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.