax

Listed: 2014

Constructed: Various

Threat: Various – Development; demolition by neglect; bureaucratic obstacles to sign repair in Denver

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: The mid-century neon signs of Colfax Avenue are a reminder of the corridor’s past life as the “Gateway to the Rockies.” Elaborately designed and brightly lit signs lined Colfax Avenue as motels, restaurants, and roadside attractions competed for travelers' business. These signs represent an era for Colfax Avenue that has long since passed. Today, the signs are in various states of disrepair. These threats can be mitigated by building an awareness and appreciation for the history these signs represent and the craftsmanship that went into their creation. Save the Signs is a strong campaign to fundraise and develop a location for donated signs.

Site Needs: Using other cities as examples, neon sign ordinance protections in Denver will include incentives for retaining historic signs. CPI has met with more than one City Council member. However, the bureaucracy and sign code still needs to be improved for property owners wanting to preserve or restore their signs, especially if the business uses have changed.

Update: CPI nominated the neon signs for the Falling By the Wayside nomination by the Society for Commercial Archeology. The signs were selected and, as a result, have gotten improved press coverage in 2016. Site advocates are looking to acquire a location in Stapleton for a sign museum and are working with property owners to retain significant existing signs. Demolition threats continue to be strong on Colfax but are partly driven by development and gentrification. The historic Pig ’n’ Whistle Motel sign on West Colfax is the most recent preservation success.

Riverside Cemetery

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1876

Threat: Lightrail expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Incorporated in 1876, Riverside Cemetery is the oldest operating cemetery in Colorado. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 77-acre site contains a wealth of unique monuments. In 2008 the Fairmount Heritage Foundation launched a plan to develop an environmentally sustainable landscape in partnership with Riverside families, horticulturists, preservationists, universities, civic groups, and concerned citizens. Under the leadership and guidance of the Fairmount Heritage Foundation, sustainable landscaping has been planted that incorporates native plantings that do not require heavy watering., with the help of State Historical Fund grants.

Site Needs: The site is progressing toward a save but needs to ensure the land cannot be taken for future development. Need to re-establish contacts with FHA and representatives from the Colorado Cemetery Association.

Update: The original threat has been mitigated, but the site has requested to remain listed in case of development pressures. A recent RTD proposal to relocate the cemetery entrance continues to threaten the site's integrity. Adequate maintenance continues to be a concern. CPI has offered to partner with the Heritage Foundation in grant-writing efforts. Because the site has no water rights and no funding from the Colorado Cemetery Trust Fund, it was decided to leave it in a more natural prairie cemetery state. Still, with minimal maintenance, citizens continue to complain about its condition. In 2019, the Fairmount Cemetery Association turned down an awarded State Historical Fund grant for the restoration of stained-glass windows in the little chapel building due to the inability to raise the matching funds required.

Significance: The 16th Street mall was designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm I.M. Pei & Partners of New York. The main features of I. design include polychromatic patterned granite pavers, wide sidewalks, central tree-lined corridor. Today the Mall is rated as the top visitor attraction metropolitan area. Its free shuttles serve an average of 55,000 commuters tourists per day. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic creates considerable wear and tear that jeopardizes the original design and materials. Concern over the future of the Mall arose in mid-2008 because the Regional Transportation District (RTD) expressed interest in removing the pedestrian median and replacing the intricate pattern of granite pavers to address recurring and expensive maintenance concerns. The proposals, if implemented, will destroy key aspects of the original I. M. Pei design. In May of 2008, a panel of experts from the Urban Land Institute advised Denver to fix, not change, the 16th Street Mall and declared the Mall “public art of the highest international quality. ” A new 3-part planning process got underway in the Summer of 2017. It recently concluded with plans to substantially replace most historical materials with a new transit configuration and materials replicating some of the Mall’s original features.

Site Needs: Ongoing project implementation monitoring, followed whether the Mall should be considered at “Loss” for the Endangered

Update: CPI has provided comments and attended meetings as 106 Review process, along with Historic Denver, Inc. and other to push for the retention of original materials and features, but of almost entirely new construction appeared to be pre-determined strategies agreed to are largely symbolic nods to the Mall’s original features. The project is in the 90% design phase, and a decision may be needed about whether to consider it Lost due to the removal of almost all original historic fabric.

Sullivan Gateway

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1917

Threat: Deterioration; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Located on the north side of Colfax Ave, Sullivan Gateway is an impressive entrance to Denver’s City Park. Inspired by the City Beautiful Movement, the gateway has two curving terra cotta walls, fountains, and two 40-foot-tall sculptures representing early Colorado agriculture and mining. At the time of listing, the walls were broken and deteriorating, damaged by vandals and graffiti. There is much local support for saving Sullivan Gateway, and the city has supported restoring the site and has applied to the State Historical Fund for grants.

Site Needs: Community outreach to demonstrate large support to the city, adequate funding, and publicity about the rehabilitation effort.

Update: Phase I and II of a 3-part rehabilitation of the east and west lions head fountains, and adjacent walls are complete with SHF grant and City Parks CIP funding. Phase III restoration of the statuary and remaining walls were completed in 2020.

Sundial Plaza/Cranmer Park

Listed: 2013

Constructed: 1966

Threat: Deterioration; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: The land for Cranmer Park was acquired in 1908, but construction on the terrazzo terrace did not begin until 1923. At the time of construction, the park was named Mountain View Park after the extensive views of the Front Rage. Mountain profiles were etched in the terrazzo creating a mosaic panorama of Colorado’s mountain range, which mimics the breathtaking view. The sundial was installed in 1941. Unfortunately, the original sundial was bombed with dynamite by vandals in 1965. The incident prompted a community-wide effort to reconstruct a replica of the sundial in 1966, led by city officials, members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, residents, and business leaders. The replacement sundial and platform were listed on EPP as a result of their condition due to vandalism and poor drainage. There were crumbling flagstones, missing stones, broken and cracked etchings in the tablets, broken mosaic stones in the etched Mountain View panoramas, and insensitive repairs made until recently. The Cranmer Park/Hilltop Civic Association worked with the city to finalize plans to renovate the Sundial Plaza in Cranmer Park. The Save Our Sundial Committee joined forces with The Park People to complete fundraising to supplement the public funds Denver committed to the project.

Site Needs: Outreach for its significance and publicity for the successful and completed work.

Update: Initially, the advocates for the plaza at Cranmer Park hoped to find ways to reuse as much original flagstone as possible for the project, but it proved infeasible and too costly. A new platform replicating the historic one was constructed, and the sundial has been repaired and reinstalled. The project is considered a Save and was recognized in the 2019 EPP brochure.

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1874

Threat: Development; natural elements: flooding

Closest Town to Resource: Estes Park

Significance: Considered the oldest, continuously operated hotel Colorado, the Elkhorn Lodge is an example of a late-19th-century hunting lodge built to serve the burgeoning demand from tourists for an immersive “Rocky Mountain” experience. The property originally included several thousand acres, which have since been deeded to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The lodge currently consists of 35 buildings on 65 acres. The Elkhorn Lodge faces substantial development pressure and is seeking preservation-minded buyer. Estes Park’s need for growth puts the future of the Lodge in serious jeopardy.

Site Needs: Preservation-minded buyer, identifying grant funding, updating NR Nomination to increase contributing buildings. Other ideas include working with a land conservation organization to protect and preserve the open space surrounding the lodge to prevent unsympathetic development.

Update: The longtime property owner sold the site in 2021. The new development has worked with Estes Park on plans to develop portions of the property while preserving key buildings, including the hotel, church, school, one barn, and some small rental cabins. A recent small fire damaged the Lodge building and resulted in the closure of the second story. One of two small barns also collapsed due to a snowstorm in March 2017.

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1877

Threat: Demolition for development

Closest Town to Resource: Fort Collins

Significance: Constructed in 1877, the Preston Farm was the last remaining farm site in Fort Collins. When first listed as endangered, the property was threatened by development along the Harmony Road Corridor. Preston Farm became the first “Save” on Colorado Preservation, Inc.'s Most Endangered Places list. The preservation of the building was a result of the partnership between the city government and preservationists.

The farmstead, including the farmhouse and a dozen significant outbuildings, was purchased by a preservation-minded buyer who has kept the farmstead intact. The Landmark Preservation Commission reviewed plans for the development of the property and was steadfast in their determination that all contributing buildings needed to be preserved; the Fort Collins Advanced Planning Department commissioned a site plan to show how preservation and development could co-exist.

Foxton Post Office

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1909

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Foxton

Significance: A local landmark in the North Fork National Historic District, the Foxton Post Office was established in 1909 and was a train depot until 1927. Located near the Colorado Trail, over 300,000 visitors pass by this log structure, the last remaining post office building in the valley and one of the few log-constructed post offices in the state. The building is currently owned by Denver Water and continues to deteriorate with no plans for maintenance.

Site Needs: Reestablish discussions with Denver Water and the community to develop a long-term plan for the building. Work with Denver Water to devise a Master Plan to analyze how they will deal with their historic resources. New use proposal related to the nearby trail and other potential new use ideas and drawings.

Update: CPI met with Jefferson County Historical Commission to reengage efforts to preserve the North Fork National Historic District. CPI received permission from Denver Water to host a successful Weekend Workshop at the site in 2020, which resulted in mothballing of the windows, temporary stabilization of the walls in the west room, and installation of a temporary roof to better secure the structure. Future works depend on Denver Water.

East Portal Camp Cabins

Listed: 2020

Constructed: 1922-1923

Threat: Demolition by neglect: demolition by Union Pacific Railroad (UP); land owned by U.S. Forest Service and buildings owned by UP Closest Town to Resource: Tolland

Significance: The five East Portal Camp Cabins are all that remain of the camp constructed as the company town during the construction of the Moffat Tunnel. The camp was built before the commencement of work on the tunnel itself. It represented a concerted effort to maintain morale and enforce a good work ethic by creating a company-town environment. This factory system of company town planning was familiar in the East and Midwest but uncommon in the Rocky Mountain West at the time. As planned, the site included a Main Street with utilitarian shops closest to the tunnel, bunkhouses, and recreation facilities with a “Cottage Village” east of the bunkhouse and shop complex. The five East Portal Camp Cabins were originally part of 11 single-family cottages. They originally housed administrative and supervisory personnel along with their families. They are the only remaining connection with the individuals who built the Moffatt tunnel.

Site Needs: Mediated discussions with the county and Union Pacific to transfer ownership, HSA grant was awarded and completed for the buildings. With their condition becoming extreme, immediate stabilization and financial assistance from the community (particularly the Stagecoach Homeowner’s Association) is critical.

Dearfield Farming Colony

Listed: 1999

Constructed: 1910-1930s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; natural elements: tornado

Closest Town to Resource: Greeley

Significance: Dearfield is the only African-American agricultural colony in the Colorado High Plains. Inspired by the teachings of Booker T. Washington, Oliver Jackson sought to create a dryland farming colony large enough to accommodate 200 African-American families. In 1910 Jackson filed a desert claim for 320 acres in Weld County. Named Dearfield after the sentiment that the community would be “dear to us,” the community included 44 wooden cabins hosting 27 families with 595 acres under cultivation by 1915. Dearfield also had a concrete block factory, lodge hall, church, restaurant, grocery store, and boarding house. Success was foiled by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and by 1940, only twelve people remained. The last resident left the community in 1973. Dearfield today is a National Historic District but has fallen into disrepair.

Site Needs: Stabilize buildings, mothball vacant buildings, identify funding for interpretive signs, and participation in discussions about the future of the site.

Update: Significant ongoing archaeological research is occurring, but more needs to be done to protect or maintain the standing structures. In 2018, negotiations concluded between the Black American West Museum, Clayton Homes, and preservation advocates over the terms of a land swap that will support the preservation of the core area of the town. UNC, CSU, and CPI also helped mothball buildings at the site in late 2019. In 2022, the site received a major $498,000 grant from the African-American Civil Rights program to begin restoration of the three remaining buildings on site, and an NPS study is underway.

Downtown Greeley

Listed: 2000

Constructed: Various

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Greeley

Significance: Downtown Greeley has many significant structures that reflect Greeley’s history and development, including the Gordon Building, Greeley Tribune Building, Greeley Armory, and the Hawkes Building. The EPP listing resulted from the large vacancy rate downtown due to the economic decline in the area in the late 90s. After listing, Greeley became part of the Colorado Main Street Program and formed a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) that assisted with the revitalization of the area. Significant private reinvestment has also occurred, and the site is now considered a SAVE!

Listed: 2005

Constructed: 1940s

Threat: Highway Expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Greeley

Significance: Populated by more than 3,000 German and Austrian prisoners captured while serving in North Africa, P.O.W. Camp 202 was a 302-acre World War II prisoner-of-war camp built in the 1940s located near Greeley. The camp closed in 1946. When the site was first listed as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places, only two stone entrance gate pillars remained along U.S. Highway 34, west of Greeley. The pillars were threatened in 2005 when the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began a highway expansion project for Highway 34.

Fearing the loss of the only remaining features of the camp, a preservation campaign including Colorado Preservation, Inc., the City of Greeley, Historic Greeley, and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was started to save the pillars and install interpretive panels. To prevent demolition and keep the pillars as close to the original site as possible, compromise was reached that had CDOT relocate them to a spot on highway near their original location and install an informational turnout travelers. In 2010 the P.O.W. Camp Pillars were officially designated local historic landmarks. One of the pillars was damaged by an automobile that ran off the highway in 2018 but was successfully repaired.

Greeley, Salt Lake, Pacific Railroad Grade

Listed: 2009

Constructed: 1881

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Greeley

Significance: This National Register-listed linear landscape is associated with early efforts to connect northern Colorado with the transcontinental railroad. Constructed in 1881 and abandoned in 1988, this section of the rail line represents more than 100 years of railroad history. This is one of Colorado's few abandoned rail lines that retains its historic alignment, railroad bed, ballast, ties, and rails. The site includes three historic bridges, one of which is a turntable manufactured in Chicago in 1892. The site was threatened by water pipeline improvements that called for installing a 5-foot-diameter water pipeline 10 feet deep along the route. The City of Greeley, however, installed the pipeline with minimal impact to the rail bed, with one tunnel drilled under it to create access to the other side. The Army Corps permitted these mitigation strategies.

Update: The pipeline project is complete despite ongoing property owner concerns. The federal mandate required Greeley to respect historic structures and minimize environmental impact. After a long ten-year process, the project is now considered a save.

Listed: 2005

Constructed: Various

Threat: Highway Expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Idaho Springs to Graymont

Significance: Numerous communities abutting and sometimes from Idaho Springs to Graymont attest to the 19th and history of mineral, milling, timber, and railroad industries Springs has been designated a National Register Georgetown/Silver Plume a National Historic Landmark District other structures and sites in the area are believed eligible National Registers of Historic Places. These communities were of the concern over the proposed widening of I-70.

Site Needs: Continued monitoring, outreach, and participation review.

Update: CPI is a consulting party for CDOT and monitors proposed changes to the communities along I-70. Local groups in Idaho Springs, in particular, have been especially vigilant in monitoring any highway widening plans.

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1872

Threat: Natural elements; fire

Closest Town to Resource: Littleton

Significance: Residence of Major Robert Boyles Bradford, Denver pioneer who founded the Bradford Wagon route from Denver to Leadville and South Park property is in present-day Ken Caryl Ranch and National Register of Historic Places. The public considered eyesore in a spectacular open space park. campaign to increase knowledge of the site’s significance support preservation. The Ken Caryl Ranch Master State Historical Fund helped fund the development and plan.

In 2004, the Ken Caryl Ranch Master Association, the State Historical Fund, the Gates Family Foundation, the John B. and Mildred Holmes Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, and others funded the structural stabilization to develop the site as an outdoor theater and interpretive education center. The site had been used as a laboratory for archaeology students from Metropolitan State College, the Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Denver. The project earned the Stephen H. Hart Award for excellence in preservation from the Colorado Historical Society in 2004.

Mid-century Resources Littleton Boulevard

Listed: 2014

Constructed: Various

Threat: Demolition; development

Closest Town to Resource: Littleton

Significance: The Mid-century Resources of Littleton Boulevard include several commercial buildings and building complexes that can be found along the Littleton Boulevard corridor south of Denver. While many building owners have embraced their mid-century buildings, many have become vacant and received little maintenance in the past few years. These buildings are integral to interpreting the automobile movement of the 1950s in Littleton. Mid-century resources are under attack throughout the country; often seen as dated and obsolete, they fall victim to the wrecking ball and demolition by neglect. Recent Urban Renewal Authority plans for the area have increased concerns for the structures.

Site Needs: Awareness, promote identified key resources, and monitor Urban Renewal Plans for the area. Support expansion of the Main Street District.

Update: Due to development pressures, Littleton has expressed increased interest in its mid-century resources. A historical survey has been completed to expand the Main Street Historic District to the east as a non-contiguous “opt-in” district. That includes several possible mid-century buildings on the corridor. A consultant is also developing design standards and guidelines for future work on the homes in Louthan Heights. Preservation consultants Diane Wray Tomasso and Michael Paglia completed the new survey to understand these resources better.

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1884

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Littleton

Significance: Willowcroft Farm was added to the Colorado State Register of Historic Places in 1993 as an example of a complex rich in architectural significance and social history. Settler, politician, and one of the most important early settlers in the Littleton area, Joseph W. Bowles, hired noted Denver architect Robert Roeschlaub (known for the Central City Opera House, Trinity Methodist Church in Denver, and the Chamberlin Observatory) to design the main house in 1884.

When listed on the Endangered Places in 2010, the complex included the main house, bunkhouse, smokehouse, horse barn, and a large two-story barn originally built to house a dance hall and speakeasy in the 1920s. The main house (constructed from rose-colored lava stone quarried in Castle Rock) was intended to be an architectural and technological showpiece. A newspaper article from 1884 reported that the house was “furnished with hot and cold water on every floor, heated by furnaces and lighted by gas made on the premises. Nothing has been omitted that could add to the comfort and convenience of the household.” Willowcroft was surrounded on two sides by a neighborhood of multimillion-dollar homes, which resulted in significant development pressure. The Farm was sold at auction. Colorado Preservation, Inc. started discussions with the new owner encouraging the preservation of both the land and the buildings as an urban farmstead. Unfortunately, the property was demolished in 2011, despite the efforts of Colorado Preservation, Inc., who urged saving the buildings at the commission meeting

Daniels Schoolhouse

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1911

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Milliken

Significance: The Daniels School is reported to be the oldest surviving and last remaining rural brick schoolhouse in Weld county. The school was built in 1911 and met the community's educational needs for almost fifty years before being closed Daniels family immigrated to the United States from England, Canada, in the mid-19th century and settled in Weld County before the Town of Milliken was founded in 1907. The Daniels family donated a parcel of their land for the county school. site is privately owned and was successfully stabilized and restored.

Listed: 2017

Constructed: 1900s

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: New Raymer

Significance: Agricultural communities have formed the backbone of Colorado’s Eastern Plains since the late 1880s. The towns and cities have endured droughts, harsh winters, relentless winds, population changes, and economic depressions. But the one thing that has remained constant is the strength of the communities and the perseverance of the people. The town of New Raymer, anchored by its Main Street, Centre Avenue, reflects this legacy. The town population declined in the 1930s due to drought and economic depression. This decline continued into the next decades, and by the 1960s, most of the businesses along Centre Avenue had closed.

Site Needs: Mothballing of the Texaco Building has been completed. Friends of Raymer incorporation completed with actively engaged volunteers. The Mercantile Building and Texaco station have been successfully added to the State and National Historic Register. Two SHF grants have been secured for the Mercantile Building, part of which may house a branch library.

Elk Creek Octagon and Barn at Shaffer’s Crossing

Listed: 2018

Constructed: 1909

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vandalism; abandonment

Closest Town to Resource: Shaffer’s Crossing

Significance: The unique architecture of the octagon building has a steeply pitched roof reminiscent of older European churches, with a 3540-foot pole in the middle. The remnants of hand-painted flowers and wildlife on ceiling panels remain. At one end was a stage where many bands performed, including the legendary Isham Jones, the musician and jazz band leader of the 1920s and 30s. Here, he composed the popular hit “It Had to Be You.”

Site Needs: A use for the Octagon and barn that complements the Denver Archdiocese’s planned retreat center. A successful Weekend Workshop with Historicorps participation was held in early 2020 for stabilization, mothballing, and installation of a new temporary roof.

South Platte Hotel

Listed: 2023

Constructed: 1913

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vandalism; abandonment

Closest Town to Resource: Foxton, Deckers

Significance: The South Platte Hotel is under imminent threat of demolition. It is currently managed by Denver Water, which has owned the area near the confluence of the South Platte River and its North Fork. The South Platte Hotel is located in the North Fork Historic District and was an important stop on the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad. The hotel has been abandoned and neglected for decades and is vulnerable to vandalism and damage from weather exposure. The South Platte Hotel was built in 1913 after the original 1887 building was destroyed by arson. The hotel and townsite are emblematic of Colorado’s narrow gauge railroad history, early tourism, summer cabin communities, and small hotels located along stagecoach and rail lines. Denver Water has owned the site since 1987 but has never gained approval for constructing the Two Forks Dam.

Site Needs: Reestablish discussions with Denver Water and the community to develop a long-term plan for the building. Work with Denver Water to devise a Master Plan to analyze how they will deal with their historic resources. New use proposal related to the nearby trail and other potential new use ideas and drawings.

Windsor Mill

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1899

Threat: Demolition by neglect; natural elements; tornado in 2008; vandalism: arson fire in 2018

Closest Town to Resource: Windsor

Significance: Prominently located in the Town of Windsor and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the multi-story Windsor Mill was constructed in 1899 and used as a flour and feed mill until 1990. The building is a fine architectural representation of the progression from wood structures to brick, tile, and steel in agriculture. Colorado Preservation, Inc. assisted in the stabilization of the mill and worked to help develop a budget for future site work. In 2008, a tornado ripped through the City of Windsor and severely damaged the mill.

Update: The Windsor Mill is privately owned, and the City of Windsor has worked with the property owner to bring about positive change. After nearly $3 million was invested in the building, an early morning fire nearly destroyed it in August 2017. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson. After excavation of most of the destroyed upper stories of the mill, which collapsed into part of the basement, it was determined that a rebuild was possible, and a new mixed-use project, inspired by the general historical form of the original building, was completed in 2019.

* As adaptive re-use after tornado and fire with nod to historic form

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: SAN LUIS VALLEY

Alamosa: Rialto Theatre

Antonito: Denver Rio Grande Railroad Station

Conejos and Costilla Counties: Adobe Potato Cellars

Conejos County: McIntire Ranch and Mansion

Conejos: Lafayette Head Home and Ute Indian Agency

Creede: Commodore Mining District

Farasita: Montoya Ranch

Garcia: Garcia School

Mogote: San Rafael Church

Monte Vista: Homelake

Saguache: 4th St. Commercial District

San Francisco: Feminilas Building

San Luis: R&R Market/San Luis People’s Market

Walsenburg: Walsen Power Plant

Rialto Theatre

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1925

Threat: Natural elements; fire

Closest Town to Resource: Alamosa

Significance: With great fanfare and over 1,500 valley residents in attendance, U.S Vice President Charles G. Dawes placed the cornerstone of the American Legion Hall in Alamosa on July 27, 1925. The Legion Hall – to become the Rialto Theater two years later – would be a premier social center for the San Luis Valley and Alamosa’s vibrant downtown for more than 70 years. Completed in 1926, the large, two-story structure housed retail businesses in its front portion and an interior arcade. Its great hall, which came to include a theater with a stage and a large auditorium, hosted many functions. The late-1990s brought a new six-plex cinema west of Alamosa and led to the closing of the Rialto.

In 2003, the entire theater portion of the structure was destroyed by a fire. Concerned over the structural integrity of the building, the City of Alamosa issued a Certificate of Dangerous Building and demanded its demolition in 2005. In 2006, the State Historical Fund paid for a full historic structure assessment that provided a preservation plan and recommendations.

Selecting the Rialto as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places in 2008, Colorado Preservation, Inc began a campaign for preservation efforts. The building was sold to individuals with the vision and perseverance to rehabilitate the building into Bistro Rialto, a delectable Italian eatery, catering facility, and meeting room. Today, the building houses a Thai restaurant and offices for the Center for Restorative Programs.

Denver Rio Grande Railroad Station

Listed: 2007

Constructed: 18980-1890

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Antonito

Significance: The Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot is not only one of Antonito’s greatest historic assets but also a key to revitalizing the town itself. This station, constructed out of quarried ashlar volcanic stone, served the town of Antonito and the surrounding communities until 1951. The significance of the Depot is evident in the fact that all of Antonito’s original buildings were constructed to face the station. When listed on the Most Endangered Places, the depot had been vacant for over 50 years, with neglect and deferred maintenance taking a toll on the structure. The station is structurally sound but continued to deteriorate from lack of maintenance. Antonito has partnered with Conejos County Commissioners, the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec, and the Permian Basin Railroad (known as the Antonito/Conejos Railroad Heritage Alliance) to help the town with preservation plans, grant writing, and fundraising.

Update: In 2016, CPI partnered with the Town of Antonito and the Sangre de Christo National Heritage Area to secure a $128,694 SHF grant to repair windows, doors, and woodwork, replace the roof and rebuild the chimneys. Schuber Darden Architects and Empire Carpentry were the contractors, with CPI administering the grant. Work is now nearly complete on a second SHF grant of $74,806 for stucco repairs, masonry repointing custom storm windows, and exterior lighting, including retrofitting the historic gooseneck light fixtures with LED lighting. A tenant is scheduled to move into the depot in early 2020, and the site is now considered saved.

early

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: This regional, multi-site listing is unique to Colorado, and the quality workmanship has helped them to withstand the elements over decades. The structures range from rectangular-shaped dugouts with shallow gambrel roofs composed of timbers and latillas covered with earth to fully above-ground structures with adobe walls and timber-framed roofs with wooden shingles. As many as 100 adobe potato cellars may be present in the region.

Education about the historical significance of potato cellars to the Valley’s agricultural history will help raise landowner and public awareness about their role in the potato economy. Programs to demonstrate how to repair and maintain historic adobe properly could result in better maintenance and preservation of these resources, which are part of the upper Rio Grande region’s rich natural and cultural history.

Site Needs: Documentation; identification of representative examples; proper repair and maintenance of historic adobe.

McIntire Ranch and Mansion

Listed: 2019

Constructed: Circa 1880

Threat: Demolition by neglect; natural elements

Closest Town to Resource: Los Sauces

Significance: The McIntire Ranch is a historic archaeological site that includes the visible remains of the ranch headquarters established by Albert and Florence McIntire. Florence was well-educated and came from a wealthy eastern family. Albert was a lawyer who served as a 12th Judicial District Judge before he was elected as Colorado’s governor in 1895, which drew him away from the ranch. His absence from ranch eventually led to McIntire’s divorce in 1898, after Florence received all interests in the property and continued manage the ranch until her death in 1912.

The site includes the ruins of a large Territorial Adobe house, an outbuilding foundation, and several concentrations. A number of walls remain standing in stages of deterioration. The ranch house exhibits an method of adobe construction, and the artifact concentrations could give insight into an important aspect of gender relations and women’s history in Colorado.

Site Needs: Stabilization efforts and an agreed-upon plan the project's end goal, as well as an interpretation that includes improved access to the site.

Lafayette Head Home & Ute Indian Agency

Listed: 2021

Constructed: 1885

Threat: Weather exposure, abandonment, neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Conejos

Significance: For a relatively brief but formative period in Colorado, the Lafayette Head Home & Ute Indian Agency was the center of the universe for a diverse convergence of cultures and forces that changed the state’s history. The Lafayette Head Home & Ute Indian Agency was built by Lafayette Head in 1855 and played an important role in Colorado's founding and early history.

Lafayette Head was an early settler in the San Luis Valley after serving in the Mexican-American War and establishing himself first as a prominent businessman in Santa Fe. He and his family then founded one of the first settlements in the Valley, naming it Guadalupe, but relocated it to higher ground and renamed it Conejos, where he built his compound in what is now the county seat of Conejos County. In 1859, Head was appointed as Special Agent to the Ute and Jicarilla Apache tribes and served in this position for nine years, working especially with the Tabeguache Ute. Head used his home in Conejos as the agency headquarters. Head was also instrumental in treaty negotiations with the Ute tribes in Washington, D.C., which eventually led to the relinquishment of San Luis Valley lands to the United States and the establishment of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute reservations in far southwestern Colorado. When the Colorado Territory was established in 1861, the Head Home and Conejos became part of it. The Head House represents IndoHispano, Native American, Territorial, and early Colorado architecture.

Architect Ron Rael, Professor of Architecture at the University of California-Berkeley, is leading the effort to preserve the building and disseminate the site's history as a cultural resource to the local and regional community. Rael is a descendant of the families who accompanied Head to the Valley and has strong ties to his family’s ranch east of Conejos.

Site Update: In 2021, a CPI Weekend Workshop was held at the Head House. Partnering with Adobe in Action and Cornerstones, volunteers learned how to repair adobe walls and plaster stucco by repairing the slave quarters adjacent to the Head Home.

Commodore Mining District

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1890s

Threat: Natural elements

Closest Town to Resource: Creede

Significance: Believed to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the Commodore Mining District lies one mile north of the historic mining town of Creede. Activity in the area began with the early silver bonanzas of the 1890s and continued into base metal production during World War II. The Commodore Mine finally closed in 1976. The district is a regional icon and one of Colorado’s most scenic and photographed mining sites. Since its 2006 listing, a group of dedicated citizens formed the Creede Mining Heritage, Inc. to preserve historic mining sites in the Creede area. This group is now working to control the area's erosion, runoff, and possible contaminants. The group is trying to acquire the site from the EPA to preserve it for future enjoyment.

Site Needs: Outreach, support in efforts with EPA, building stabilization.

Update: A recent meeting at the Commodore Mine demonstrated strong support from the City of Creede and local groups. However, with the EPA Superfund listing and concerns over ownership – the buildings remain in jeopardy. The American Mining Association, a 501c3, has been formed to help. CPI has secured two SHF grants that are underway with the help of CPI’s Preservation Services program.

Montoya Ranch

Listed: 2014

Constructed: 1860

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Gardner

Significance: Montoya Ranch in Huerfano County is an excellent example of Spanish Colonial and Territorial Adobe architecture. Potentially the only adobe basement building in the United States, it housed different functions after its construction in 1860. The ranch was used for sheep ranching, a rare industry for this part of Colorado. Remarkably several of the sheep pens are still extant on the property. All the buildings have suffered from neglect, and future fundraising is needed to preserve the site. The site is privately owned, and as a result, funding options are difficult to acquire.

Site Needs: Funding, master plan, adobe stabilization.

Update: Unfortunately, the awarded SHF grant had to be returned due to concerns that the property owner could not make the match. CPI has visited the site and is trying to work with the owner on a new plan.

adobe buildings in the area known as the Plaza de los Manzanares, dating back to 1849. The perfectly square building sits on the site of the first Hispano settlement in Colorado. The building retains many historical elements and is relatively intact. The school has great potential as a remote learning center for the Centennial School District and as a community resource.

At one time, the school served as a library and Head Start location. The Centennial School District, however, has received $3.2 million in grant funding from the Connecting Colorado Students Grant Program to build out its internet in nearby San Luis and establish a Remote Learning Center at Garcia School that will enable all students who have Centennial-provided equipment to access this Internet bandwidth.

Site Needs: Funding, master plan, adobe stabilization.

San Rafael Church

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1895

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Mogote

Significance: Traditional Hispanic Catholicism collided with conventional Anglo Protestantism in southern Colorado and resulted in the construction of the unusual San Rafael Church. Located in the San Luis National Historic District, the church represents the clash and subsequent merger between Protestant Anglo and Hispanic Catholic missionaries.

A State Historical Fund grant funded asbestos abatement, a new wood shingle roof, bell tower restoration, indoor plumbing, and reinforcement of one adobe wall. The efforts from supporters have resulted in the complete restoration of the church. In addition to restoring the church building, the community is working to revitalize the surrounding land via irrigation water rights.

Listed: 2005

Constructed: Various

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Monte Vista

Significance: Established in the San Luis Valley in 1889, the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake (also known as the Soldiers and Sailors Home) provided a peaceful place for aging and displaced Civil War veterans. This continuously operated complex is the state’s oldest veterans’ center and contains over eighty structures. Fiftytwo structures on site are considered contributing to the State Register Historic District; five buildings are listed individually. The Homelake Foundation was established to spearhead the preservation of the site. Colorado Preservation, Inc., the Department of Human Services, and a growing network of supporters, including national and state representatives, have joined forces to emphasize the importance of the site and its need for funding. The State Historical Fund awarded a grant in May 2006 for a master plan of the campus. Improvements to buildings that are in use have been a high priority. However, those not in use continue to decay. These early-20th-century buildings contain asbestos, and no government funding can go into their repair.

Site Needs: Asbestos removal (possible Brownfields grant), a master plan for unused buildings, reuse plan for these buildings, and identify funding, HSA.

Update: CPI has had meetings with the Homelake Historic Preservation and Restoration Foundation. Unfortunately, the block of early 20th-century buildings currently not being used by the Veteran’s Center remains threatened. They have no funds or plans for reuse. CPI has tried to market these sites to CCI and other Colorado Creative groups for potential artist studios. Efforts continue.

4th Street Commercial District

Listed: 2009

Constructed: Various – 1874-1940

Threat: Deterioration; vacancy; economic decline

Closest Town to Resource: Saguache

Significance: Several buildings that anchor the 4th Street Business District date to the town’s incorporation in 1874. Serving as the trade and business center for much of the historic San Luis Valley, Saguache represents an early Colorado town in history and architectural detail. The building stock of this district includes two banks, a newspaper office that operates the last “hot metal press” in Colorado, a hotel, two mercantile stores, a mercantile warehouse, a saloon, a theater, and the County Courthouse. The 4th St. Commercial District recently became a National Register Historic District and was awarded the first EPP Progress Award in 2015.

Site Needs: Preservation-minded buyer for the historic hotel and opening of the Elks Hall.

Update: Saguache continues to move forward with revitalizing this important commercial district. Recently two residents acquired the Dunn Block building with the help of a State Historical Fund mini-grant. The building hosted a Weekend Workshop in 2019 to set the stage for rehabilitation, but the owner partnership dissolved. Other creative enterprises and shops have opened, and a new restaurant and brewpub have contributed to revitalizing the historic commercial district. The main momentum now comes from the successful SHF-funded roof and soffit repairs to the Saguache Hotel on the district's south end. A second grant has been received for masonry and window repairs and is being administered by CPI’s Preservation Services.

Threat Demolition by neglect, weather exposure

Closest Town to Resource: San Luis

Significance: The Feminilas Building is located in the Culebra Valley south and east of San Luis, Colorado, and was built around 1920 as the only known building separately owned and operated by the women’s auxiliary of the SPMDTU Hispanic men’s labor organization (Society for the Mutual Protection of United Workers). The small adobe building is in badly deteriorating condition. Still, it can be saved and used as a small community and interpretive center to highlight the role of women’s auxiliaries in supporting the SPMDTU and maintaining local Hispano cultures and traditions. The Feminilas played an integral role in aiding the afflicted and bereaved in the area, similar to the Penitentes, a traditional men’s group associated with the Catholic Church.

The Feminilas Building was constructed in the territorial adobe style popular in the region, with vigas and latillas with earthen overburden and a gabled wood framed roof. The building is undesignated, suffers from weather exposure and deterioration, and is in danger of collapse. Its condition reflects a lack of resources and underappreciation of the contributions and significance of underrepresented groups in the region. Preserving the Feminilas Building would help keep the unique lifeways, language, and culture of the Culebra Valley and the traditional contributions of Hispanic women alive. CPI will work with the property owners, local stakeholders, and advocates to stabilize, rehabilitate, and return the building to a useful life in the community.

Site Needs: Adaptive reuse plan, National Register listing.

R&R Market

Listed: 2019

Constructed: Established 1857; partial reconstruction in 1895 and 1947

Threat: No real threat to the building, but the business cease operations

Closest Town to Resource: San Luis

Significance: R&R Market is the oldest continuously operated business in Colorado. It contributes to the San Luis de la Culebra National Historic District. While there is no immediate danger of the building being demolished, its closure as a business would not only end an important part of history in the State but deprive this small, isolated community of its food source. The market was originally constructed of adobe bricks and was subsequently modified with a combination of concrete block, plaster, and stucco construction. The building retains its dignity and beauty despite cracks in the stucco, crumbling red roof tiles, and water damage to soffits.

Site Needs: A new owner working to establish a cooperative business model has been found, with $1 million in funding provided by the Colorado Health Foundation. A $90,000 façade rehab grant is now underway with the help of the Main Streets Open for Business grant program from DOLA.

Update: Now known as the San Luis People’s Market, the R&R promotes healthy eating in rural communities and assists the new owner’s goal in promoting water democracy, resilient agriculture, and environmental justice in the San Luis Valley.

Walsenburg Power Plant

Listed: 2009

Constructed: 1918

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Walsenburg

Significance: The Walsen Power Plant was constructed in the early-20th century to provide energy to the Walsen Mine, Walsen Camp, and the town of Walsenburg. The power plant is the last remaining structure of the once bustling Walsen Camp, a coal mining settlement dating from the late-1870s. At its peak, the Walsen Camp boasted over 200 homes and a population of 1,200. The power plant supplied power to a wide region as far south as Trinidad. The power plant has since suffered from years of neglect, vandalism, and scrap metal scavenging. The power plant was acquired by a Houston-area developer interested in the site’s unique engineering, machinery, and history and would like to find a new use for the property.

Site Needs: Funding, potential HSA, and drawings.

Update: The property has been sold to a new owner who plans to rebuild the lost wall and reuse the site. The owner has original architectural and engineering drawings and worked with CPI in 2018 to bring Senior engineering students from the University of ColoradoDenver who adopted the Power Plant as a class project and completed as-built drawings, photographic documentation, and engineering assessments that would accommodate various re-use options.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: SOUTHWEST

Cortez: Gold Medal Orchard

Cortez: McElmo Creek Flume

Delta: Homesteading Resources Escalante Canyon

Durango: Durango Power House

Fruita: Fruita Bridge

Grand Junction: Grand Junction Railroad Depot

Grand Junction: Handy Chapel

Grand Junction: Stranges Grocery

Hotchkiss: Hotchkiss Barn

Ignacio: Southern Ute Boarding School Campus

Lake City: Outbuildings

Lake City: Ute Ulay Mill & Townsite

Mancos: Kennedy Grain Elevator

Mesa Verde National Park: Far View Visitor Center

Montrose: Colona School & Grange

Pagosa Springs: Chimney Rock

San Miguel County: Lizzy Knight Cabin

Silverton: Red Mountain Mining District

Telluride: Alta Lakes Town Site

Telluride: Lewis Mill

Tiffany: Iglesia de San Antonio Church

Uravan: Hanging Flume

Listed: 2015

Constructed: 1890

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Cortez

Significance: The Gold Medal Orchard highlights the significance of historic agricultural landscapes in Colorado. The orchard won a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and its history is closely tied to early Colorado orchardists who dared to make a living in rugged, remote locations. Plans for the 6.7-acre orchard are to bring back heirloom fruit varieties to Montezuma County with the help of the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project. Restoration of the orchard’s historic landscape will provide a living representation of the early agricultural founding of the county, which the property owners strongly support.

Site Needs: Funding, land conservancy, secured water rights for irrigation, and promotion of heirloom fruits

Update: The Gold Medal Orchard has moved forward a great deal since listing. Initial plantings have already occurred at the site, oral histories are being recorded, Montezuma County grafting is continuing, and a protective deer fence has been added to the property. Meetings with the next generation of property owners for the site have occurred to ensure the orchard’s long, successful future. Water rights issues have been resolved, and an updated irrigation system installed in 2020 has moved the project to a Save status.

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1890

Threat: Natural elements

Closest Town to Resource: Cortez

Significance: The Montezuma Valley is naturally arid, but by the early-1880s, it had become a place of great promise for settlers in Southwestern Colorado who saw an opportunity for 200,000 acres of irrigated cropland. In 1878 a ditch company was formed to bring water down from the Dolores River, and by the following year, more than a hundred men began digging a mile-long tunnel under the Dolores Divide. Canals were dug, flumes were built, and by 1889 the tunnel was complete. In April 1888, the Montezuma Journal called the system “ …one of the greatest irrigation enterprises, not only in the state, but in the West. ” Today, only a single flume remains of the 104 originally constructed. It serves as a reminder of the spectacular engineering feat instrumental in developing Southwestern Colorado. The State Historical Fund has awarded the county multiple grants to complete structural analysis and rebuild the flume, and partners raised over $1.2 million for rehabilitation, completed in 2019.

Update: The flume has been rehabilitated and restored with the support of a large and diverse partnership of multiple funding sources, along with an interpretive stop along Highway 60 overlooking the flume and creek bed. CPI participated in the dedication ceremony in late 2018.

Homesteading Resources of Escalante Canyon

Listed: 2013

Constructed: Captain Smith: 1911; Walker Homestead:1911; Waterwheel: 1933

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Delta

Significance: The three Homesteading Sites of Escalante Canyon (Captain Smith’s Cabin, Walker Homestead, and the Waterwheel) are all unique to the canyon area, not only for their manner of construction but for the historical elements attached to them. The Homesteading Sites of Escalante Canyon have experienced severe deterioration due to a lack of maintenance, the elements, and vandalism. It is hopeful that with a land transfer between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management, these resources will be fully restored.

Site Needs: Funding, repairs to the Captain Smith building, interpretive signage?

Update: An HSA was completed for the site. CPI worked with the Interpretive Association of Western Colorado to limit vandalism to the site and host a Weekend Workshop at the property in late 2017. The Walker Homestead and the Smith Cabin were “mothballed” during the workshop to prepare for restoration. An initial SHF grant was secured for the Walker Cabin in 2018, which will be completed in early 2022.

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1893

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Durango

Significance: The Durango Powerhouse was the first power plant in the nation to supply AC power. The plant was shut down in the 1970s, and without a new use, it was in danger of being demolished. In 2002, Durango City Council passed a resolution supporting the rebirth of the Powerhouse as the Durango Discovery Museum. After a few years, the museum struggled to gain footing and was reorganized and re-opened as the successful Powerhouse Science Center. The center features interactive exhibits and displays that creatively incorporate equipment and building features and includes public meeting space and an adjacent “maker space” that allows for community use for woodworking, pottery, experimentation, and small-scale industrial projects.

Fruita Bridge

Listed: 2002

Constructed: 1907

Threat: Natural elements; vandalism; abandonment

Closest Town to Resource: Fruita

Significance: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Fruita Bridge was completed in 1907 and is one of the few remaining spans associated with noted bridge engineer M.J. Patterson. This steel and wood three-span bridge served as a regionally important early roadway to cross the Colorado River for years. The City of Fruita completed an assessment as a first step toward building local support to stabilize and rehabilitate the bridge for bike/pedestrian use along a river trail stretching from Fruita to Grand Junction. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program began a river trail planning project in 2005 that plans to incorporate the bridge. Due to the erosion of an island in the river, water flow seriously damaged one of the bridge’s piers. The City is waiting for future funding before continuing the project.

Site Needs: Engage the City to begin work on a pedestrian trail and contact other trails for guidance and direction.

Update: CPI met with the Rotary Club and the City of Fruita to discuss efforts to incorporate the bridge into a larger bike/pedestrian trail. The City supports these efforts, but more needs to be done to move this forward. Although no progress has been made to create trial linkages to the bridge, the bridge is safe from imminent danger of loss due to neglect or lack of awareness by the community.

Grand Junction Railroad Depot

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1906

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacancy; roadway expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Grand Junction

Significance: Constructed in 1906, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Depot in Grand Junction opened on September 18, 1906, the same day the tragic earthquake struck San Francisco. The Grand Junction Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Unfortunately, the Depot has fallen out of service and now stands vacant. The building is currently for sale, and stakeholder meetings are taking place to secure a prominent future.

Site Needs: Implement redevelopment plans and retention of Amtrak service to the site. Tenant and leasing strategies for re-use.

Update: The depot has sold to a more preservation-minded buyer who is in discussions with the City of Grand Junction and has received a mini-grant to begin planning for its redevelopment. The depot was purchased in 2015, and Kraai Design was contracted as the architect for the project. Plans are developing with assistance from a grant from the State Historical Fund, but a CDOT highway widening project may hinder successful redevelopment.

Handy Chapel

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1892

Ownership: Privately Owned

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Grand Junction

Significance: Located within the original square mile platted by Grand Junction’s founder, George A. Crawford, Handy Chapel was built in 1892 on land deeded in 1883 to the “black citizens of Grand Junction.” It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. While simple in architectural style, Handy Chapel and the adjacent Chapel House (built in the 1920s) served a grander purpose over the last 120 years. The property served as a welcome center for visitors and homeless families of all races who could not find lodging in a safe, warm place to get back on their feet before desegregation. When listed on EPP, a dwindling congregation and shortage of funds had made all but the most critical maintenance needs impossible. The roof of the Chapel House had failed with only a temporary tarp in place to prevent additional damage to the building. Windows and doors were boarded up, preventing the Chapel House from fulfilling a mission as a place of rest and recovery for the destitute. Construction was ultimately completed in the spring of 2013. In the end, the historical integrity of the building was preserved while providing a more energy-efficient and structurally sound building. In corporation with HistoriCorps, local preservationists, and a team of volunteers, the Endangered Places Program held the annual Weekend Workshop at Handy Chapel in 2011. Colorado Preservation, Inc staff assisted with writing multiple grants to fund the nearly $300,000 rehabilitation of the chapel.

Stranges Grocery

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1909

Threat: Road configuration; demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Grand Junction

Significance: In 1909, Nunzio Grasso constructed the rusticated sandstone Stranges Grocery Store, now the last remaining building in what used to be Grand Junction’s “Little Italy.” The building has become part of the West-Side Redevelopment Area. The City of Grand Junction designed its road re-configuration to avoid affecting the store. Colorado Preservation, Inc. contacted the owner, who returned to Colorado after the listing. The owner has been in touch with the city but has not acted on restoring the building, and it has remained as a storage area for the family.

Site Needs: Preservation-minded buyer and plans and construction documents for rehabilitation to support adaptive reuse.

Update: A new owner purchased the site in 2021 and has carried out over $50,000 in improvements to the interior, including the basement. Discussion about a possible SHF grant is ongoing, focusing on exterior rehabilitation of the historic stonework built by Italian stonemasons in 1909.

Threat: Natural elements: microburst

Closest Town to Resource: Hotchkiss

Significance: The Hotchkiss Barn is the oldest major building in the North Fork Valley surrounding the town of Hotchkiss. It was built by Enos T. Hotchkiss, who was instrumental in founding the town and led a group of settlers into the area in 1881. The barn is unique because of its 12-inch thick brick wall and transverse timber frame structure. In 2010, a microburst left the building with ¼ of its roof demolished and its brick walls shattered. The barn is privately owned, and they support preserving the building for future generations.

Site Needs: Funding, outreach, repair.

Update: This site is privately owned, and CPI has learned that they have determined the best way to save the structure is to create a new wall at

Southern Ute Boarding School Campus

Listed: 2020

Constructed: Established 1901; extant buildings 1928-1930

Threat: Demolition; development

Closest Town to Resource: Ignacio

Significance: The Southern Ute Boarding School Campus is a rare survivor of a nearly intact campus-like environment remaining from the controversial boarding school initiative carried out by the federal government to strip indigenous populations of their heritage and culture. The Main School House, Dining Hall, Girl’s Dormitory, and quad with a center flagpole are the only remnants of the campus. The school building and gymnasium contain several Works Progress Administration-era murals by Southern Ute artist Sam Rey. The dining hall also is adorned with similar murals. The Southern Ute Tribe still utilizes the four historic buildings remaining on campus in various capacities. The campus is unique in that it was built within a reservation, unlike other boarding schools of this era throughout the country. Several native populations were taken here other than Southern Ute children, including students from the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. Preservation of this site provides an educational opportunity to shed light on an underrepresented history in Colorado and the Nation’s past.

Site Needs: Listing on State Register of Historic Properties/National Register of Historic Places; adaptive reuse strategies. In 2021, a conservation study was completed on the WPA-era murals, and environmental remediation was completed for the Main School Building.

Closest Town to Resource: Lake City

Significance: Founded in 1874 as a supply and service center for hard rock mining, Lake City is now a community with a year-round population of less than 400 and a tourism-based economy. Key to Lake City’s heritage tourism efforts is its beautifully preserved commercial district and residential neighborhoods, which feature many spectacular examples of Victorian and Italianate architecture. The Lake City Historic District is one of Colorado's largest, oldest, and best-preserved historic districts. Interestingly, 37% of the contributing structures to the historic district are often overlooked and forgotten: the outbuildings and accessory structures of the high-style buildings that line the streets. The outbuildings include many structures, including outhouses, mule barns, carriage houses, coal sheds, root cellars, chicken coops, and sheds. Many of the outbuildings are obsolete in terms of their original use. As a result, they are not being maintained and have reached a critical point of deterioration. Local preservation ordinances disallow the active demolition of historically significant buildings contributing to the district.

HistoriCorps partnered with Colorado Preservation Inc. and the Town of Lake City in 2010 to successfully rehabilitate four historic outbuildings (the Bent Mule Barn, Culver Outhouse, McGehee Outhouse, and Rock Outhouse). In 2012, Colorado Preservation, Inc. drafted a prioritized ranking for the existing outbuildings the town could use to focus its efforts on restoration.

Site Needs: An updated historical survey and revised design guidelines incorporating the outbuildings and providing incentives for preservation and adaptive reuse.

Update: CPI provided guidance in 2019 for a successful CLG grant to update the historic district survey to incorporate other areas of the town and to bring the outbuildings under the purview of design review.

Ute Ulay Mill & Town Site

Listed: 2015

Constructed: 1870s through early 1900s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Lake City

Significance: The Ute and Ulay mines were some of Colorado's best-known silver and lead producers. Thanks to LKA Gold, the ten-acre site has been donated to Hinsdale County. The environmental stabilization work has been completed with the assistance of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, and the Bureau of Land Management. The site is located along the Alpine Loop Backcountry Scenic and Historic Byway and includes 18 structures the county would like to see stabilized and restored.

Site Needs: Funding, immediate concerns on the flume.

Update: The Ute Ulay is moving forward with Hinsdale County and other groups actively working to preserve and stabilize the site. A recent EPP Weekend Workshop put a new roof on a small addition, and a larger workshop with HistoriCorps stabilized other buildings on site. The site has also been awarded funds for various projects for the emergency stabilization of the property. Interpretive signage has also been developed to tell the story of the mine and mill.

Far View Visitor Center

Listed: 2023

Constructed: 1968-1969

Threat: Abandoned, Lack of Resources

Closest Town to Resource: Cortez

Significance: The unique “Mission 66” mid-century modern Far View Visitor Center at Mesa Verde National Park has been mothballed, vacant, and subject to the purview of changing park superintendents over time. The building is in excellent condition, retains its historic character and features, and is ripe for a partnership with other entities who could help adaptively reuse it to complement the National Park Service (NPS) mission. The unique, circular form building was designed by Denver architects Joseph and Louise Marlow in 1967-68 and has been determined to be a good candidate for possible National Historic Landmark (NHL) status.

The Far View Visitor Center sits within the Far View complex at Mesa Verde National Park. It overlooks the canyons, mesas, and topographic landmarks that are significant to the native cultures of the region. As part of the Mission 66 Program, the Park Service developed and introduced the “visitor center” building typology to provide orientation and relevant interpretation distinctively related to its home park. The future of the Far View Visitor Center has essentially remained in limbo since the opening of a new Visitor Center in 2014.

Site Needs: Adaptive reuse strategies

Kennedy/Mancos Grain Elevator

Listed: 2013

Constructed: 1934

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Mancos

Significance: The Mancos Grain Elevator was built in 1934 by Grady Clampitt. Mr. Clampitt and Mr. Luellen grew dryland wheat in the fields bordering Mesa Verde National Park. The Elevator was put in use upon completion and remained so for an indeterminate number of years following Mr. Clampitt’s retirement. With the farm no longer in full use, the Kennedy/Mancos Grain Elevator is currently used as a storage unit for family belongings. The Elevator is in a prominent location highly visible from Highway 160 and is considered a landmark. Although agriculture still plays a significant role in the economy of the Mancos Valley, there are few structures evidencing the historical heritage of farming that once made the Valley famous. The Grain Elevator was originally deteriorating due to a leaking roof and drainage issues, causing portions of the iconic stacked plank construction to fail. Since listing, the family raised the necessary funds and hired a contractor to restore the roof, now considered a SAVE! The Kennedy family is exploring possible uses for the elevator and provides tours and public visits upon request.

Colona School & Grange

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1915

Threat: Deterioration; lack of maintenance

Closest Town to Resource: Montrose

Significance: Designated a Local Landmark by Ouray County and listed on the State Register of Historic Properties, the Colona School is significant for its unique setting in the agrarian landscape and its role in the education and social history of the area. In addition to serving as a school, the space was used for community dances, receptions, plays, parties, recitals, events, and elections. The building has never been abandoned and used at least once a month since the school closed. Unlike many school buildings, there has been no significant change to the outside or inside of the school. Blackboards remain in place, a painted stage curtain dating from the 1930s still hangs above the lighted foot stage, the gym remains on the second floor, old schoolbooks remain in the locked library cabinet, a bubbling fountain stands in the hall, room colors remain the same and pictures used in the classroom still hand on the walls. A small but determined group, the Colona Grange, has organized to help save the school and received several grants for restoration from the State Historical Fund. Since its listing on the Most Endangered Places, the roof, and windows have been replaced, soffits tightened, and a handicap ramp installed on the back of the building. Currently, the grange owns the building and receives income from the Ouray County Ranch Museum, which rents two rooms on the first floor. This important building celebrated its centennial year in 2016 and is now considered saved.

Site Needs: Funding for additional interior room restoration and interpretation.

Chimney Rock

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1076-1125 A.D.

Threat: Natural elements; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Pagosa Springs

Significance: In southwestern Colorado stands the “Ultimate Outlier,” one of the most remarkable examples of the Chacoan culture’s organizational structure, Chimney Rock. Chaco Canyon was the ceremonial center for more than 200 independent communities linked by economic, political, and religious ideals. The furthest was the Chimney Rock site. At an elevation of 7,600ft, this extremely remote site – l,000 feet above arable land and water – is a testament to the Ancient Puebloans’ design, planning, and craftsmanship. When the site was listed on Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s Most Endangered Places, hundreds of years of exposure to the elements had taken their toll on the irreplaceable structures at Chimney Rock. The most serious structural problems at the Great House, Great Kiva, and the Ravine Site Habitation Complex were due to natural weathering and climate changes. Unusually heavy monsoon rains in 2006 saturated soils, causing several walls to collapse, and while emergency stabilization was completed, an overwhelming amount of work remained to be accomplished. Today the site is saved and considered a World Heritage Site.

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1881

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacancy; vandalism; weatherization

Closest Town to Resource: Slick Rock

Significance: Located in the Disappointment Valley in Southwest Colorado, Lizzy Knight’s cabin and three small outbuildings are all that remain of the Lizzy Knight homestead. Lizzy Knight was an important female pioneer in early Colorado. Born in England, Lizzy broke traditional gender barriers and trained to be an expert blacksmith. Lizzy and her daughter were the first female residents of Rico in America. She operated a small dairy that provided milk and butter to the booming mining camps in the area.

In 1881, Lizzy divorced her husband and married her son-in-law Henry Knight (who had divorced Lizzy’s daughter), and the new couple moved to the Disappointment Valley into the modest log cabin now known as Lizzy Knight’s Cabin. The Knight homestead was soon the commercial and social center for the Disappointment Valley. In addition to her dairy and beef cattle herds, she also ran a store that supplied materials to the surrounding settlers. Henry became the first postmaster. Lizzy lived and worked in the cabin until her death in 1914.

The site is now privately owned by Lizzy Knight’s great, great, great-granddaughter, and the remaining buildings stand as the only known buildings from the early settlement of Disappointment Valley. However, the cabin is in very poor condition and near a state of ruin. Serious erosion has washed away much of the soil under and around the cabin. Without near-immediate stabilization, the architect who has taken an interest in the site expects the cabin will likely collapse. The owner is keenly interested in preserving the Knight homestead and making it available by permission to the public and schools in the region as an educational site.

Site Needs: Reestablish site contact and complete the National Register process if necessary.

Update: No activity on this site. CPI has not been able to get in touch with the private property owner to move forward with site needs.

Significance: The Red Mountain Project was launched in 1998 to preserve threatened historic landscapes and structures along the San Juan Skyway and around Red Mountain Pass. Dating back to 1874, this scenic National Register-designated mining district that covers 10,000-plus acres and has more than two million visitors each year.

After years of tireless effort on the part of the Red Mountain Task Force, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Fort Lewis College Office of Community Services, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), private citizens, and the U.S. Forest Service, over 8500 acres of historic landscapes were purchased and protected; 24 historic structures inventoried and stabilized; a scenic overlook with interpretive panels installed; and miles of hiking trails constructed to provide public access to this site. Throughout the effort, one historic site captured the hearts and minds of the public. Located near the top of the pass and very visible from the highway, the Yankee Girl Mine was constructed in the early 1870s. The owner threatened to tear down the building in an effort to garner an excessive price for the property. The mill was eventually sold to a preservation-minded individual who worked with the Trust for Public Land to place a permanent conservation easement on the property that protects it from demolition, even if it changes hands.

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1890s-1930s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; development

Closest Town to Resource: Telluride

Significance: The longest service road that climbs above Telluride includes a collection of crumbling buildings that were once the great mining town of Alta Lakes. Constructed around the turn of the 20th century and active until the 1930s, The Gold King Mine at Alta Lakes was the first mine in the world to receive AC power. This high-altitude, scenic ghost town is accessible by four-wheel drive and retains many original structures. In 1999, the U.S. Forest Service tried to purchase land and buildings. Funding fell through, ending its involvement. The owners, Leucadia Financial Corporation, originally planned to demolish the structures to construct a resort village, but the county turned the plan down due to its density. Recently, the owners have been approved to develop the 540-acre site for private residences (28 homes) A wealthy out of state property currently owns the site, and the town/county is considering if it would

Site Needs: Reestablish site contact and introduce the County to similar sites

Update: The site is privately owned. Conversations to reestablish site contact and begin discussions with the community have yet to move forward.

Lewis Mill

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1907

Threat: Demolition by neglect; natural elements

Closest Town to Resource: Telluride

Significance: Located in a National Historic Landmark District at an elevation of over 12,000 feet, this circa 1907 metal processing mill is one of the most scenic in Colorado. Its remote location saved its interior contents from metal salvage programs during World War II. The mill is one of a few remaining mills with its original machinery intact. Colorado Preservation, Inc. worked to convince the current owners that the building is a unique Colorado treasure that should be stabilized.

Listing the mill on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places generated numerous inquiries from local architects, contractors, photographers, and the International

Iglesia de San Antonio/ Tiffany Catholic Church

Listed: 2019

Constructed:1928

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Allison

Significance: This small church is one of the few remaining historic churches that conveys the story of Hispano history in southeastern La Plata County near the border with New Mexico. It is the only remaining building in the former town of Tiffany that conveys the important Hispano history of the town site. The church's completion in 1928 reflected the importance of religious and other services to the local community. The church's interior is beautiful, with an altar that extends across the width of the church containing all the original altar items, including the collection box, the original cross that is carried into the church at the beginning of mass, and all original brass candle holders.

Site Needs: Exterior rehabilitation and interior wall stabilization.

Site Updates: An SHF grant for structural analysis and construction documents for full rehabilitation has been completed, with a plan to phase the project, beginning with the foundation and flooring. Another grant will be applied for in 2022.

Hanging Flume

Listed: 1999

Constructed: 1891

Threat: Natural Elements

Closest Town to Resource: Uravan

Significance: The Hanging Flume illustrates the ingenuity and fortitude of miners intent on extracting gold from the land. There are few remaining segments of hanging flumes throughout the western United States, and as a result of this SAVE! It is the only segment preserved for public education and appreciation. The Hanging Flume is a relic of hydraulic mining, an engineered structure on an incline that conveyed water. Between 1889 and 1891, the flume was constructed with 1.8 million feet of lumber, hanging 100-150 feet above Dolores River, and was used to convey eight million gallons of water per day to placer gold deposits. Due to the flume’s significance, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. When first listed on the Endangered Places list, what remained of the chute was showing signs of extreme deterioration from natural weathering and roadside operations along Highway 141 above the canyon. Colorado Preservation, Inc. worked with the Western Colorado Interpretive Association and contracted with Anthony & Associates, Inc. to complete a Historic Structure Assessment in 2003 after supporters secured a grant. By 2004, additional funding was acquired to document the history and condition of the flume. This phase also led to the developing of a master plan to preserve and interpret the flume that integrated the river, trails, and scenic byways. Vertical Access, professional climbers who ordinarily work on buildings for preservation assessments, rappelled down the canyon walls to help consultants analyze the site. The Hanging Flume was chosen to make the 2006 World Monuments Watch list. This listing opened the possibility of broader exposure and funding sources, which led to the site being saved.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: SOUTHEAST

Aguilar: Gianella Building

Fort Lyon: Officer’s Row Housing

Granada: Amache

Hispanic Cultural Landscapes of the Purgatoire River Valley

La Junta: Kit Carson Hotel

Las Animas: Bent County High School

Las Animas: Columbian Elementary School

Model: Brown’s Sheep Camp

Rocky Ford: Arkansas Valley Fairground Stables

Santa Fe Trail & Southeast Heritage Region

Trinidad: El Corazon de Trinidad

Trinidad: Temple Aaron

Trinidad: Toltec Hotel

Gianella Building

Constructed: 1912

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Aguilar

Significance: Aguilar is one of Colorado’s oldest towns. Nestled at the foot of the Spanish Peaks, it was first settled by Spaniards who called it the “New Spain.” Numerous coalmine company towns developed with the coming of the Aguilar branch of the Colorado & Southern Railroad and the opening of the Peerless Coalmine. Aguilar became a melting pot of nationalities with three newspapers, a bank, schools, churches, stores, theaters, saloons, and hotels serving 2,500 residents and coal camps by 1923. The Gianella Building was reportedly designed by Antonio Lo Presto and built of native sandstone by Italian stonemasons. Completed in 1912, It was named after Luigi Gianella, the owner and bank director. The building housed the only bank in the history of Aguilar. The Aguilar State Bank operated from 1912 to 1927 and was robbed twice. During Prohibition, a large liquor vat made of concrete was built in the basement, where it remains today.

The Gianella Building, when listed, was in danger of being disassembled for the stone, which a new owner had planned to use in building a new house. The roof is missing, and the interior walls require stabilization. The building was listed on the State Register of Historic Places in 2005. The site is currently managed by an out-of-state owner and is missing a roof and the second floor.

Site Needs: Preservation-minded buyer, new-use plan

Update: CPI has met with the out-of-state property owner to urge a sale. A developer was interested in retaining the exterior walls and carrying out adaptive re-use of the interior but has seemingly delayed or abandoned the plans and is no longer in communication with CPI.

Fort Lyon Officer’s Housing

Listed: 2013

Constructed: 1868

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Las Animas

Significance: Fort Lyon is located along the Historic Santa Fe Trail and was completed by the Army in 1867, with the period of significance extending to 1956. Old Fort Lyon was notable as the staging post used by Colonel John Chivington in 1864. He led an attack by the Third Colorado Cavalry and other forces on friendly Cheyenne and Arapaho camps, which became known as the Sand Creek Massacre. The historic district is a 327-acre parcel, and the character-defining features of the historic district as a whole are the: Main Entrance, Parade Ground, Officer’s Row, Medical and Administrative Buildings (on the Parade Ground), Residential Areas, Utility Area, Wastewater Treatment Area, Recreational Facilities, West Farm, Road System, Agricultural and Irrigation Components.

The history of Fort Lyon can be separated into three periods beginning with the Army Period (18681888), when the Fort was laid out in the tradition of a late nineteenth-century western military fort. Next was the Navy Period (1907-1922) when the Fort was used as a tuberculosis treatment facility, then the Early VA Period (1922-1956), when the Fort was maintained as a tuberculosis treatment facility and later changed to be a residential care facility for veterans with neuro-psychiatric needs. The Colorado Department of Corrections has vacated the entire facility. The Fort’s future was uncertain until the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) took over the facility as transitional housing and treatment for the chronically homeless. The success of this endeavor is uncertain and has created some controversy in the community. The officer housing buildings retain asbestos and are not occupied, but there is a master plan to convert them to resident living quarters.

Site Needs: Asbestos removal, community support, funding.

Update: A Master Plan has been developed for the Fort, and Officer’s Housing is currently used for resident housing.

Amache Internment Camp

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1942

Closest Town to Resource: Granada

Significance: Constructed in 1942 as one of a few Japanese internment camps in the nation, the Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, was built on Colorado’s eastern plains. Surrounded by barbed wire and wood-framed guard towers, the camp at Amache consisted of housing units, a school, a hospital, warehouses, utility buildings, and a military police compound. Over 7,000 of our fellow citizens were relocated to Amache, where they lived and worked until the camp closed in 1945. Today the site retains tangible reminders of those years, including foundations of camp facilities, trees planted by former internees, one of only three surviving relocation center cemeteries in the nation, and intact original dirt and gravel roads.

Few physical structures remain, however, as the camp buildings were dispersed through auction and sale to locations around southeastern Colorado after it closed. The Friends of Amache, the Amache Preservation Society, the National Park Service, Colorado Preservation, Inc., the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Colorado’s Congressional Delegation have been working together to document and garner support for the preservation of Amache. In February 2006, Amache was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2007, the Friends of Amache and the National Park Service organized a Comprehensive Interpretive Plan and Conceptual Development Plan outlining the interpretive and educational goals of the Amache site.

A 2011 inventory of existing building stock related to Amache was completed, which included residential, administrative, institutional, and civic buildings within the southeastern region of Colorado. A 2015 Weekend Workshop put in an original brick floor to a barrack property. The original water tower tank was found, mostly intact, at a nearby ranch and has been put back on the site with a guard tower. In 2018, Recreation Hall 11F was moved from the town of Granada back to its original foundation at Amache. Grants continue to be acquired for this site which is also one of CPI’s projects. CPI is actively engaged in the project and helped support the successful designation of the site as a National Park Site in 2022. The Preservation Services staff continues to administer Japanese American Confinement (JACS) grants and recently received a $25,000 grant for a full documentary video from the Telling the Full Story grants program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Purgatoire River Valley

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1860s

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: The scenic valley near the Santa Fe Trail is dotted with historic adobe homes, plazas, and Penitente churches and is still home to descendants of the Hispanic settlers who arrived in the 1860s. The landscape contains some of Colorado's oldest settlements, representing multiple phases of Colorado’s history This area was home to many historical events and embraces a unique representation of cultural heritage. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on or near the Highway of Legends Scenic Byway. Many of these vernacular Hispanic structures still exist and can be seen along county roads highways. Unfortunately, neglect, the elements, vandalism, land development, lack of education and awareness create a peril that threatens these cultural treasures. After being listed on Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s Most Endangered Places, the site was designated as an official Save America’s Treasures project Subsequently, supporters secured a State Historical Fund grant for a context study completed in 2003. Since the report, little has been done regarding preservation in the area because of a lack of funding and interest.

Site Needs: Continued monitoring and outreach to landowners.

Update: Little assistance has been provided to this site since 2017.

Kit Carson Hotel

Listed: 2003

Constructed: 1900

Threat: Demolition by Neglect/Tornado

Closest Town to Resource: La Junta

Significance: The Kit Carson Hotel and Elks Lodge comprised an important commercial block in La Junta that was once the focal point for the Arkansas Valley’s social, business, and civic activities. It featured the largest ballroom in the region, was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties, and had been determined eligible for the National Registers of Historic Places. In 1931, the Elks Lodge began remodeling the early 20th-century building into the Kit Carson Hotel to help relieve the effects of the Great Depression by using local unemployed artisans, carpenters, and laborers. The remodeling added a third story, which became hotel rooms. The remaining third of the huge dance hall was retained as a ballroom. The hotel closed in the mid-1990s. Upon listing on the Most Endangered Places, a family member of the architect who redesigned the property in 1932/33 purchased it with the hope of reopening it as La Junta’s premier lodging. A feasibility study was undertaken through a State Historical Fund grant that determined the structure could once again be profitable as a hotel. Unfortunately, the building’s owners could not find an investor to help finance any revitalization project, and in 2012 the Urban Renewal

Bent County High School

Listed: 2004

Constructed: 1913

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Las Animas

Significance: One of the threats facing many historic schools is the tendency for communities to build new public school campuses far from the center of town, typically in outer-ring suburbs or on the edge of small towns. Older neighborhood schools are abandoned, often without a new use in sight. The challenge facing many historic schools is finding a new compatible use. Constructed in 1913, Bent County High School was attended by U.S. Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson (an expert on Soviet affairs who served under President John F. Kennedy during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis); Ken Curtis (“Festus” of the long-running television series Gunsmoke); and author James Michener’s wife, Mari (Sabusawa) Michener). In addition to its association with significant persons, the school is known for its imposing three-story columned architecture. Believed to be eligible for the National State Register of Historic Places, Swedish architect James Larson designed the now-empty school in the neoclassical style, with construction completed by Nels T. Nelson.

The school has been vacant, and interior chalkboards and doors have been scavenged. Still, the beautiful stamped tin ceiling remains a testament to a time when schools were deemed worthy of thoughtful and beautiful architectural detail. The structure itself is sound, and it is easy to imagine the school being reborn as one of the finest structures in Las Animas. The Las Animas School Board and Bent County Commissioners had discussed demolishing the building, but this has not occurred, and the building remains mothballed.

Site Needs: Reuse plan, funding, discussions with County.

Update: CPI recently paired an interested developer with Bent County to discuss their interest in redeveloping the high school into studios. The developer met with the county and discussed incentives and potential tax credits.

Listed: 2004

Constructed: 1916

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Las Animas

Significance: The Columbian Elementary School was constructed in 1916 to replace the first Columbian School constructed in 1887. The school was built with an inner grassy courtyard and a colonnade of brick arches reminiscent of a time when forts were necessary to protect early pioneers and settlers. The building was abandoned for the newly completed Las Animas Elementary School, and bids began coming in for its demolition. Supporters hoped to find a re-use for the building, but school officials favored demolition. Despite Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s efforts with the local school board, the Columbian School came down in February of 2006 despite a purchase offer from a Las Animas resident rejected by the school board.

Brown’s Sheep Camp

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1882

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: Located in the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, the land that comprised Brown’s Sheep Camp was first purchased by Samuel Taylor Brown in 1882. Brown’s business partner and eventual son-in-law was Julius Gunter, best known as Colorado’s 21st Governor. Governor Gunter inherited Brown’s Sheep Camp in 1917 and was active in the operation and management of the ranch until his death in 1940. By then, he and his wife Elizabeth had accumulated over 26,000 acres. Structures at the ranch headquarters include several homes, a bunkhouse, a garage, working corrals, a large two-story adobe barn that is widely considered to be one of the finest of its type in the region, and a wood-framed barn with an interior covered in drawings, brands and names added over decades. This collection of rare and significant folk art is an important documentation of the story of Brown’s Sheep Camp and the ranching community in the Purgatoire River Region of Southeast Colorado.

In the early 1980s, The Department of Defense (DOD) started acquiring land in Southeast Colorado to develop a live fire maneuver site for training. The owners of Brown’s Sheep Camp refused to sell, and the land was eventually condemned. Dense vegetation has been allowed to grow around the buildings, increasing the fire risk in an area that suffered from a devastating wildfire in 2008. The DOD has done minor stabilization of the site in recent years

Site Needs: Maintenance, continued Section 106 participation.

Update: CPI the site.

of Rocky Ford, G.W. Swink. Several famous jockeys trained and rode at the fairgrounds using the stables. Today the grounds host Colorado’s oldest continuous fair. The fair’s adobe stables are a rare intact example of exposed adobe brick. Twenty-seven of the stables have been restored, and the goal is to have all stables operational for use during fairs and special events within the next few years CPI held an adobe-making Weekend Workshop at the site to rebuild stable walls.

Site Needs: The site is progressing toward a save.

Update: Rocky Ford is committed to restoring the adobe stables within the next few years. Many of the stalls have been repaired. A successful “Kentucky Derby” themed fundraiser was held in 2017.

Significance: The Santa Fe Trail served as the region’s first commercial highway, fueling trade and military activity during the Mexican-American War. The Purgatoire River region and surrounding area are particularly rich in paleontological, pre-historic, and historic resources, including the longest dinosaur trackway in North America, extensive rock art, rock shelter, and tipi rings, and hundreds of early homesteads and support structures, including many which third and fourth generation ranch families, still use.

The potential expansion of the U.S. Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site led to this EPP listing. On June 14, 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the region as one of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places. Colorado Preservation, Inc. received a grant to undertake a historic resources survey of the area. The project's first phase began in 2008 when over four hundred sites were found that possessed significance for prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology, and architecture Most sites were related to a homesteading boom during the early 20th century. A second phase was begun to complete and submit a National Register Nomination, which was met with concern from the community. Several Santa Fe Trail segments were listed in the National Register in 2015. Designated trail segments along the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route in Las Animas County include the Delhi Vicinity I, II, and III. Designated trail segments along the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route in Otero County are within the Bloom and Timpas vicinity.

Site Needs: Section 106 monitoring

Update: CPI is working with the Santa Fe Trail partners to discuss a celebration of the Trail in five years.

Listed: 2000

Constructed: Various

Threat: Various

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: On the National Register of Historic Places and an official Save America’s Treasures project, the El Corazon de Trinidad District in central Trinidad has served as the retail, financial, and cultural hub of southern Colorado since the arrival of the railroad and development of nearby coalfields in the 1870s. It is considered one of the most intact 19th-century towns in Colorado. Funding from the State Historical Fund was secured to help develop a preservation ordinance and complete a comprehensive building survey. The City of Trinidad has been encouraged by an upturn in business and renewed interest in utilizing existing structures, including the Trinidad Opera House, the McCormick Building, and the Toltec Hotel. In 2003, Colorado Preservation, Inc. applied for (and received) a State Historical Fund grant to begin critical stabilization work on Temple Aaron, located within the district. With the initial phase complete, Phase II stabilization was funded in 2005 by private donations and the State Historical Fund. Portions of the downtown area have received Colorado Creative District designation in recognition of the arts and cultural amenities and attractions available.

Site Needs: Reestablish site relationship, Tax credit project funding.

Update: This area has been identified as a potential zone for historic tax credits and is a designated Colorado Creative District.

Temple Aaron

Listed: 2017

Constructed: 1889

Threat: Closed; for sale

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: Located in the El Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District, Temple Aaron is a prominent visual landmark in Trinidad and the oldest synagogue building in continuous operation in Colorado. Designed by Isaac Hamilton Rapp and constructed in 1889, Temple Aaron is not only architecturally significant but also important for its role in the history of Trinidad. The cornerstone was laid on June 17, 1889, and at its dedication, the congregation included approximately 50 male members. Leopold Freudenthal served as the first full-time Rabbi until 1916. In 2016, Temple Aaron temporarily closed its doors, ending a chapter in its 27-year history with the Jewish community. A dwindling congregation, reorganization, and mounting costs for insurance, maintenance, and necessary repairs lead to that decision. Today the building retains its original stained glass windows and hand-carved bimah and organ. CPI currently holds an easement on the property and works with the newly reformed congregation to preserve the building.

Site Needs: Repair and maintenance, an updated Historic Structure Assessment, and ongoing engagement with the community.

Update: The congregation has reformed with a new regional focus and non-profit incorporation and has once again been hosting events for special Jewish holidays. A National Historic (NHL) Landmark nomination has been completed for consideration by the National Parks Service in 2022. A full roof investigation and emergency repairs were also completed with the help of a $50,000 State Historical Fund grant in 2022. A grant for complete roof replacement will be submitted later in the year.

Toltec Hotel

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1910

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: Constructed in 1910, the Toltec Hotel is one of Trinidad’s treasures. One of many architecturally diverse landmark buildings within the El Corazon de Trinidad National Register Historic District, the Toltec is the only surviving terra cotta building in Trinidad. During the coal mine strike of 1913-14, during which the Ludlow Massacre occurred, union organizers held meetings at the hotel. Years of neglect and abandonment took their toll on the once-thriving hotel, which was listed as an Endangered Place in 1998. A leaky roof had caused extensive damage to the interior, and with an unsympathetic owner in charge of the building, the Toltec appeared destined for demolition. At the time of listing, a demolition order was in place for the hotel. Local activists led by Colorado Preservation, Inc. rallied around this local treasure. Listing on the Endangered Places helped spotlight this gem and heightened awareness of its potential loss, prompting the city of Trinidad to reconsider its fate. In 2000, the City acquired the hotel, saving it from demolition. In late 2004, the City of Trinidad sold the building to Shearman Real Estate LLC, a company noted for preservation projects. A several million-dollar rehabilitation for the Toltec is complete, with ten high-end lofts on the upper floors and three commercial units at street level.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: WESTERN SLOPE

Alma: Paris Mill

Alma: Snowstorm Gold Dredge

Aspen: Given Institute

Aspen: Koch Homestead

Basalt: Emma Store

Breckenridge: Reiling Gold Dredge

Como: Como Depot

Como: Tarryall-Cline Ranch

Georgetown: Georgetown School

Idaho Springs to Graymont: Historic I-70 Communities*

Leadville: Inter-Laken Resort

Leadville: Leadville Mining District

Leadville: Tabor Opera House

Redstone: Redstone Castle

Salida: Hutchinson Homestead

Salida: Opera House

Thomasville: Lime Kilns

* See EPP Regional Division: Denver Metro

Paris Mill

Listed: 2004

Constructed: 1894

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Alma

Significance: The Paris Mill was constructed in 1894 at an elevation of 11,003 feet. It was connected to the mine by a 1,750-foot aerial tramway. In its prime, the Paris Mill was considered one of the richest strikes in the Alma District, producing gold, silver, and lead for decades. Time and unstable metal prices finally forced the closure of the mine and mill in 1951. One of the unique aspects of the site is that it retains much of its original machinery. Park County completed local landmark designation for the property and purchased the mill with immediate plans to stabilize and document the building towards the long-term goal of opening the Paris Mill to the public. The county has performed over $300,000 in voluntary site cleanup and funded a Historic Structure Assessment on the property. In the last few years, the county has performed roof repairs, hosted two community workdays, nominated the building to the National Register of Historic Places, and temporarily stabilized a number of structural issues. Public comment on the future use of the Paris Mill has been solicited, and the overwhelming response has been to preserve the mill and open it for public tours. The current rehabilitation project began in 2014 thanks to funds from the State Historical Fund, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety. The South Park National Heritage Area is funding the Master Plan.

Site Needs: Continue to identify funding for future projects.

Update: Ongoing restoration efforts have begun at the mill. The work on the cyanidation wing is complete, and the work on the gold-precipitation wing (south wing) is complete. The site was awarded the EPP Progress Award in 2022.

Snowstorm Gold Dredge

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1941

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Alma

Significance: The Snowstorm Dredge was part of Colorado's largest and last dragline dredge. Used from 1941 to the 1960s, it completed the work of several hundred men as it dug and processed ore in the gold fields between Fairplay and Alma. Currently, a new sand and gravel operation operator where the Snowstorm is located appreciates the Dredge’s historical value and is interested in preserving this important reminder of Colorado’s mining past.

Site Needs: Reengage conversations with current owners, identify new use, and incorporate them into the county heritage tourism plan.

Update: The dredge remains on private property. The South Park National Heritage Area has considered incorporating this into a larger mining heritage tour, but it would require property owner consent. Conversations on its future and use continue.

Given Institute

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1972

Threat: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Aspen

Significance: Surrounded by heritage trees on a multiple-acre lot that overlooks the Hallam Lake Nature Preserve in Aspen, the Given Institute was a modernist architectural masterpiece designed by the renowned Chicago Architect Harry Weese. Best known for designing the Washington DC metro stations, Weese was commissioned by the University of Colorado School of Medicine to create a place where the top medical minds could meet to exchange ideas and present research findings. Constructed in 1972 on land donated by the late visionary matriarch of Aspen, Elizabeth Paepcke, the Given Institute stood as evidence of the promise of Aspen as a place of big ideas from the world’s greatest artists, thinkers, and leaders. Faced with the Given Institute’s annual operating deficit of $200,000, the University of Colorado began actively seeking a buyer for the $17 million property. The real estate market deemed the site more valuable as empty land was prepped for luxury homes. As a result of these offers, the University filed for and received a demolition permit in June 2010. Unfortunately (despite a valiant effort by local preservationists and city staff), the Given Institute was demolished in 2011, shortly after EPP listing as a condition of sale to a private owner.

Significance: The Koch Homestead comprises five relatively intact but deteriorating buildings in the beautiful Hunter Creek Valley near Aspen. Today few know of the origins of this group of historic structures, even though they played such an essential part in the early settlement and development of Aspen. This homestead, developed by William C. Koch beginning in 1887, not only furnished the local meat, produce, dairy, and lumber sawmill but also was the first source of reliable fresh water and hydro-power to miners and their families in the nearby townsite of Aspen.

The 60-acre Koch Homestead site is located in White River National Forest and is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and has been determined preliminarily eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hunter Creek Foundation has received a grant from the Trust for Public Land through a bequest from the John Baird Family Fund. It has built partnerships with Pitkin County, the Aspen Historical Society, Independence Pass Foundation, and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails for the project. HistoriCorps has completed the stabilization of the Shop work on the Road House and Dam Keepers Cabin in 2023 and 2024

Site Needs

Constructed: 1898

Threat: Highway vibration

Closest Town to Resource: Basalt

Significance: Located along the road from Glenwood Springs to Aspen sits the Town of Emma, a once-thriving community dating back to 1898. Now the town has only a few buildings left, including a commercial block, a storage building (hop house), and a house. With the building rapidly deteriorating, the owner was in negotiations with the Open Space Initiative to purchase the building, farmhouse, and twelve acres of land surrounding the site in hopes of rehabilitating the structures.

Updates: Although listed as a save because Pitkin County Open Space acquired the site, efforts to find a complementary and historically appropriate use for the site have just begun. A visioning and master planning process led by Pitkin County Open Space & Trails has now been completed with the newly formed Emma Townsite Steering Committee to identify new uses that complement the agricultural heritage of the site and better protect it from the nearby Highway 82 traffic that is just steps away along the curve of the road. A proposal for establishing a multi-function Food Hub, including a food bank, food processing and distribution, agricultural uses for site elements, and other ideas, has been proposed and endorsed by the Board of County Commissions. Implementation will depend on successful partnerships between the County, local governments, and various non-profit social service providers.

Reiling Gold Dredge

Listed: 2015

Constructed: 1908

Threat: Demolition by neglect; user conflict

Closest Town to Resource: Breckenridge

Significance: Situated 2.6 miles east of Breckenridge, this listed EPP site was constructed in 1908 to mine gold in Summit County for the French Gulch Dredging Company. The dredge remained in operation from 1908 until its accidental partial sinking in 1922, where it has remained as of today. The Gold Dredge is considered one of the most intact dredge sites in the United States. The dredge was one of nine gold dredge boats that worked in the Breckenridge area in the early 20th century.

Site Needs: Site stabilization, identify grant funding.

Update: This EPP resource was listed as SAVED in 2022. Breckenridge Heritage has assumed ownership of the site and completed some basic structural support for areas above the water line. An HSA for the site was completed in 2016 as well as new interpretive signage. The site has been stabilized for the long-term in keeping with the nomination’s goals for a save for the site.

Como Depot

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1879

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Como

Significance: The Como Depot is one of three surviving buildings from a large Union Pacific Railroad complex, including a hotel and roundhouse. The depot was constructed in 1879 and has original freight doors, a telegraph office, and ticket rooms. The rail line was abandoned in 1937, and as a result, the town of Como fell into a period of decline. The building was in terrible condition upon listing and near collapse. Its progress has made it a strong success story for demolition by neglect cases. It is a SAVE for 2015 thanks to the efforts of the owners, various CO partnerships, and restoration efforts by Older than Dirt Construction. The adjacent hotel building is now under rehabilitation, and a portion of the rail line has been re-established to support summer tourist excursions.

Listed: 2018

Constructed: 1928

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vandalism; severe weather Closest Town to Resource: Como

Significance: For 90 years, the eclectic Tarryall-Cline Ranch house has stood proudly like a sentinel beautiful meadow off Highway 285 in Park County main ranch house was built in 1928 by the ranch Foster Cline, Sr., a prominent Denver attorney. the deputy district attorney in Denver from 1913 and again from 1925-1929 and was later the administrator for the U.S. Securities and Commission.

Site Needs: Structural stabilization, identify possible that support the goals of the South Park Heritage Area.

Updates: A successful CPI Weekend Workshop hosted at the site in the Fall of 2018 to clean the ranch house, demolish the small non-historic east porch, clear board the windows, and better secure the property. An HSA has also been completed to guide preservation efforts. In 2022, an RFP was issued for structural stabilization and initial work on the building.

Georgetown School

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1874

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Georgetown

Significance: The Georgetown School was built in 1874 and is believed to be one of Colorado’s oldest extant brick schoolhouse buildings. The structure is located within the Georgetown and Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District and was nominated to EPP in 2006 due to its poor condition. The school is one of only two pre-1880 masonry schools remaining in Colorado. The restoration of Georgetown School is a tribute to the power of a passionate community and the partnership of many organizations.

Listed: 2001

Constructed: 1879

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant Closest Town to Resource: Leadville

Significance: Inter-Laken Resort was constructed as a playground for the upper class of Leadville society during Colorado’s mining heyday. The site, originally known as the Lakeside House, was built by John Statley and Charles Thomas 1879. In 1883, Leadville mining magnate, James Dexter, bought the site developed Inter-Laken Resort with an upscale hotel that boasted two elegant dining rooms, a dance hall, a barn, and laundry. Set along the shores of Lakes, guests could explore the Rocky Mountains, play croquet, fish, ride horses, and hike. Canoes, rowboats, a 50-foot steamboat called “Ivywild,” and the foot yacht “Dauntless” were available for the public to enjoy. After the turn the century, the resort lost popularity, and the hotel closed. The site features a variety of architectural styles and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is owned by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). They have installed interpretive signage on site and teamed with the Rocky Mountain Heritage Society and the Rocky Mountain Region Heritage Program to undertake a 4year project to restore buildings.

Site Needs: Funding, reuse plan for larger buildings, restoration of the hotel building.

Update: While several buildings on site have been restored, the hotel building and others need assistance. CPI is working with the U.S. Forest Service to plan a future weekend workshop on location and help secure the open buildings. Until recently, work had been stalled on the site.

Leadville Mining District

Listed: 1998

Constructed: 1860s

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Leadville

Significance: The Leadville Mining District is an architectural testament to the silver boom in Colorado. It is arguably one of the most important cultural landscapes from Colorado’s early mining days. The area includes four stages of mining activity (gold placer, silver lodge, gold lode, and base metal) that began in 1860 and continues into the 21st century. CPI’s EPP designation created controversy as the threat was prompted by potential demolition by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA, Colorado legislators, Leadville citizens, and the preservation community began a dialogue to ensure the survival of the site’s historic fabric.

Site Needs: Re-establish contact to determine future needs and what remediation efforts remain.

Update: Little work has been done on this site in recent years. Much of the mining district is along the Mineral Belt Trail. Meetings occurred with the Lake County Economic Development Corporation.

Tabor Opera House

Listed: 2016

Constructed: 1875

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Leadville

Significance: Financed by one of Colorado’s best-known mining entrepreneurs, Horace Austin Warner Tabor, the Tabor Opera House opened on November 20, 1879, a mere 100 days after its initial construction began. The three-story building included two retail stores on the first floor, an elegant theater on the second floor, and a third floor connected to the adjacent Clarendon Hotel via a passageway. The ornate interior boasted 72 gas jets (the first gas lights to illuminate Leadville), richly painted walls and ceiling frescoes, custom carpets, and hand-painted stage curtains. Oscar Wilde, Harry Houdini, John Philip Sousa, and Buffalo Bill were among the famous entertainers and speakers who performed at the Tabor Opera House.

Update: In 2018, a Tabor Opera House feasibility study was completed to analyze the feasibility and funding sources required for various re-use scenarios for the building. A $100,000 Save America’s Treasures grant was awarded in 2019 to kick off a capital campaign for the Tabor Opera House, to serve as a catalyst for further investment in downtown Leadville, a National Historic Landmark District, and a newly selected Main Street Community. Since then, Phase I exterior rehabilitation of the south and west facades has been completed, and some work has begun on the interior of related spaces. CPI hosted a Preservation Workshop at the site in 2021, highlighting masonry tuckpointing, foundation stabilization, and other significant recent repairs.

Redstone Castle

Listed: 2004

Constructed: 1903

Threat: Demolition

Closest Town to Resource: Redstone

Significance: Construction of Redstone Castle began in 1899 and was completed in 1902 at an estimated $2.5 million. At the turn of the century, guests traveled by steamship and rail to Redstone. The estate encompassed 550 acres fenced in wrought iron, guarded by two distinctive gatehouses. It included stables, a carriage house, a greenhouse, a gamekeeper’s cottage, a hydroelectric power plant, and a large working farm. When the Redstone Castle was listed on EPP, it had been seized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). New preservation-minded owners acquired the castle in 2016, have completed an HSA for property, a site master plan, and received a State Historical grant application for ADA improvements and significant masonry repairs at the castle and carriage house. An easement on property protects seven rooms at the site in perpetuity, and rooms have been sensitively adapted as hotel suites for visitors are now available. The project was awarded a State Honor Award at the 2019 Dana Crawford Awards ceremony and is considered a save. However, the owners have put the property back on the market, and its long-term status is somewhat unknown

Hutchinson Homestead & Ranch

Listed: 2003

Constructed: 1868

Threat:: Development

Closest Town to Resource: Salida

Significance: The Hutchinson Homestead Ranch has been owned and operated by the Hutchinson family since 1868. It is one of the oldest cattle ranches in the Arkansas Valley. After 12 years of preservation work, the ranch reopened as a museum and education center that fosters agricultural and sustainable living education in Southern Colorado.

Listed: 2011

Constructed: 1889

Threat: Condemnation; inappropriate treatments; loss of integrity

Closest Town to Resource: Salida

Significance: After a devastating fire in 1888 destroyed more than 30 buildings in Salida, a group of local businessmen organized an Opera Association and spent $30,000 to construct the Salida Opera House

The building was dedicated on January 1, 1889, when the local newspaper proclaimed the Salida Opera House to be “in every way superior to any in Colorado except the Tabor Grand in Denver. ” In 1909, the Salida Opera House was renamed the Osos Grand and was reconfigured for moving picture shows. In the 1960s, the grand façade was covered with textured stucco. By 2007 lack of proper maintenance had seriously affected the structural integrity of the Theater, and city officials declared the building unsafe. In 2010, with work stalled and holes in the roof install the beams still open to the elements, city officials issued a 90order for the Theater to be repaired or demolished. The site is currently for sale and has been converted to living spaces above and storefronts the first floor.

Site Needs: Preservation-minded owner

Update: Changes have occurred at the opera house. The property been converted to residential units above and businesses below. Recent changes to the ticketing area show a loss of original materials with the new doors and poured floor, but the property may be eligible for consideration as a Save.

Lime Kilns

Listed: 2001

Constructed: Late 1800s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacant

Closest Town to Resource: Thomasville

Significance: The early town of Calcium was booming in 1888 with a post office, a boarding house, a store, two saloons, and many log houses. The Calcium Limestone Company formed and built several limestone kilns in the same year. Shortly after that, the town of Thomasville grew and overtook the town of Calcium. These lime kilns are the most intact kilns found to date in Colorado, used for smelting gold and silver mined locally through 1905 and periodically reopening through 1938. Between 1919 and the 1930s, one of the three kilns exploded, leaving the two that stand today. As these two gradually fell out of service, neglect took over. Pitkin County secured transportation enhancement dollars from the Colorado Department of Transportation and committed thousands of its own dollars as a matching grant to the project.

In 2006, Pitkin County began stabilizing the site. An interpretive sign was placed at a roadside pull-off across the street from the kilns explaining the construction and stabilization efforts. Colorado Preservation, Inc. referred an oral historian to the Aspen Historical Society to complete (at no cost) the histories of former workers at the site.

EPP REGIONAL DIVISIONS: STATEWIDE

Downtown Underground

Historic Bridges of Colorado

Native American Wickiups

Downtown Underground

Listed: 2018

Constructed: Typically Late 19th and early 20th Century

Threat: Demolition by neglect; building code issues; flooding; abandonment

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: A once common but rapidly disappearing feature of many downtowns across Colorado is the underground entrances to the lower levels of historic commercial buildings. Some of these below-sidewalkgrade entrances are accessible by outside stairwells and from doors in the lower or basement level of buildings themselves. These once ubiquitous features were often service entries at the entryways to businesses on the lower level. Most are located below the main facades and have relatively ornate metal hand railings and balusters, but some are located along the sides or back alleyways of the structures. Many have been creatively adapted for patio seating or other uses that complement the businesses next to or above them. Unfortunately, the uniqueness and significance of the underground entrances and tunnels are not well understood or appreciated today, and many have been filled in, covered up, or simply sealed off. In many places, the store owner does not own the areas directly under the sidewalk and cannot preserve them even if they want to.

Site Needs: Highlight the uniqueness of the underground entrances and tunnels and heighten awareness of their existence and potential for creative use.

Updates: A Downtown Underground workshop was held at the Lake City Arts Center that highlighted the efforts of the building owner to develop a new multi-use space known as the Art Cave on the lower level of the building.

Historic Bridges of Colorado

Listed: 2021

Constructed: Varies per resource, ranging from the 1880s to 1970s

Threat: Maintenance issues, new bridge construction, highway widening and improvements, and lack of awareness.

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: Because of its varied topography, landscape features, and size, Colorado has many historic bridges of various types that represent significant engineering and architectural achievements but has never had a strong bridge preservation ethic. The bridges under consideration for preservation range in age from 1888 to 1973 and span the full breadth of Colorado’s bridge development, which evolved from early timber structures and steel bridges to using more functional and standardized designs using prestressed concrete in the post-World War II era.

Site Needs: Highlight the uniqueness and significance of the historic bridges, development of maintenance plans for those identified as priorities, and development of maintenance plans that incorporate the preservation of essential features.

Updates: In 2021, CPI participated in a CDOT-led two-stage process to evaluate 46 high-priority historic bridges, all eligible for the National Register to develop a priority list of 25 bridges for preservation in place. Twenty-five bridges were identified (3 of which are saved) to develop management plans for preservation. A formal memorandum or directive is now needed from the CDOT director to codify these priority recommendations.

Native American Wickiups

Listed: 2003

Constructed: Prehistory to 19th Century

Threat: Natural Elements, Vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Various

Significance: Defined as conical brush homes constructed from living trees, bark, and brush, Wickiups are primarily associated with Colorado’s Ute People, an indigenous group from prehistoric times to the latter 19th century. As a result of the Ute’s increased migratory lifestyle in the 18th century, Wickiups eventually evolved into more easily transportable teepees. Believed to be the only surviving traditional architecture of Colorado’s indigenous people, they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Those that remain are critical to interpreting the archaeology of historic Ute Rancherias. Colorado Preservation, Inc. encouraged the creation of a partnership to consolidate the database information of the Colorado Historical Society, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and others to begin the survey, documentation, and preservation process. Dominguez Archaeological Research Group (DARG) stepped forward in 2003 to provide matching funds and a successful grant application to the State Historical Fund to conduct these studies, which are now complete. Approximately 500 sites are in the combined database, and DARG continues to record these sites throughout the state.

Update: Dominguez Archaeological Research Group continues to document and record statewide Wickiups. CPI has had little involvement with this site in 2016.