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.