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.