HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/15/2021 - Historic Preservation Commission - AGENDA - Regular MeetingPage 1
Meg Dunn, Chair Location:
Kurt Knierim, Vice Chair This meeting will be held
Michael Bello In Chambers, 300 LaPorte
Walter Dunn And remotely via Zoom
Kevin Murray
Anne Nelsen
Jim Rose Staff Liaison:
Vacant Seat Maren Bzdek
Vacant Seat Interim Historic Preservation Manager
Regular Meeting
December 15, 2021
5:30 PM
Historic Preservation Commission
AGENDA
Pursuant to City Council Ordinance 079, 2020, a determination has been made by the Chair after consultation
with the City staff liaison that conducting the hearing using remote technology would be prudent.
This remote Historic Preservation Commission meeting will be available in person at Council Chambers, online via
Zoom or by phone. Members of the public are allowed to attend in person. The online meeting will be available to
join beginning at 5:00 p.m. Participants should try to join at least 15 minutes prior to the 5:30 p.m. start time.
IN PERSON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Members of the public that feel comfortable may appear in person at Council Chambers, 300 LaPorte Avenue, and
address the Commission when recognized by the Chair.
ONLINE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
You will need an internet connection on a laptop, computer, or smartphone, and may join the meeting through Zoom
at https://zoom.us/j/94284162189. (Using earphones with a microphone will greatly improve your audio). Keep
yourself on muted status.
For public comments, the Chair will ask participants to click the “Raise Hand” button to indicate you would like to
speak at that time. Staff will moderate the Zoom session to ensure all participants have an opportunity to comment.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BY PHONE:
Please dial 253-215-8782 and enter Webinar ID 942 8416 2189. Keep yourself on muted status.
For public comments, when the Chair asks participants to click the “Raise Hand” button if they wish to speak, phone
participants will need to hit *9 to do this. Staff will be moderating the Zoom session to ensure all participants have an
opportunity to address the Commission. When you are called, hit *6 to unmute yourself.
Documents to Share: Any document or presentation a member of the public wishes to provide to the Commission
for its consideration must be emailed to abrennan@fcgov.com at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Provide Comments via Email: Individuals who are uncomfortable or unable to access the Zoom platform or
participate by phone are encouraged to participate by emailing comments to abrennan@fcgov.com at least 24 hours
prior to the meeting. If your comments are specific to any of the discussion items on the agenda, please indicate that
in the subject line of your email. Staff will ensure your comments are provided to the Commission.
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Fort Collins is a Certified Local Government (CLG) authorized by the National Park Service and History Colorado based
on its compliance with federal and state historic preservation standards. CLG standing requires Fort Collins to maintain
a Historic Preservation Commission composed of members of which a minimum of 40% meet federal standards for
professional experience from preservation-related disciplines, including, but not limited to, historic architecture,
architectural history, archaeology, and urban planning. For more information, see Article III, Division 19 of the Fort
Collins Municipal Code.
The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities and
will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6515 (TDD 224-6001) for
assistance.
Video of the meeting will be broadcast at 1:00 p.m. the following day through the Comcast cable system on Channel
14 or 881 (HD). Please visit http://www.fcgov.com/fctv/ for the daily cable schedule. The video will also be available
for later viewing on demand here: http://www.fcgov.com/fctv/video-archive.php.
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
AGENDA REVIEW
o Staff Review of Agenda
o Consent Agenda Review
This Review provides an opportunity for the Commission and citizens to pull items from the
Consent Agenda. Anyone may request an item on this calendar be “pulled” off the Consent
Agenda and considered separately.
Commission-pulled Consent Agenda items will be considered before Discussion Items.
Citizen-pulled Consent Agenda items will be considered after Discussion Items.
STAFF REPORTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
CONSENT AGENDA
1.CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 17, 2021.
The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes from the November 17, 2021 regular meeting of the
Historic Preservation Commission.
The Consent Agenda is intended to allow the Commission to spend its time and energy on the
important items on a lengthy agenda. Staff recommends approval of the Consent Agenda. Anyone may
request an item on this calendar to be "pulled" off the Consent Agenda and considered separately.
Agenda items pulled from the Consent Agenda will be considered separately under Pulled Consent
Items. Items remaining on the Consent Agenda will be approved by Commission with one vote. The
Consent Agenda consists of:
●Approval of Minutes
●Items of no perceived controversy
●Routine administrative actions
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CONSENT CALENDAR FOLLOW UP
This is an opportunity for Commission members to comment on items adopted or approved on the
Consent Calendar.
PULLED FROM CONSENT
Any agenda items pulled from the Consent Calendar by a Commission member, or member of the
public, will be discussed at this time.
DISCUSSION AGENDA
2.STAFF YEAR IN REVIEW REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
The purpose of this item is to present the Colorado Certified Local Government Annual Report for
2021.
3.REPORT ON STAFF DESIGN REVIEW DECISIONS FOR DESIGNATED PROPERTIES
Staff is tasked with reviewing projects and, in cases where the project can be approved without
submitting to the Historic Preservation Commission, with issuing a Certificate of Appropriateness or a
SHPO report under Chapter 14, Article IV of the City’s Municipal Code. This item is a report of all such
review decisions since the last regular meeting of the Commission.
4.1433 S. OVERLAND TRAIL – LANDMARK NOMINATION
DESCRIPTION: This item is to consider the request for a recommendation to City Council for
landmark designation of the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 South Overland
Trail.
APPLICANT: Ponds at Overland Trail (HOA); Timothy A Johnson, President
5.900 S. COLLEGE AVE – NATIONAL REGISTER REVIEW
DESCRIPTION: This item is to provide a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation
Officer regarding the nomination of the Scott Apartments and Garage to the
National Register of Historic Places. As a Certified Local Government, both
the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Mayor provide a written
recommendation.
APPLICANT: Steve Levinger (owner); State Historic Preservation Office
OTHER BUSINESS
ADJOURNMENT
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Date:Roll CallMike BelloWalter DunnKurt KnierimKevin MurrayAnne NelsenJim RoseVacant SeatVacant SeatMeg DunnVotePresent Present Present Absent Present Present N/A N/A Present6 Present, 1 AbsentConsent Agenda: 1) MINUTES OF AUGUST 18, 2021Anne NelsenJim RoseKevin MurrayVacant SeatKurt KnierimVacant SeatMike BelloWalter DunnMeg DunnYes Yes Absent N/A Yes N/A Yes Yes Yes6-04) 1433 S. OVERLAND TRAIL - LANDMARK NOMINATION - APPROVALJim RoseKevin MurrayVacant SeatKurt KnierimVacant SeatMike BelloWalter DunnAnne NelsenMeg DunnYes Recused N/A Yes N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes6-05) 900 S COLLEGE AVE - NATIONAL REGISTER REVIEW - APPROVALKevin MurrayVacant SeatKurt KnierimVacant SeatMike BelloWalter DunnAnne NelsenJim RoseMeg DunnRecused N/A Yes N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes6-0Roll Call & Voting RecordLandmark Preservation Commission12/15/2021
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
THIS IS A PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD
Please contact Aubrie Brennan at 970-416-4390 or abrennan@fcgov.com if you inadvertently end up with it. Thank you!
Visitor Log
[This meeting was conducted remotely and in person. The Secretary filled out the visitor log.]
DATE: 12/15/21
Name Mailing Address Email and/or Phone Reason for Attendance
Lyn Iannuzzi 1768 Green River, Windsor,
CO
iannuzzis@comcast.net Maxwell Rock House
Karen Beuck P.O. Box 22, Agate, CO kbeuck@hotmail.com Maxwell Rock House
Marie Wright Maxwell Rock House
Steve Levinger 511 Mathew St. jmlevi@msn.com Applicant, 900 S College
Tim Johnson Applicant, Maxwell Rock
House
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
The following disclosure statement is submitted to the Clerk of the City of Fort Collins pursuant
to the requirements of Article IV, Section 9 of the City Charter and, to the extent applicable,
Section 24-18-109(3)(a), C.R.S. or pursuant to City of Fort Collins Personnel Policy 5.7.2.F.
Name:
Title:
Decision(s) or contract affected (give description of item to be addressed by Council, Board,
Service Area Director, etc.):
Brief statement of interest:
Date:Signature:
REMOVAL OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
I affirm that the above-stated conflict of interest no longer exists.
Date:Signature:
cc (if Councilmember or Board or Commission member): City Attorney and City Manager
cc (if City employee): HR Director
Updated: March 2014
/DQGPDUN3UHVHUYDWLRQ&RPPLVVLRQ0HPEHU
Kevin Murray
1433 S Overland Trail/Maxwell Rock House Landmark Designation
I will be working on this house as Contractor.
12/3/21 Kevin M
Murray
Digitally signed by Kevin
M Murray
Date: 2021.12.03
17:07:59 -07'00'
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CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
The following disclosure statement is submitted to the Clerk of the City of Fort Collins pursuant
to the requirements of Article IV, Section 9 of the City Charter and, to the extent applicable,
Section 24-18-109(3)(a), C.R.S. or pursuant to City of Fort Collins Personnel Policy 5.7.2.F.
Name:
Title:
Decision(s) or contract affected (give description of item to be addressed by Council, Board,
Service Area Director, etc.):
Brief statement of interest:
Date:Signature:
REMOVAL OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
I affirm that the above-stated conflict of interest no longer exists.
Date:Signature:
cc (if Councilmember or Board or Commission member): City Attorney and City Manager
cc (if City employee): HR Director
Updated: March 2014
/DQGPDUN3UHVHUYDWLRQ&RPPLVVLRQ0HPEHU
Kevin Murray
900 South College Ave. National Register Review
I worked with the Design Assistance Program to put together funding for projects once Designated.
12/6/21 Kevin M
Murray
Digitally signed by Kevin
M Murray
Date: 2021.12.06
18:09:33 -07'00'
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Agenda Item 1
Item 1, Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY December 15, 2021
Historic Preservation Commission
STAFF
Aubrielle Brennan, Administrative Assistant
SUBJECT
CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 17, 2021 REGULAR MEETING
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes from the November 17, 2021 regular meeting of the Historic
Preservation Commission.
ATTACHMENTS
1. HPC November 17, 2021 Minutes – DRAFT
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Historic Preservation Commission Page 1 [November 17, 2021]
Meg Dunn, Chair City Council Chambers
Kurt Knierim, Vice Chair City Hall West
Michael Bello 300 Laporte Avenue
Walter Dunn Fort Collins, Colorado
Kevin Murray And Remote Via Zoom
Anne Nelsen
Jim Rose
Vacant Seat
Vacant Seat
Regular Meeting
November 17, 2021
Minutes
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Dunn called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Mike Bello, Meg Dunn, Walter Dunn, Kurt Knierim, Elizabeth Michell, Kevin Murray, Anne
Nelsen, Jim Rose
ABSENT: None
STAFF: Maren Bzdek, Jim Bertolini, Claire Havelda, Aubrie Brennan
Chair Dunn read the following legal statement:
“We are holding a remote meeting today in light of the continuing prevalence of COVID-19 and for the
sake of the health of the Commission, City Staff, applicants and the general public. Our determination
to hold this meeting remotely was made in compliance with City Council Ordinance 79 2020.”
Chair Dunn commented on the recent passing of Barbara Fleming, local historian.
AGENDA REVIEW
Ms. Bzdek stated there were no changes to the posted agenda.
CONSENT AGENDA REVIEW
No items were pulled from consent.
Historic
Preservation
Commission
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STAFF REPORTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
None.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
None.
CONSENT AGENDA
[Timestamp: 5:40 p.m.]
1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 20, 2021
The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes from the October 20, 2021 regular meeting of the
Historic Preservation Commission.
2. APPROVAL OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION’S 2022 WORK PLAN
The purpose of this item is to approve 2022 Work Plan of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Vice Chair Knierim moved that the Historic Preservation Commission approve the Consent
Agenda of the November 17, 2021 regular meeting as presented. Member Nelsen seconded.
The motion passed 7-0.
[Timestamp: 5:41 p.m.]
DISCUSSION AGENDA
3. STAFF DESIGN REVIEW DECISIONS ON DESIGNATED PROPERTIES
Staff is tasked with reviewing projects and, in cases where the project can be approved without
submitting to the Historic Preservation Commission, with issuing a Certificate of Appropriateness or a
SHPO report under Chapter 14, Article IV of the City’s Municipal Code. This item is a report of all such
review decisions since the last regular meeting of the Commission.
4. 1306 W MOUNTAIN AVE – CONCEPTUAL REVIEW
DESCRIPTION: This item is to complete a conceptual review of the applicants’ project, identify
key conflicts with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation,
and outline alterations to the proposed project plans so that the project will
better align with the Standards. The applicant is proposing an addition onto the
side and rear elevation of the main building, demolition of a non-historic
accessory structure, and construction of a new garage building.
APPLICANT: Brian and Barbara Berkhausen (property owners), Alexandra Haggarty (legal
counsel)
Jeff Schneider, Armstead Construction (contractor)
Recusals
Chair Dunn stated she has visited the home, but it will not affect her judgment. Member Murray stated
he had been good friends with the former owner, however; he will look at it as a historic house.
Staff Report
Historic Preservation Planner Jim Bertolini presented the staff report. He showed photos of the property
and discussed the proposal. He stated the Commission should consider evidence regarding the
proposed work and whether it meets the City’s adopted standards for designated historic properties.
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Mr. Bertolini discussed the history of the property and its designation and commented on the conceptual
review timeline. He detailed the proposed project which includes exterior demolition of the northeast
corner of the house to attach a new addition of just over 1,000 square feet. He stated the majority of
the main level windows are proposed for repair. Additionally, the project proposes to demolish the non-
historic garage and construct a new garage closer to the alley but will retain the historic garage.
Mr. Bertolini stated staff’s analysis is that the project does not meet all applicable rehabilitation
standards, specifically those related to the degree of demolition of historic brick at the northeast corner
of the house and the size of the addition. He noted most written comments received have been
opposed to the project due to the size and scale of the addition.
Applicant Presentation
Alexandra Haggarty, attorney for the applicant, gave the Applicant presentation. She commented on
one purpose of historic preservation, and a role of the Commission, being to further the public interest
in the protection, enhancement, and perpetuation of significant sites. She also commented on the goal
to promote and encourage continued private ownership and use of such sites in a way that public policy
goals can be met.
Brian Berkhausen stated the goal for this project is to provide for single-level living and he commented
on the steep stairs to the basement, that do not meet code, which houses the only shower in the house
and the laundry room. He stated the proposed project maintains 100% of the street frontage of the
house and he provided information on the revised plans that have been presented.
Jeff Schneider, Armstead Construction, stated this projects meets all Building Codes, the Land Use
Code, and Our Climate Future goals of maintaining existing housing stock and making it more energy
efficient. He provided information on the ability to reverse the changes and discussed the architecture
of the proposed addition. He noted modifications were already made to the back wall at some point.
Ms. Haggarty noted an addition cannot be denied simply because of its dimensions and disagreed with
the staff finding that the proposal requires too much demolition of historic material and is not
subordinate. Additionally, she stated many of the letters received in opposition to the project appear to
have been based on a previous plan or on a misunderstanding of the current plan. She discussed the
ways the proposed project meets the standards to retain the historic character of the property, preserve
distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques, having an addition that is
compatible with, distinguishable from, and subordinate to the existing building, and making the changes
reversible.
Public Input
Laura Bailey, daughter of the previous owner, stated this proposal still does not meet the Secretary of
Interior standards and does not represent balance. She stated she would not have sold the home if
she thought changes such as this could be made. She stated these types of bungalow homes were
intended to be modest, simple, symmetrical, and compact and this proposal would undo those hallmark
features and would disrupt the hardscape to yard ratio.
Shelly Terry expressed concern about how much the current plan changes the nature of the house.
She stated vegetation cannot be depended upon to hide the addition. She commented on the reason
the home was originally designated.
Commission Questions and Discussion
Chair Dunn directed the members to the character-defining features listed in the Staff Report and noted
the damage of those features would eliminate the reason for a landmark.
Member Bello asked if the recommendations in the Staff Report are based on the revised plans. Mr.
Bertolini replied in the affirmative.
Chair Dunn suggested starting the discussion with standard 4 specifically as related to the historic back
porch which staff stated would not be required for retention in order to meet the standard, although it
would be encouraged.
Vice Chair Knierim stated there are bigger features on which to focus as the porch was added later and
is not a character-defining feature.
Member Rose agreed, but asked if the date of the construction of the concrete stoop is known as it is
unusual and should not be discounted as being unimportant.
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Chair Dunn stated the rear porch has gained historic importance.
Member Murray stated he does not see the concrete stoop as being that important or necessarily a
character-defining feature. He also noted the 1968 garage is old enough to have historic significance;
however, he believes it is not necessary to save.
Chair Dunn summarized the comments that members feel comfortable with the removal of the back
porch.
Member Nelsen stated there is some historic value to the mudroom addition; however, it may not
necessarily be a character-defining feature and she is comfortable with the removal of the back porch.
Chair Dunn commented on rear-facing mudrooms often being removed to make room for an addition.
Chair Dunn requested input regarding standard 6. She noted the historic basement windows are being
planned for replacement with egress windows and one bathroom window will be removed.
Member Bello asked if the basement windows are all on the sides and rear of the house. Mr. Schneider
replied in the affirmative.
Member Bello asked why the windows are being removed. Mr. Schneider replied it is necessary to
comply with building codes for bedrooms and life safety.
Member Murray expressed appreciation for the proposal to repair some windows instead of replacing
them all. He questioned why the windows are being replaced in the basement if the stairs are too steep
for access. Mr. Schneider replied the plan would also replace the stairs to meet standards.
Chair Dunn noted the work being done on the house requires it to be brought up to Building Code
standards.
Member Nelsen commented that depends on the amount of work being done and existing non-
conforming items can remain. She asked about the current basement windows. Mr. Schneider replied
they are common three foot by foot and a half awnings with no window wells.
Chair Dunn asked if the proposal is to remove two windows and replace them with one egress window.
Mr. Schneider replied there are two egress windows planned for the west side, one will be added on
the back side, and two on the east side. He stated there is an option wherein two of the existing
windows could be kept.
Chair Dunn asked what is planned for the lower level below the addition. Mr. Schneider replied it will
just be a crawl space with no windows.
Chair Dunn suggested the egress windows could go in the addition space so as to avoid affecting the
historic windows. Mr. Schneider replied the reduction in the main floor footprint has necessitated
retaining the stairs in the same location.
Member Nelsen commented on the importance of balancing historic preservation with the residents’
safety and suggested the egress windows should be made as non-intrusive as possible.
Mr. Bertolini noted the installation of egress windows on a landmarked property is not typically
something staff would bring before the Commission as basement windows are not generally determined
to be character-defining features.
Chair Dunn suggested members discuss standard 2.
Member Nelsen stated it is acceptable to remove the non-historic garage in the context of making the
property usable. She expressed appreciation for the planned retention of the historic garage. Member
Bello agreed.
Chair Dunn asked about the proposed garage design. Mr. Schneider replied the main difference is it
will have a double door rather than two single doors; however, the same north-south gable lines will be
maintained as will the character and style. He stated it is very similar in size to the existing garage.
Member Nelsen stated the proposed design of the new garage may ultimately make it difficult to
differentiate the old from the new.
Member Murray commented the addition affects the spatial features of the property due to its size. Mr.
Schneider noted the addition includes a concrete slab that will encompass the current concrete patio.
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Member Bello asked how much of the non-public view is considered in maintaining the historic
character of the property. Chair Dunn replied the visual impact of the property is not the primary issue;
the character of the house is the primary issue.
Member Murray stated leaving part of the rear wall intact could be helpful in better meeting the
standards. Mr. Schneider replied the flow of the floor plan works much better with the removal of the
ten-foot section.
Member Nelsen asked about the floor area ratio of the proposal. Mr. Schneider replied it is at the
maximum which is why the expansion had to go to the east. He noted a variance was approved for the
extra garage square footage.
Member Nelsen stated the landmarked home that was purchased does not seem to meet the needs of
the buyers and it seems a change in character is needed to meet those needs.
Chair Dunn requested input regarding standard 9.
Member Murray commented on a guideline that additions be subservient to the main house in the range
of 33% size. He noted this addition would be 95%. He agreed this house may not fit the needs of the
buyers and suggested hiding some of the addition in some way would be helpful. Mr. Schneider noted
the guidelines are not codified and the definition of subordinate is ‘smaller than,’ which is accurate. He
stated the design changes have made it less impactful to the existing home.
Chair Dunn stated the desire is to have additions be 50% or less of the existing property per direction
from the state.
Member Rose commented on the definition of a bungalow and stated it is difficult to discount the affect
of the addition to the frontal symmetry of the home. He stated there would be some merit in examining
what could be achieved on the north side and with a different arrangement of interior space.
Vice Chair Knierim questioned how much could be added to the house before it is no longer considered
a cottage bungalow.
Member Nelsen agreed that is a concern and noted there is more to this than just what can be seen
from the street. She noted the property is landmarked and stated its scale is part of its character. She
stated a more modest addition to the rear rather than the side seems more appropriate.
Chair Dunn commented on using basement space as much as possible as it does not affect the look
of the house at all while still adding functionality. She stated the complexity of the proposed roof line
changes the character of the house.
Chair Dunn requested input regarding standards 5 and 1.
Member Nelsen stated the scale of the proposed addition is difficult to reconcile.
Mr. Berkhausen noted the neighbors on both sides have expressed support for this plan and stated
these changes will make the property viable for future generations. He thanked the Commission
members for their time and thoughtfulness.
Ms. Haggerty thanked members for their time. She noted many of the standards have some grey area
which allows for each project to be considered individually to create a balance between preservation
and functionality.
[Timestamp: 7:49 p.m.]
(**Secretary’s Note: The Commission took a brief break at this point in the meeting to allow for a change
in legal counsel. A roll call vote was taken upon reconvening and all were present.)
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5. 201 S COLLEGE AVE – FINAL DESIGN REVIEW
DESCRIPTION: This item is to approve the roof rehabilitation of the clay tile roof at the former
Post Office at 201 S. College Avenue, confirming that the work will meet the
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The applicant is
proposing to rehab and salvage the vast majority of clay tile as feasible, will be
replacing and adding insulation for the membrane flat roof, will be replacing
the lining for the internal gutter and downspout system, and is proposing
potential replacements for the distinctive clay hip tiles in the event the existing
tiles are damaged during removal.
APPLICANT: Barbara Eibach, Brinkman Construction (owner);
Nick Dillen, Formula Roofing (contractor)
Staff Report
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner, presented the staff report for this item which is related to
rehabilitation of the roof at the former Post Office building at 201 South College Avenue. He outlined
the role of the Commission for final design reviews and discussed the history of the property. He
provided information on the proposed project to rehabilitate the clay tile roof and noted replacement
tiles, if needed, have been sourced from an historic clay tile company. He stated staff’s analysis is that
the project meets the applicable rehabilitation standards and staff recommends approval of a certificate
of appropriateness for the project.
Applicant Presentation
Barbara Eibach, Brinkman Real Estate Management, stated this project has been ongoing for about
four years and the contractor has experience working on several historic properties.
Nick Dillen, Formula Roofing, stated the aesthetic of the roof will be maintained and sufficient quantities
of the necessary tiles and hips have been sourced to ensure that. He stated there is about a three-
inch rise on the flat section of the building that will be removed and replaced to bring it up to Code.
Public Input
None.
Commission Questions and Discussion
Vice Chair Knierim asked where the tiles were sourced. Mr. Dillen replied they were found in Illinois at
a salvage yard.
Member Murray asked if there is a flat roof under the tile. Mr. Dillen replied in the negative and stated
there is underlayment directly under the tile with decking below that.
Member Murray asked about insulation installation. Mr. Dillen discussed the insulation of installation
on the flat section and stated some ventilation will be added using custom fabricated vents.
Members discussed the roof ventilation and gutters. Mr. Dillen noted the internal gutter system has
been functioning well; however, the intrinsic copper will all be replaced as part of this project.
Chair Dunn asked if tax credits are being used for the project. Ms. Eibach replied they have not yet
looked into that. Mr. Bertolini stated staff can assist with that information.
Commission Deliberation
Member Rose commended the process and its documentation. He stated he has never seen a project
as well detailed and documented. Chair Dunn concurred.
Vice Chair Knierim made a motion that the Historic Preservation Commission approve the
plans and specifications for the roof rehabilitation at the historic Post Office at 201 South
College Avenue as presented, finding that the proposed work meets the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Member Rose seconded.
The motion passed 7-0.
[Timestamp: 8:30 p.m.]
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OTHER BUSINESS
Chair Dunn noted Members Bello and Murray will have their last meetings next month.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Dunn adjourned the meeting at 8:31 p.m.
Minutes prepared by TriPoint Data and respectfully submitted by Aubrie Brennan.
Minutes approved by a vote of the Commission on __________________.
_____________________________________
Meg Dunn, Chair
December 15, 2021
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Agenda Item 2
Item 6, Page 1
STAFF REPORT December 15, 2021
Historic Preservation Commission
PROJECT NAME
2021 YEAR IN REVIEW – CLG ANNUAL REPORT
STAFF
Maren Bzdek, Interim Historic Preservation Manager
PROJECT INFORMATION
The purpose of this item is to present the Colorado Certified Local Government Annual Report for 2021.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act established preservation as a national priority and created programs
that encourage preservation, including State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs). In Colorado, that office is a
function of our statewide history organization, History Colorado, in its Office of Archaeology and Historic
Preservation. SHPO offices are federally mandated and funded by the Department of the Interior through the
National Park Service.
As a certified local government, the City of Fort Collins provides an annual report of activities to History Colorado
that summarizes all commission and staff activities. Reports must include the number and type of cases reviewed
and their outcomes, new designations, progress on survey activities, educational activities, and credentials of new
HPC members and staff.
ATTACHMENTS
1.2021 CLG Annual Report
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An accurately completed annual report is a CLG requirement
Colorado Certified Local Government
2021 Annual Report
Federal Fiscal Year 2021: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021
Due Date: November 1, 2021
Please save this file in the original PDF format, DO NOT PRINT AND SCAN.
Submit via email to lindsey.flewelling@state.co.us
Name of County/Municipality:
Name of Commission Board:
Contact Name: Contact Title:
Contact Phone: Contact Fax:
Contact Email:
Contact Address:
City: State: CO Zip:
Website for your historic preservation program:
Provide a list of all local government staff members with duties assigned to your local preservation program and their job
titles. Then, list the percentage of their job duties that are related to historic preservation and check each staff member that
meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards. Please include any consultants contracted to
perform designation, design, or tax credit reviews on a regular basis.
Name Title Percent SOI Qualified
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Preservation Planning & Operational Documents
In Federal Fiscal Year 2021 were any of the following newly developed or revised:
1)Preservation Ordinance (including Amendments)?
2)By-Laws or Administrative Rules?
3)Preservation Plan?
4)Survey Plan?
5)Design Guidelines:
a.For the entire county/municipality?
b.For a specific district(s)?
Name of district(s):
Commission or Board
6)Provide a list of all current Commission/Board Members. Check any Commission/Board Members newly appointed
in Federal Fiscal Year 2021 and attach their resumes and/or applications. Also, check all Commission/Board
Members that are professionals in preservation-related disciplines and list their profession beside their names.
New Preservation
Name Member Professional Discipline(s)
If 40% of the current Commission/Board is not comprised of preservation-related professionals, please describe your
efforts to recruit. How does the Commission/Board seek additional expertise in the fields of architecture, architectural
history or archaeology when needed?
7)
8)Do the members of the Commission/Board represent the general ethnic diversity of the community?
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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9)List the SHPO-approved educational/training sessions attended by Commission/Board Members in Federal Fiscal
Year 2021. Please list name of session or conference (list conference, not individual sessions when a conference was
attended) and the name(s) of Commission/Board Member that attended.
10)What is your Commission/Board’s regular meeting schedule? (i.e. First Thursday of every other month at 6pm)
11)Please list the number of meetings and dates held in Federal Fiscal Year 2021:
Regular Meetings Special Meetings Work/Study Sessions
Total Number Total Number Total Number
Dates Dates Dates
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Historic Contexts & Surveys
12) List any Historic Context Studies completed in Federal Fiscal Year 2021.
13) List any Cultural Resource Surveys completed in Federal Fiscal Year 2021.
14) How many resources were inventoried in Federal Fiscal Year 2021?
Inventoried means any buildings, structures, objects, or sites for which the Commission/Board obtained information not
previously held. This information may come from newly surveyed properties or properties nominated that had not been surveyed.
Inventoried properties can be either eligible or non-eligible for listing.
Designations
15)How many contributing resources (buildings, structures, objects, sites) are locally designated? This count includes
ALL listings since the Commission/Board was originally formed. For Districts, count all contributing buildings,
structures and sites individually.
16)How many contributing resources (buildings, structures, objects, sites) were locally designated in Federal Fiscal Year
2021? For Districts, count all contributing buildings, structures and sites individually.
Please list. For Districts, list name with number of contributing resources in parenthesis.
Project Review
17)How many design review applications were considered by the Commission/Board for designated resources in
Federal Fiscal Year 2021?
a.Total Reviewed
b.Review by Full Commission
c.Review by Design Review Subcommittee Only
d.Reviewed by Staff Only
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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18)How many design review applications were considered by the Commission/Board for non-designated resources in
Federal Fiscal Year 2021?
a.Total Reviewed
b.Review by Full Commission
c.Review by Design Review Subcommittee Only
d.Reviewed by Staff Only
19)Did your County/Municipality comment or participate in any Section 106 Reviews as a consulting party in Federal
Fiscal Year 2021?
If yes, list name of project or property and the Federal Agency initiating the review.
Narrative Questions
20)Did your Board/Commission develop, sponsor, or participate in any public outreach, education, or interpretive
events/meetings/tours/materials in Federal Fiscal Year 2021?
If yes, please describe.
21) What CLG accomplishment/achievement/event in Federal Fiscal Year 2021 makes the Commission/Board most
proud?
22) Describe any problems – operational, political or financial – encountered by the CLG in Federal Fiscal Year 2021.
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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23) Describe any planned/projected Commission/Board activities for Federal Fiscal Year 2022.
Attachment Checklist
All documents listed below are required for a complete report unless listed as “if applicable” or “if adopted.” Providing a
link to an online document, if downloadable, may be substituted for actual attachment of a document when available. Please
include all documents as separate attachments.
All meeting minutes for Federal Fiscal Year 2021 (unless previously submitted)
Sample of Public Notice announcing commission/board Meeting
Sample advertisement for new commission/board members
List of all locally designated properties (from inception of local listing)
Resumes or applications for commission/board members appointed in FY21 (if applicable)
Current preservation ordinance and amendments (if adopted during FY21)
Current by-laws or administrative rules for the commission/board (if adopted during FY21)
Current Preservation Plan or preservation chapter in Comprehensive Plan (if adopted during FY21) Current
Survey Plan (if adopted during FY21)
Historic Context Surveys completed in Federal Fiscal Year 2021 or date submitted to SHPO (if applicable)
Historic Resource Surveys completed in Federal Fiscal Year 2021or date submitted to SHPO (if applicable)
Please provide links to any online documents or dates when Contexts or Surveys were submitted to SHPO:
ITEM 2, ATTACHMENT 1
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Agenda Item 3
Item 3, Page 1
STAFF REPORT December 15, 2021
Historic Preservation Commission
ITEM NAME
STAFF DESIGN REVIEW DECISIONS ON DESIGNATED PROPERTIES AND OTHER STAFF-ISSUED
DECISIONS AND LETTERS, NOVEMBER 5, 2021 TO DECEMBER 2, 2021
STAFF
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
INFORMATION
Staff is tasked with reviewing projects and, in cases where the project can be approved without submitting to
the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), with issuing a Certificate of Appropriateness or a SHPO report
under Chapter 14, Article IV of the City’s Municipal Code. Staff decisions are provided in this report and posted
on the HPS’s “Design Review Notification” page. Notice of staff decisions are provided to the public and HPC
for their information, but are not subject to appeal under Chapter 14, Article IV, except in cases where an
applicant has requested a Certificate of Appropriateness for a project and that request has been denied. In that
event, the applicant may appeal staff’s decision to the HPC pursuant to 14-55 of the Municipal Code, within
two weeks of staff denial.
Beginning in May 2021, to increase transparency regarding staff decisions and letters issued on historic
preservation activities, this report will include sections for historic property survey results finalized in the last
month (provided they are past the two-week appeal deadline), comments issued for federal undertakings
under the National Historic Preservation Act (also called “Section 106”), and 5G wireless facility responses for
local permit approval.
The report below covers the period between November 5, 2021 to December 2, 2021.
There is no staff presentation this month.
Staff Design Review Decisions & Reports – Municipal Code Chapter 14
Property Address Description of Project Staff Decision Date of Decision
1617 Sheely Dr.
Rooftop solar installation on rear (southwest)
roof. City Landmark. Reviewed by staff under
Municipal Code 14, Article IV.
Approved November 9,
2021
315 Whedbee St.
Installation of wood deck of rear (non-historic)
garage. City Landmark. Reviewed by staff under
Municipal Code 14, Article IV.
Approved November 18,
2021
121 Garfield St.
In-kind roof replacement (asphalt shingle).
Contributing property to Laurel School Historic
District (NRHP). Reviewed by staff under
Municipal Code 14, Article IV.
Approved
(report issued)
November 18,
2021
117 Locust St.
Installation of 2 basement level egress windows.
Contributing property to Laurel School Historic
District (NRHP). Reviewed by staff under
Municipal Code 14, Article IV.
Approved
(report issued)
November 19,
2021
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Agenda Item 3
Item 3, Page 2
211 Whedbee St.
Rooftop solar on main house. Contributing
property to Laurel School Historic District
(NRHP). Reviewed by staff under Municipal
Code 14, Article IV.
Approved
(report issued)
November 22,
2021
331 S. Loomis Ave
In-kind roof replacement (asphalt shingle). City
Landmark. Reviewed by staff under Municipal
Code 14, Article IV.
Approved November 23,
2021
425 10th St
(Romero House)
Installation of new security cameras, utility
conduit, and security lighting. City Landmark.
Reviewed by staff under Municipal Code 14,
Article IV.
Approved November 24,
2021
408 W. Mountain
Ave
Repaint and minor exterior carpentry repair. City
Landmark. Reviewed by staff under Municipal
Code 14, Article IV.
Approved w/
Conditions
November 30,
2021
Selected Staff Development Review Recommendations – Land Use Code 3.4.7
Property Address Description of Project Staff Decision Date of Decision
605 S. Mason St.
(Avogadro’s
Number)
Rear patio modifications and construction of a
covered front patio.
Conditional
Approval –
reduce height
of front canopy
to at-or-below
historic building
height
October 29, 2021
Historic Property Survey Results
City Preservation staff frequently completes historic survey for properties for a number of reasons, usually in
advance of development proposals for properties. The table below includes historic property survey for the
reporting period for any historic survey for which the two-week appeal period has passed.
Address Field/Consultant Recommendation Staff Approved
Results?
Date Results
Finalized
212 W. Laurel St.
(Rainbow) Eligible Yes October 29, 2021
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Agenda Item 3
Item 3, Page 3
National Historic Preservation Act – Staff Comments Issued
The City of Fort Collins is a Certified Local Government, which provides the Historic Preservation Services
division and Landmark Preservation Commission an opportunity to formally comment on federal undertakings
within city limits. This includes actions that are receiving federal funding, permits, or have direct involvement
from a federal agency.
Note: Due to changes in how Preservation staff process small cell/5G wireless facilities, staff does not provide
substantive comments on those undertakings (overseen by the Federal Communications Commission) and do
not appear in the table below.
National Historic Preservation Act – Staff Comments Issued
The City of Fort Collins is a Certified Local Government, which provides the Historic Preservation Services
division and Landmark Preservation Commission an opportunity to formally comment on federal undertakings
within city limits. This includes actions that are receiving federal funding, permits, or have direct involvement
from a federal agency.
Lead Agency & Property
Location Description of Project Staff Comment
Date
Comment
Issued
Housing & Urban
Development, 619
Conifer St.
Interior modifications and site
improvements.
Concur – No Historic
Properties Affected
November 9,
2021
Staff 5G Wireless Facility Summary
Note: Co-locations with existing street infrastructure, usually traffic lights, is considered a co-location and not
subject to denial due to proximity to properties that meet the City’s definition of historic resources (Sec. 14-3)
Due to recent changes in how Preservation staff reviews small cell/5G towers, co-located towers no longer
receive substantive review except where historic resources would be impacted directly by the tower’s installation.
These types of direct impacts would include potential damage to archaeological resources and/or landscape
features throughout the city such as trolley tracks, carriage steps, and sandstone pavers. This report section will
summarize activities in this area.
Between November 5 and December 2, 2021, staff processed a total of 1 5G/Small Cell towers, which was a re-
review of a previously submitted plan and was to be co-located with an existing City streetlight.
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Agenda Item 4
Item 4, Page 1
STAFF REPORT December 15, 2021
Historic Preservation Commission
PROJECT NAME
THE MAXWELL ROCK HOUSE AT 1433 SOUTH OVERLAND TRAIL - APPLICATION FOR FORT COLLINS
LANDMARK DESIGNATION
STAFF
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
PROJECT INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Ponds at Overland Trail (HOA); Timothy A Johnson, President
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This item is to consider the request for a recommendation to City Council for
landmark designation of the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 South Overland Trail.
COMMISSION’S ROLE AND ACTION: One of the Commission’s responsibilities is to provide a recommendation
to City Council on applications for the designation of a property as a Fort Collins Landmark. Chapter 14 of the
Municipal Code provides the standards and process for designation. At the hearing, the Commission shall
determine whether the following two (2) criteria are satisfied: (1) the proposed resource is eligible for designation;
and (2) the requested designation will advance the policies and the purposes in a manner and extent sufficient to
justify the requested designation. Following its review, and once the Commission feels it has the information it
needs, the Commission should adopt a motion providing its recommendation on the property’s Landmark eligibility
to City Council.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff has determined that the Maxwell Rock House is eligible for Fort Collins Landmark
designation. The Maxwell Rock House, built over 1937-1941, has significance under Standard 2 (Persons/Groups),
as a significant reflection of the contributions of Paul and Emerald Maxwell and their family to the agricultural,
economic, social, and political history of Fort Collins in the 1930s-1950s, specifically as leaders in the rural farming
community west of Fort Collins during that time period. Both Emerald and Paul Maxwell were leaders of the Empire
Grange, organizing community events and leading the organization through the 1930s and 1940s. Paul was also a
notable local leader in rural school districting issues, and participated at the state and local level in various
agricultural reforms and educational programs. The property is also eligible under Standard 3
(Design/Construction) as a rare surviving reflection of vernacular stone farm house in the Fort Collins area. Only
one other such home is known to survive, the other being the Watrous property on West Vine Drive. The simple
stone masonry assembled in the Maxwell’s interpretation of Tudor Revival style popular at the time is a unique and
distinctive expression of adapting nationally-popular styles to the functional needs of a farmhouse and the available
materials of the Maxwell property in the Fort Collins foothills. The property retains good integrity in all seven
aspects, although it has lost much of its historical agricultural setting due to the demolition of most of the Maxwell
farmstead at this location and redevelopment of the agricultural lands for suburban development. Staff
recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission approve a motion to Council via resolution recommending
landmark designation.
STAFF EVALUATION OF REVIEW CRITERIA
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE and EXTERIOR INTEGRITY
Staff has determined that the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 S. Overland Trail is eligible under Standards 2 and 3
and retains sufficient historic integrity to convey that significance and qualify as a Fort Collins Landmark.
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Agenda Item 4
Item 4, Page 2
Evidence and analysis supporting the eligibility of the property are contained in the attached Landmark Nomination
Form.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY CODE AND PURPOSE
The designation of historic properties and the work of historic preservation promote the policies and purposes
adopted by City Council for the City of Fort Collins. Designation furthers the City’s goals of environmental, economic,
and social sustainability. By continuing the use of an existing building and preserving the embodied energy of its
existing materials, landmark designation is environmentally sustainable. The designation of historic properties also
contributes to the City’s economic standing directly, through property, use, and sales taxes and revenues, and
indirectly, through the promotion of heritage tourism. Furthermore, historic designation encourages the continuation of
private property ownership. The City’s cultural standing is also upheld because the preservation of the built
environment helps residents and visitors tangibly gain a better understanding of our history and the diversity of
people who shaped Fort Collins. Landmark designation enhances and perpetuates significant resources in the City
through the protection and acknowledgement of those historic properties as well as through the financial incentives
offered to landmark owners. Finally, the designation of historic properties also maintains and enhances the City’s
aesthetics through the protection and recognition of significant local architecture and history, contributing to the
promotion of good urban design and fostering civic pride in the beauty and accomplishments of the past. Taken
together, these benefits of landmark designation help strengthen Fort Collins’s community and support our vision of a
livable, sustainable city. (Municipal Code 14-1 and 14-2; City Plan)
The designation of the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 S. Overland Trail would align with several aspects of the City’s
Municipal Code and guiding policies. As a significant reflection of the Maxwell family’s contributions to Fort Collins
history, protection of the property aligns with Municipal Code 14-2, specifically that the property is an important
element of the City’s cultural and social heritage and will help foster civic pride in the accomplishments of the past.
The property is currently vacant but the owner, the Ponds at Overland HOA, is seeking to rehabilitate the property for
use by residents in the neighborhood, aligning with 14-2(g) to “promote and encourage continued private ownership
and utilization of such sites….” The recognition of the home and potential leveraging of preservation-based incentives
in the future aligns with both the Municipal Code and City Plan Policy LIV 2.1 for the Revitalization of underutilized
properties, specifically as an adaptive reuse. Designation is also consistent with Policies LIV 10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.6, to
identify, preserve, utilize incentives for, and designate historic resources throughout the city, respectively.
FINDINGS OF FACT AND RECOMMENDATION
FINDINGS OF FACT:
In evaluating the request for a recommendation to City Council regarding landmark designation for the Maxwell
Rock House at 1433 S. Overland Trail, staff makes the following findings of fact:
1. That the owner of the Maxwell Rock House have consented in writing to this request for Fort Collins
Landmark designation of the property;
2. That the Maxwell Rock House has significance to Fort Collins under Significance Standards 2
(Persons/Groups) and 3 (Design/Construction), as supported by the analysis provided in this staff
report and accompanying nomination form;
3. That the Maxwell Rock House has integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, setting,
feeling and association sufficient to convey its significance as supported by the analysis provided in
this staff report;
4. That the designation will advance the policies and purposes stated in the code in a manner and
extent sufficient to justify the requested designation, as supported by the analysis provided in this
staff report.
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Agenda Item 4
Item 4, Page 3
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Commission adopt a motion to Council recommending the landmark designation of the
Maxwell Rock House.
SAMPLE MOTIONS
SAMPLE MOTION FOR APPROVAL: I move that the Historic Preservation Commission recommend that City
Council adopt an ordinance to designate the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 S. Overland Trail, as a Fort Collins
Landmark, finding that this property is eligible for its significance to Fort Collins under Standard 2, Persons/Groups,
and Standard 3, Design/Construction, as supported by the analysis provided in the staff report and Landmark
nomination dated December 15, 2021, and that the property clearly conveys this significance through all seven
aspects of integrity to a sufficient degree; and finding also that the designation of this property will promote the
policies and purposes of the City as specified in Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code.
SAMPLE MOTION FOR DENIAL: I move that the Historic Preservation Commission recommend that City Council
does not adopt an ordinance to designate the Maxwell Rock House at 1433 S. Overland Trail, as a Fort Collins
Landmark, finding that this property is not eligible because of a lack of significance or the failure of the property to
convey its significance through its integrity, and/or finding that the designation of this property will not promote the
policies and purposes of the City as specified in Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Landmark Designation Application
2. Draft LPC Resolution
3. Staff Presentation
4. Public Comment as of 12-14-21
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Historic Preservation Services
Community Development & Neighborhood Services
281 North College Avenue
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580
970.416.4250
preservation@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/historicpreservation
1
Fort Collins Landmark Designation
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address: 1433 S. Overland Trail
Legal Description: That portion of Tract A, The Ponds at Overland Trail, First Filing,
Larimer County Parcel #9717406001 that corresponds to the described boundary in Exibit
A to this nomination.
Property Name (historic and/or common): Maxwell Rock House
OWNER INFORMATION
Name: The Ponds at Overland Trail (HOA) – Timothy Johnson, President
Company/Organization (if applicable): Property manager: Onsite Property
Management Services, Inc.
Phone: 970-282-8281
Email: Summer@onsiteproperty.com (Summer Manzanares – Community
Association Manager)
Mailing Address: 2121 Midpoint Drive, Ste 302, Fort Collins, CO 80525
CLASSIFICATION
Category Ownership Status Present Use Existing Designation
Building Public Occupied Commercial Nat’l Register
Structure Private Unoccupied Educational State Register
Site Religious
Object Residential
District Entertainment
Government
Other Vacant
FORM PREPARED BY
Name and Title: Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
Address: Development Review Center, 281 N. College Avenue, Fort Collins,
CO 80521
Phone: 970-416-4250
Email: jbertolini@fcgov.com
Relationship to Owner: N/A –nomination prepared at HOA’s request
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
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2
DATE: November 24, 2021
TYPE OF DESIGNATION and BOUNDARIES
Individual Landmark Property Landmark District
Explanation of Boundaries: That portion of Tract A, The Ponds at Overland Trail,
First Filing, Larimer County Parcel #9717406001 that is described below and in
Exhibit A to this nomination. The boundary is limited to the building and its
immediate environment, although connected additions to the building that
transcend the boundary are subject to the same review process as other exterior
alterations to the building under Municipal Code 14, Article IV.
The boundaries of the property being designated as a Fort Collins Landmark correspond
to the legal description of the property, above. The property (hereinafter the “Property”)
consists of That portion of Tract A, The Ponds at Overland Trail, First Filing,
Larimer County Parcel #9717406001 that is described as follows:
A tract of land located in the southeast quarter of Section 17, Township 7 North, Range
69 West of the Sixth Principal Meridian, City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado,
the said tract is also located in Tract A of the Plat of The Ponds At Overland Trail First
Filing, a plat of record with the Clerk and Recorder of Larimer County, more particularly
described as follows;
Considering the east line of the said southeast quarter of Section 17 as bearing North 00
degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds East between a 2. 5 11 Aluminum Cap monument at the
southeast corner of Section 17 and a 2. 5 11 Aluminum Cap monument at the east quarter
corner Section 17, based upon GPS observation and the City of Fort Collins coordinate
base, and with all bearings contained herein relative thereto;
Commencing at the said southeast corner of Section 17;
THENCE along the east line of the said southeast quarter of Section 17, North 00
degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds East for a distance of 387.61 feet;
THENCE leaving the said east line, North 89 degrees 25 minutes 49 seconds West
for a distance of 261.83 feet to the TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING OF THIS
DESCRIPTION;
THENCE North 44 degrees 18 minutes 42 seconds East for a distance of 42.68
feet;
THENCE North 03 degrees 22 minutes 00 seconds West for a distance of 52.36
feet;
THENCE North 40 degrees 53 minutes 22 seconds West for a distance of 23.51
feet;
THENCE North 75 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds West for a distance of 29.87
feet;
THENCE South 77 degrees 15 minutes 42 seconds West for a distance of 33.29
feet;
THENCE South 07 degrees 26 minutes 21 seconds West for a distance of 31.58
feet;
THENCE South 03 degrees 28 minutes 19 seconds East for a distance of 53.37
feet;
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
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3
THENCE South 81 degrees 40 minutes 27 seconds East for a distance of 24.83
feet;
THENCE South 64 degrees 46 minutes 53 seconds East for a distance of 29 .15
feet to the point of beginning. Containing 7232 square feet more or less.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE and INTEGRITY
Properties are eligible for designation if they possess both significance and integrity.
Significance is the importance of a site, structure, object or district to the history,
architecture, archeology, engineering or culture of our community, State or Nation. For
designation as Fort Collins Landmarks or Fort Collins Landmark Districts properties must
meet one (1) or more of the following standards set forth in Fort Collins Municipal Code
Section 14-22(a):
Standard 1: Events
This property is associated with events that have made a recognizable contribution to
the broad patterns of the history of the community, State or Nation. It is associated with
either (or both) of these two (2) types of events:
a) A specific event marking an important moment in Fort Collins prehistory or
history; and/or
b) A pattern of events or a historic trend that made a recognizable
contribution to the development of the community, State or Nation.
Click here to enter text.
Standard 2: Persons/Groups
This property is associated with the lives of persons or groups of persons recognizable
in the history of the community, State or Nation whose specific contributions to that
history can be identified and documented.
The Maxwell Rock House is significant as the home from 1940-1972 of Paul
& Emerald Maxwell, two distinguished figures in the agricultural, social,
and economic development of what is now west Fort Collins during the
early and mid-1900s. Both Paul and Emerald (Hawley) grew up on farms in
in the area that was variously referred to as North Fossil Creek or District
No. 10 (after the school district formed for this area in the early 1900s and
housed at the No. 10/Laporte Avenue School at 2540 Laporte Avenue). As
young adults, both were active in the Empire Grange co-founded by their
parents, where they met – they married in 1914 and moved to Idaho. Upon
their return to Fort Collins in the 1920s, both resumed leadership roles in
the Empire Grange. Emerald was a socialite among the farming families
along Maxwell Road, now Overland Trail, regularly organizing gatherings
for the Empire Grange and South Side Club. Paul Maxwell became a prolific
leader in both social and political circles. In the 1930s and 1940s, he
frequently served as the “master” (president) of the Empire Grange,
including providing leadership and guidance to area farmers during the
Second World War. He chaired the No. 10 School District board during its
construction of the Laporte Avenue school in 1938, including securing
Works Progress Administration funding for its construction. He also served
in various other local and state level positions including elected office. In
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
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4
addition to this, the Maxwells owned significant amounts of farm land in
what is now west Fort Collins, although most has been redeveloped into
housing developments or City Natural Areas.
Standard 3: Design/Construction
This property embodies the identifiable characteristics of a type, period or method of
construction; represents the work of a craftsman or architect whose work is
distinguishable from others by its characteristic style and quality; possesses high artistic
values or design concepts; or is part of a recognizable and distinguishable group of
properties.
The Maxwell Rock House is significant under Standard 3,
Design/Construction for its reflection of rare, uncut local stone
construction built from stones gathered on the Maxwell farm properties
over the late 1930s. While stone construction for building foundations and
even entire buildings, such as the Masonic/Oddfellow’s Lodge at 149 W.
Mountain Avenue, or the Avery House at 328 W. Mountain, these are
typically cut, dressed, and coursed stone from local quarries. Less
common were uncut, uncoursed stone buildings. During the City’s 1997
survey of agricultural resources, only two such farmhouses were known to
exist in the study area, the Watrous House at 1337 West Vine Drive, and
this property at 1433 S. Overland Trail, both of which survive. Such
construction reflect a form of vernacular architecture that reflects how
farmers frequently adapted traditional building types with locally-available
materials such as local stone and timber.
The house also reflects a transitional vernacular style of home
construction, that incorporated traditional stone-and-lumber construction
with newer mid-20th century styles, likely indicating an interest in building a
“modern” house on the new farm complex. The side-gabled dwelling with
two parallel projecting gables on the east façade exhibits elements of
Tudor Revival, Cape Cod, and Minimal Traditional stylistic elements
without strongly characterizing any one style.
Standard 4: Information Potential
This property has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or
history.
Click here to enter text.
Period of Significance is the discrete chronological period (or periods) during which a
historic property gained its significance. Additions or alterations to a property that have
significance in their own right can warrant the extension of a Period of Significance.
Period(s) of Significance:
The period of significance for the Maxwell Rock House corresponds with
its construction between 1937-1940 and extends through Paul and
Emerald’s occupancy of the home in 1972, at which point the family sold
the land.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
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5
Integrity is the ability of a site, structure, object or district to be able to convey its
significance. The integrity of a resource is based on the degree to which it retains all or
some of seven (7) aspects or qualities set forth in Fort Collins Municipal Code Section
14-22(b): location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. All
seven qualities do not need to be present for a site, structure, object or district to be
eligible as long as the overall sense of past time and place is evident.
Standard 1: Location is the place where the resource was constructed or the place
where the historic or prehistoric event occurred.
The Maxwell Rock House retains integrity of location on the original site
where the extended Maxwell family farmed between the 1890s and 1960s
where it was built by Paul and Emerald Maxwell and their children between
1937 and 1941.
Standard 2: Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan space,
structure and style of a resource.
The Maxwell Rock House retains integrity of design. The home was built as
a single-story, wood frame building with uncut, uncoursed stone masonry
exterior walls with minimal ornamentation that evoked the Tudor Revival
Style. It retains the overall side-gabled massing and paired gablets on the
east façade, the inset porch, stone walls, simple wood window openings,
and wood shingling in the gable ends. The primary detraction from integrity
of design is the replacement of the historic wood shingle roof with a lower
maintenance green standing seam metal roof, however, the building retains
its other essential characteristics.
Standard 3: Setting is the physical environment of a resource. Setting refers to the
character of the place; it involves how, not just where, the resource is situated and its
relationship to the surrounding features and open space.
The setting is disrupted by the loss of the full farmstead, which comprised
of a barn, two additional dwellings, a matching stone garage, and assorted
outbuildings. However, the remaining significance of the property as a
reflection of the Maxwell family’s contribution to local history, and as an
example of vernacular building construction, is still conveyed to a
sufficient degree as the house remains in a low-density housing
development and surrounded by open space.
Standard 4: Materials are the physical elements that form a resource.
The house retains integrity of materials, possessing most of its original
materials, especially the distinctive rock walls and wood shingles in the
gable ends. It also retains its simple wood window openings and simple
porch framing. The main losses of historic materials are in the roof, where
wood shingles were replaced with a standing seam metal roof in 2006, and
the loss of the exterior doors, some of which are stored inside the building,
which have been replaced with hollow core doors for better security.
Standard 5: Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture
or people during any given period in history or prehistory. It is the evidence of artisans'
labor and skill in constructing or altering a building, structure or site.
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The house retains integrity of workmanship, showcasing the distinctive
rock wall construction on the exterior, over wood framing and interior
sheathing. The wood shingling on the gable ends remains, as do the wood
window frames. The main loss of historic workmanship is the replacement
of the wood shingle roof with standing seam metal.
Standard 6: Feeling is a resource’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a
particular time. It results from the presence of physical features that, taken together,
convey the resource's historic or prehistoric character.
The building retains sufficient integrity of feeling related to the Maxwell
Rock House, although the overall feeling is one of a suburban housing
development rather than an agricultural farmstead. The buffers between the
development and the surviving farmhouse, and the preservation of open
space along Overland Trail that used to be Maxwell family farm land, helps
retain some sense of the former agricultural landscape.
Standard 7: Association is the direct link between an important event or person and a
historic or prehistoric resource. A resource retains association if it is the place where the
event or activity occurred and is sufficiently intact to convey that relationship to an
observer. Like feeling, association requires the presence of physical features that
convey a property's historic character.
The Maxwell Rock House has sufficient integrity of Association to connect
the property with the Maxwell family’s construction of the building and
occupation of it from the 1940s-1970s. While the loss of the larger
agricultural complex is significant, the retention of the Rock House with
strong integrity of its physical features, interior and exterior, provides
enough integrity to sufficiently connect the building to key aspects of its
history, specifically its importance as an example of vernacular rock
construction, and as the residence of one of the prominent farming families
of present-day west Fort Collins.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Maxwell Rock House is distinctive as one of only two farmhouses in Fort Collins
constructed exclusively of local stone. Paul Melville Maxwell, along with sons Robert and
Stuart, began hauling the native moss rock to the building site in 1937. From 1939, even before
the home was fully completed, until 1972, the dwelling was the home of Paul’s and Emerald’s
extended family. The home reflects both the leadership of the Maxwells in the social,
agricultural, and political life of the rural farming communities west of Fort Collins in the 1940s,
and a distinctive method of native stone construction that appears to be one of the only
examples of its kind in the Fort Collins area. As part of preliminary planning of the Ponds at
Overland Trail development, the property was determined eligible for City Landmark designation
by the Landmark Preservation Commission at its November 8, 1994 regular meeting, after
hearing testimony from Fort Collins residents Gayla Martinez and Erma Devers (daughter of
Paul & Emerald Maxwell).1
Maxwell Family
When Paul and Emerald (Hawley) Maxwell and their sons constructed the stone house between
1937 and 1941, they were continuing a longer legacy as members of long-standing agricultural
families in the west Fort Collins area. Paul Maxwell was the son of early Fort Collins settlers
Robert Garibaldi Maxwell and Minnie Annie Hann Maxwell. Robert Garibaldi Maxwell, known as
“Gar” in some circles since his father was Robert as well, was born in Peoria County, Illinois on
April 21, 1860. He later moved to Harlan, Iowa, where he met and married Minnie Annie Hann
on December 25, 1889. While in Iowa, they had their first four sons, Paul, Parke, Ray, and
Ralph.2 Paul Maxwell, the future builder of the Maxwell Rock House, was born November 29,
1890 while they lived in Iowa.
Minnie’s parents, Philemon and Alta Amelia Hann had moved to Fort Collins in the early 1890s,
soon after Minnie’s marriage to Robert. Philemon and Alta operated farmland along West
Mulberry Street west of the town of Fort Collins. Upon Philemon’s death in 1899, Minnie and
Robert inherited the Hann farm property on what is now West Mulberry Street and relocated
from Iowa to Fort Collins in 1899.3 Once here, Robert and Minnie homesteaded additional land
to the east of the farm, where they constructed the brick two-story home at 2340 West Mulberry.
Known as the Maxwell House, this property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980 and designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in 1982. Robert also owned much of the
land in the foothills along Overland Trail Road, which until 1958 was named Maxwell Road.
Robert was known in both Iowa and Fort Collins as an accomplished stock raiser, frequently
winning awards for both cattle and pigs. He transported both his cattle and Poland China pig
herds to Fort Collins and ran them on the former Hann property. Robert amassed a collection of
ribbons for his shorthorn cattle and the pigs at various county fairs and the National Western
Stock Show in Denver. Robert continued to farm most of the family land, either solely, with the
help of his children, or helping his children on land for which he had passed on title, until his
death in 1955. Much of his former land he had deeded either to Paul & Emerald Maxwell or to
Ray, two of the children that remained in the Fort Collins area.4 After he passed, he was
1 Carol Tunner to Wallace Noel, November 10, 1994, property folder 1433 S Overland Trail, City of Fort Collins,
Historic Preservation Division property files.
2 Erma L. Devers, Maxwell & Hann family history notes, January 1, 2000, copy in property folder 1433 S Overland
Trail, City of Fort Collins, Historic Preservation Division property files.
3 Devers, 3rd page.
4 Floyd Maxwell to Fort Collins City Manager’s Office, June 3, 1998, “Robert G. Maxwell” folder, Fort Collins Museum
of Discovery.
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remembered as a pioneer in the swine industry in Fort Collins for helping introduce and refine
the industry in Larimer County.5
Figures 1, 2, &3; Left: Robert G. Maxwell, 1890, (H26021); center: Minnie A. Maxwell, no date, (H26022); right:
Paul Maxwell, no date, (M00955), Courtesy of the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
5 “Robert Maxwell,” obituary, Fort Collins Coloradoan, February 10, 1955.
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Figure 4: Section of “Map of the Irrigated Farms North of Denver: Tributary to the Factories of the Great
Western Sugar Company (portion),” 1914, Maxwell Family holdings shown in red outline. The northernmost
section is at the intersection of W. Mulberry and Impala Drive where the R.G. & Minnie Maxwell residence
remains, along with the Empire Grange. The southern two sections include the majority of cattle-raising and
alfalfa land and the future location of the Rock House. LC00110.3, Courtesy of the Fort Collins Museum of
Discovery.
Both Robert and Minnie were active in local organizations and connected with other farming
families, such as the neighboring Hawley family, which included their son Paul’s future spouse,
Emerald Hawley. Minnie Maxwell was a charter member and co-founder of the South Side Club
established in 1909, which was a community social club active in the rural areas west of Fort
Collins at the time.6 Both the Maxwells and Hawleys were active in the agricultural community,
and were founders and strong supporters of the Empire Grange. In 1911, Paul and Minnie
donated land on West Mulberry for the Empire Grange (designated as a Landmark in 2003),
and in 1922 entered into a 99-year lease with the Colorado Agricultural College to allow for
construction of the Aggie “A” on a portion of their foothills land. Both remained at their West
Mulberry home and active in the Grange until they passed away, Robert in 1955, and Minnie in
1965 - their children continued the Grange legacy, with Paul and Emerald taking on leadership
roles in the 1930s and 1940s, and Parke stepping in by the 1950s.7
Robert and Minnie’s eldest son, Paul, married Emerald Julia Hawley on February 14, 1914.
Like the Maxwells and Hanns, Emerald came from families that took an active part in the early
establishment and development of the Fort Collins area. Emerald Hawley was the daughter of
early settlers William C.E. and Edith Marsh Hawley. Emerald’s grandfather, Charles Horace
Marsh, was one of the first judges in Larimer County, and her uncle was Captain C. C. Hawley,
who brought his family to the area in 1862. Both Paul and Emerald were active in the Empire
Grange on West Mulberry, representing the Empire Grange at various state and regional
Grange events. Immediately after their wedding in 1914, Paul and Emerald Maxwell left Fort
Collins to try their hand at homesteading near Jerome, Idaho, where five of their six children
were born.8 While in Jerome, Paul trained as a stonemason under master mason H.T. Pugh
while helping to construct the Sugarloaf School in Jerome, a property built of lava rock that
survives today and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.9
With their farming prospect diminishing in Jerome, and Robert Maxwell needing help in Fort
Collins, the family returned to Fort Collins in 1928. Upon their return, Paul and Emerald took up
residence in a small, one-bedroom house owned by the Maxwell family immediately adjacent to
Paul’s parents’ house at 2340 W. Mulberry. They are listed there in the 1930 census, and this is
likely the modified cottage at 2305 W. Mulberry that remains, but with minimal resemblance to
its historic appearance. The expectation was that in exchange for Paul’s help on the Robert &
Minnie farm, Paul would receive a third of the income generated, although Paul’s son Gene
recalled in his memoir that Paul was frequently lax in his duties. Instead hoping to establish a
cherry orchard on the family’s dryland holdings off Maxwell Road/Overland Trail, Paul was
frequently absent from haycutting and stacking/storing duties.10
Both Paul and Emerald resumed active membership in the Empire Grange, with Paul elected as
the “master” of the chapter for several years throughout the 1930s and 1940s, also serving as
6 Devers, 4th page.
7 Colorado Granger, (September 1957), photocopy, “Robert G. Maxwell” research folder, Fort Collins Museum of
Discovery.
8 “District No. 10,” The Fort Collins Express, March 5, 1914, p6.
9 National Register of Historic Places, “Sugarloaf School,” Jerome (vicinity), Jerome County, Idaho, NRIS# 83002306.
10 Eugene Maxwell, An American Odyssey: The Journeys of a Farm Boy who Became a Scientist, (Greeley: Anvil
Graphics, 2007), p50.
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the Master of the Colorado State Grange for a time.11 Well known as an area farmer in the
county, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Arthur M. Hyde appointed Paul along with two other farmers
to sit on the county seed loan committee, part of the New Deal programs to stabilize farming
during the Great Depression.12 In 1933, Paul participated in an experiment through the County
Extension office to grow five acres of Black Amber cane, a molasses sorghum variety used in
making syrups, molasses, and feed grains.13 That same year, he conducted a dryland
experiment on the Maxwell farms, successfully growing crops of Club Mariout barley, Brunker
oats, and Komar spring wheat, all of which yielded more per acre than was typical for dryland
farms.14
Paul’s leadership in the Grange throughout the 1930s and 1940s meant he was also appointed
or elected to other positions of leadership regarding agricultural and rural issues in what is now
west Fort Collins. In 1934, Paul was elected to head the Farm-Home Council, a new statewide
program pioneered in Larimer County to help build stronger connections between the university-
based Extension Service and farmers and farm homemakers.15 Throughout the 1930s, Paul
also wrote several op-eds in the Express Courier advocating independently, or on behalf of the
Empire Grange, for tax reforms and initiatives that would benefit farmers and rural school
districts, including creation of a state income tax in 1936. Paul also served as the chair of the
No. 10 School District board and oversaw important developments including construction of a
new schoolhouse in 1938 using a Public Works Administration grant – the school remains in
altered form at 2540 Laporte Avenue.16 After the start of the Second World War, as the often-
President of the Empire Grange, Paul Maxwell encouraged area farmers to participate in federal
and Extension Service programs to boost farm production to aid the war effort. At the same
time, Emerald was active in the South Side Club, a social club for rural families south of Fort
Collins in communities like Drake, Trilby, Fossil Creek, and Harmony. In 1937 she was elected
president of the club but regularly served in leadership roles in that organization and the
Grange, and hosted many social events at the Grange and her own residence.17
For most of this time, the Maxwells continued to live in the West Mulberry farmhouse near
Paul’s parents, Robert & Minnie. However, in 1937, with the family’s prospects improving, the
Maxwells began making plans to relocate permanently to the family’s dryland holdings along
Overland Trail. Not only was the family becoming too large to fit into the smaller house on West
Mulberry, but the cherry orchard Paul had established was beginning to thrive and required
more constant care, making the 1.5 mile trek to from the Empire Grange area too time-
consuming.18 In 1937, Paul and his sons Robert and Stuart began constructing the Maxwell
Rock House just northwest of the present-day intersection of Overland Trail and Prospect Road.
Paul had initially planned an adobe house to reduce costs but Emerald convinced him to
construct a more durable stone structure. Since Paul had stonemason experience, he, Robert,
and Stuart gathered and laid the stone themselves. The only work that was contracted out was
the timber framing and trim work, which a local carpenter named Mr. Grimsley completed.
11 “Empire Grange Installation,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, January 13, 1931, p4; “Maxwell,” obituary, p2; and
“Maxwell Dies at 70,” p1, January 8, 1961, Fort Collins Coloradoan.
12 “County Loan Groups Named,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, March 13, 1932, p1.
13 D.C. Bascom, “County Agent’s Column,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, May 17, 1933, p4.
14 “Dry Land Grain On Maxwell Farm Reported Good,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, July 16, 1933, p4.
15 “Paul Maxwell Heads Farm-Home Council,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, May 1, 1934, p1.
16 “Dealer at Denver Buys No. 10 Bonds,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, August 31, 1938, p6; and “Work is Begun on
No. 10 School, ibid, December 15, 1938, p2.
17 “South Side Club Elects Mrs. Maxwell President,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, January 11, 1937, p4.
18 Eugene Maxwell, p74.
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The family moved into the home in the winter of 1940-41 with their six children, Paul Willard,
Helen, Erma, Robert, Stuart, and Gene. In addition to the cattle raising, alfalfa growing, and
cherry orchard that the Maxwells had already established on the property, Paul and Emerald’s
family began running a small dairy with a mix of Guernsey and Jersey cows, raising chickens
and turkeys, and expanded the orchard to include apples. While the house was under
construction, a small dairy shack was the only shelter for cow milking, but this was later
expanded into a larger barn. The milk was transported daily to a creamery in town, possibly the
Poudre Valley Creamery that once stood at the northeast corner of Howes and Laporte streets.
The Maxwells also established a large household garden tended by Emerald and the children to
supplement household income, which often included peas, green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes,
carrots, beets, lettuce, squash, and pumpkins.19 By the mid-1940s, the property contained the
rock house, a garage (built from the same moss rock), outhouse, chicken coops, dairy building,
two barns, and two additional residences. These homes, a 1940s wood frame hipped roof
dwelling, and a 1948 log house, were built for Stuart and Robert and their families – by that time
Paul Willard was living with his grandparents, Robert and Minnie in their home on West
Mulberry Street, and Gene, as the youngest, lived with his parents into the 1940s.
Gene’s 2007 memoir includes recollections about farm operations, including night watches for
the high-maintenance turkeys, the complications of keeping a Guernsey bull on the property to
help breed and maintain the dairy herd, and the rhythm of turning the dairy cattle loose after
morning milking to graze in the foothills and herding them back in the afternoon. When attending
the Laporte Avenue/No. 10 school, Gene often helped on the farm especially in the spring and
summer, stacking alfalfa mix, running a disc harrow through the orchard to keep weeds down,
etc. While the cherry orchard was active, Paul took the harvest to a cherry cannery north of Fort
Collins and east of Terry Lake, a place Paul also worked as a foreman for many years.
Unfortunately, in 1941, a severe hailstorm damaged the orchard – several years later, a severe
cold snap killed off the majority of the orchard. Gene also noted that Paul’s ability to keep up
with the farm work over the 1940s deteriorated due to poor health that would later be diagnosed
as Parkinson’s Disease.20
In 1946, one of the frame dwellings, then rented by the McKlinicks, was completely destroyed in
a fire.21 In 1950, a 280-acre wildfire burned the area between Horsetooth Reservoir and the
Maxwell farm, threatening both the Aranci and Maxwell properties as well as experimental plots
for Colorado A&M to the north. While the Maxwell farm buildings were not threatened, much of
the forage crop for both farms’ livestock was lost.22
The history of public service extended to Paul and Emerald’s children, the eldest of whom came
of age during the Second World War. Both Stuart and Robert left the farm to serve in the military
later in the war. Stuart served in the Navy after completing fire control training at the Great
Lakes Naval Station.23 Robert served in the Army attached to “a special engineering
detachment” in eastern Tennessee, later revealed to be part of the Manhattan Project in Oak
Ridge.24 Following the war, Robert served as Chief Electrical Engineer for the F.E. Warren Air
Base, where one of his responsibilities was overseeing the missile silos in Northern Colorado
and Southern Wyoming. Stuart returned to Fort Collins after the war, and with his wife Shirley
19 Eugene Maxwell, pp98, 100, 105.
20 Eugene Maxwell, pp101-102, 104; Devers, 5th page.
21 “Farm Home Lost With All Contents,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, May 3, 1946, p2.
22 “Foothill Flames Ravage 280 Acres,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, January 23, 1950, p1.
23 “What People are Doing,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, May 6, 1945, p2.
24 “What People are Doing,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, March 12, 1945, p2, and same, Fort Collins Coloradoan,
September 20, 1945, p2.
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and children, eventually took over management of the Overland Trail farm.25 Many of the
Maxwell children, especially Stuart and his wife Shirley, remained active in the Grange
throughout their working lives, with Stuart also serving as master of the Empire Grange over the
course of their farm ownership. Paul Maxwell suffered from Parkinson’s and arthritis in his later
years, including surviving a heart attack in 1959.26 He passed away in 1961 at the Larimer
County Hospital at the age of 70. After his death, Emerald continued to live at the house at 1433
S. Overland with her family, hosting social events with various local clubs including the Grange
until the family sold the property in 1972. She passed on January 18, 1984. She and Paul are
both buried in Grandview Cemetery.27
In 1972, Stuart and Shirley Maxwell sold the Maxwell Rock House land, and moved to the old
Lone Pine Ranch northwest of Red Feather Lakes, which they had purchased in 1965 (renamed
the Caerlaverock Ranch for the Maxwell castle in Scotland, this ranch is still operated by the
family).28 However, other members of the Maxwell family continued to farm and run livestock on
other family land farther west in the foothills, including the land that later became the Maxwell
Natural Area.29 In 1997, then owner Wally Knoll sold the Maxwell Rock House property to
Gateway American Properties, LLC. As part of the initial development planning for The Ponds
on Prospect, Ms. Erma M. Devers, daughter of Paul and Emerald Maxwell, recommended
saving both the foothills (which became part of the Maxwell Natural Area, and keeping the rock
house and garage as amenities for the development.30 On April 4, 1997, a demolition permit
was issued for all of the buildings excepting the Rock House. This building, setback a short
distance from Overland Trail Road, is now a historic feature of The Ponds, a residential housing
development.
Stone Farm Construction in Fort Collins
The Maxwell Rock House represents an architecturally distinctive example of vernacular
design and craftsmanship completed by the Maxwell family in the late1930s. It is only
one of two known farmhouses built of locally gathered stone (the other is the Watrous
farmstead at 1337 W. Vine Drive). It is also a rare reflection of transitional architecture
located on a farmstead. Most farmhouses in the Fort Collins area are either Victorian-
styled dwellings like those found at the Cunningham property at 2600 Cedarwood Drive
(Landmarked in 1993) and the Robert & Minnie Maxwell residence at 2340 W. Mulberry
Street, Craftsman-style cottages and bungalows like the Johnson Farm property at 2608
E. Drake Road (Landmarked in 2013), or un-styled cottages like Hipped Roof Boxes or
other common house types. The Maxwell Rock House includes an eclectic assemblage
of more mid-20th century styles dominated by Tudor Revival Form in its side-gabled
massing with matching front gablets and inset porch.
Vernacular architecture specifically refers to the use of traditional building methods and
styles based on culture and in reaction to the surrounding environment. The Maxwells
designed the Rock House with an eclectic mix of styles in fashion at the time,
predominantly Tudor Revival, and adapted the style and construction method to fit Paul’s
stonemason abilities and locally available materials. While they hired a professional
25 Devers, 9th page.
26 “Maxwell Suffers Attack,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, October 12, 1959, p2.
27 “Maxwell,” obituary, p2; and “Maxwell Dies at 70,” p1, January 8, 1961, Fort Collins Coloradoan.
28 Devers, 9th page.
29 City of Fort Collins, City Clerk, Ordinance 2011-16, March 1, 2011,
https://citydocs.fcgov.com/?cmd=convert&vid=3&docid=1692099&dt=ORDINANCE&doc_download_date=MAR-01-
2011&ORDINANCE_NO=016, accessed November 30, 2021.
30 City of Fort Collins, Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Board, August 22, 1994
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framer, Mr. Grimley, to complete the lumber frame and interior sheathing, as well as the
trim work, the exterior rock wall materials were gathered from Maxwell farm land in the
area and laid in uncoursed fashion by the Maxwells themselves.31 Eugene Maxwell
described the evolution of the farmhouse in his 2007 memoir, noting that Mr. Grimsley
hand-planed the lumber from clear heart pine. The interior floor was pine but covered in
cardboard for the first few years. A new feature of the home from their prior residence on
West Mulberry Street was that the kitchen and dining room were now separated (along
the south side of the building). The kitchen counter was fashioned from the workbench
used during the home’s construction, and initially, the kitchen had no cupboards and few
shelves. The walls and ceilings were originally covered with thin, olive drab building
paper, with a sheet of asbestos used to protect the paper from the heat of the stovepipe.
While the house was later electrified, no heat was added for the bedrooms until much
later. Initially, there was no floor in the attic, and no insulation for the outer walls.
However, as the Maxwells gained wealth over the 1940s, they hired a local plasterer,
Stanley Ricketts, to finish the interior walls. Aided by Stuart Maxwell, Ricketts removed
the building paper and replaced it with lath and plaster. The laths were affixed to the 2x4
studs of the wall framework and the ceiling joists, mostly being 1.5-inch wide and ¼ inch
thick, and nailed with ½ inch spacing. Ricketts added a layer of mortar over the lath to
form a bond, and then applied a finish coat of wet lime (calcium oxide) to form the
current smooth, white surface of the walls.32 During Eugene Maxwell’s time at the
property, there was not indoor plumbing, with a privy behind the garage serving as the
only restroom.33
While the use of stone as a building material is fairly common in the Fort Collins area,
most stone used for buildings was harvested from local sandstone quarries, cut,
dressed, and coursed for use in higher-style, distinctive buildings like the Franklin Avery
House at 328 W. Mountain or the original Masonic/Oddfellow’s Hall at 141-149 W.
Mountain, now the Rio Grande restaurant and dance hall. Examples of the Tudor
Revival style frequently used either stone or stucco and false half-timbering, as the style
emulated building construction from a period in England when timber was in short
supply. Uncoursed masonry was rare, but a necessity when using uncut stone gathered
from the surrounding area. In this case, the stone masonry forms the exterior walls, but
the primary structural system is wood-framed, with wood sheathing between the lathe-
and-plaster interior walls. This appears to be a rare example of this method of
construction, and may be the only, or at least one of the only, examples of this form of
native stone construction surviving in Fort Collins.
The interior is laid out with a central living room, indicative of the modern, open
floorplans common in Arts-and-Crafts and later architectural movements, but retains a
front parlor at its northeast corner, a vestige of earlier Victorian interior layouts. Although
the farmhouse is no longer accompanied by the other farm complex structures,
demolished in the late-1990s for the Ponds at Overland development, and only portions
of formerly agricultural setting remain as recreational open space, the distinctive
farmhouse itself remains to reflect the architectural importance of the dwelling.
Farming in North Fossil Creek
31 Eugene Maxwell, pp80-81.
32 Eugene Maxwell, p81.
33 Eugene Maxwell, p84.
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Although the Maxwell farm property does not retain enough of its agricultural features to
be significant as a reflection of local agricultural history, a brief summary of regional
farming history is included here for context. The north Fossil Creek area where Robert
and Minnie Maxwell and their offspring chose to farm, was part of a set of small farming
communities known collectively as Fossil Creek – this also included the settlements of
Drake, McClelland, Harmony, and Trilby where area farmers established smaller rural
schools or social halls like the Grange. In the area of north Fossil Creek, the Maxwell
family became influential, not only through co-founding the Empire Grange as the
community’s primary social institution, but through close relationships with the Extension
Service to experiment with crops and animal husbandry, and ongoing leadership in
government, at the state and local levels. The Maxwell property is among a dwindling
number of extant farmhouses in this area of former farm lands that have been
redeveloped as residential neighborhoods since the 1960s. Most former farm steads
have been completely redeveloped but some remain, although most, like this property,
only retain their farmhouses, with the agricultural land redeveloped into new
neighborhoods. The Maxwell Rock House stands as a visible reminder of the productive
agricultural lands that used to sit along the foothills west of Fort Collins and east of
Horsetooth Reservoir, many straddling the Pleasant Valley & Lake Canal, constructed in
1861 and one of the earliest ditches along the Cache la Poudre River. The 1914 map of
farms in the Fort Collins area shows R.G. Maxwell’s property at what was then the
intersection of Maxwell and Prospect Roads, along with other prominent farm family
names such as the Hawleys, Freys, Collamers, Johnsons, Roesches, and Herringtons.
Among the most important social and political institutions for farmers during the late
1800s and early 1900s was the Grange, or the Patrons of Husbandry. The organization
formed in 1867 to advocate for the interests of farmers and provide a mechanism for
farmers to organize for their social, political, and economic benefit. By 1874, Colorado
formed a territory-wide organization and soon after, Larimer County hosted the Collins,
Flora, Virginia Dale, and Agricultural College chapters. Founded later in 1904, the
Empire Grange is among the longest lasting and remains active in its original location on
East Mulberry. The Maxwells and Hawleys were founding members and Paul and
Emerald Maxwell were instrumental in Empire Grange business and leadership from the
1920s through the 1950s.
The farms themselves rotated through various crops and livestock depending on market
conditions, but sheep, cattle (both beef and dairy), and feed crops remained high on the
list. Many of the crops grown by the Maxwells in the fields around the Rock House were
feed crops like alfalfa, wheat, oat, and sorghum. According to Eugene Maxwell’s 2007
memoir, the primary operations at the farm were the dairy, the alfalfa for feeding the
dairy cattle, and the cherry orchard before it succumbed to severe weather.34 The
Maxwells also planted an orchard, a common practice on most successful farms, and
operated a small dairy. Such smaller dairy and livestock operations were usually
dependent on small, local feed mills like the Poudre Valley Cooperative that used to
operate at 359 Linden Street, now the Ginger & Baker restaurant, and the former Poudre
Valley Creamery at the northeast corner of Howes & Laporte (all but the “butterfly”
creamery lab building were demolished to construct the City Utilities Administration
building in 2011). While the farm itself is no longer present, the farmhouse itself and the
34 Eugene Maxwell, p98.
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open space around it is a reminder of the agriculture that once dominated Larimer
County’s economy.35
35 City of Fort Collins, Agriculture in the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area, 1862-1994, by Carl & Karen McWilliams,
(Fort Collins: 1995): pp22-29
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ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Construction Date: 1937-1941
Architect/Builder: Paul, Robert, and Stuart Maxwell; “Mr. Grimsley” carpenter
Building Materials: Stone, Wood, Metal
Architectural Style: Tudor Revival - Vernacular
Description:
East façade, November 23, 2021.
The Maxwell Rock House was built between 1937 and 1941 by the Maxwell family with
assistance from a carpenter named Grimsley. The inspiration for the home’s design may have
been the English Revival architecture styles popular in America at the time, especially the Tudor
Revival. The Maxwell Rock House contains many of the characteristics of this architectural
style, including steeply pitched gable roof, with twin peaks, roof eaves with minimal overhang;
and the use of square-cut wood shingles in the gable ends. Stone masonry as exterior cladding
is also common, if less frequent than half-timbering or brick cladding. There is a symmetrical,
inset porch with squared porch posts and a stone half wall centered on the building’s east
façade. A small stone chimney breaks the main side gable on the west elevation.
The building’s east façade is dominated by the central, inset and recessed porch flanked by
projecting bays with steep gabled roofs and wood shingling in the gables. There are paired,
three-over-one wood sash windows in each gable end. The front door is now a standard hollow-
core with wood frame sidelights.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 42
17
The south elevation includes a secondary entry, also replaced with a modern hollow core door
but retaining two paired windows, one pair which is smaller and centered in the side gable, and
one pair closer to the southeast corner of the building. There is also a small wood window in the
attic space. The elevation is dominated by the larger gable end with wood shingling.
The north elevation includes two smaller windows of different sizes near the corners and a
larger pair of sash windows matching those on other elevations of the house. This side has a
wood window in the gable end lighting the attic space.
The west (rear) elevation includes three wood windows of varying sizes and the chimney near
the roof ridge, but is otherwise unbroken and undecorated.
The exterior of the Rock House remains in good condition; however, the interior has suffered
from vandalism and neglect. The larger setting, once a farmstead, is now a more formally
landscaped natural area with concrete pathways leading to the house from the northwest,
northeast, and southeast, and a loop around the property. The driveway has been removed but
the Pleasant Valley and Lake Canal remains to the east, along with low wetlands closer to the
house, and many older cottonwood trees (Populus deltoides) around the house that appear to
date from the Maxwell era.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 43
18
REFERENCE LIST or SOURCES of INFORMATION
City of Fort Collins, Agriculture in the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area, 1862-1994, by Carl &
Karen McWilliams, (Fort Collins: 1995).
City of Fort Collins, Historic Preservation Services. Historic Property Files, 1433 S. Overland
Trail.
City of Fort Collins, Public Records Database, 1433 S. Overland Trail,
https://citydocs.fcgov.com/, accessed November 2021.
Fort Collins City Directories (1902 -1999).
Fort Collins Coloradoan, online archives, https://coloradoan.newspapers.com/, accessed
November 2021.
Fort Collins History Connection, https://history.fcgov.com/, accessed November 2021.
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Local History Archive, Fort Collins, CO.
Larimer County Assessor’s Office, Residential Property Information.
Maxwell, Eugene. An American Odyssey: The Journeys of a Farm Boy who Became a Scientist.
Greeley, CO: Anvil Graphics, 2007.
McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf (Random
House), 2013.
National Register of Historic Places, R.G. Maxwell House, Fort Collins, Larimer County,
Colorado, September 29, 1980, NRIS # 80000910.
National Register of Historic Places, “Sugarloaf School,” Jerome (vicinity), Jerome County,
Idaho, NRIS# 83002306.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 44
19
MAPS and PHOTOGRAPHS
Excerpt of 1958 aerial image of the Maxwell Farm, showing the larger complex with 3 dwellings,
barn, garage, and assorted outbuildings, with fields, irrigation network, and orchard to the
southwest. (U.S. Geological Survey).
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 45
20
Close-up of the Maxwell Farm Complex in 1958. The Rock House is at the very top of the image
surrounded by trees and with the Lake Canal curving immediately to the northeast (U.S. Geological
Survey).
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 46
21
Image with annotations from Eugene Maxwells 2007 memoir.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 47
22
East façade, November 23, 2021.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 48
23
East façade and north elevation, November 23, 2021.
North and west elevations, looking southeast. November 23, 2021.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 49
24
North and west elevations, looking southeast. November 23, 2021.
West elevation, looking east. November 23, 2021.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 50
25
South and west elevations, looking northeast. November 23, 2021.
South elevation, looking northwest. November 23, 2021.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 51
26
Farm complex and Rock House (photo left), showing original landscape, November,
1994 prior to redevelopment. Historic Preservation Services. The office has full photo-
documentation of the complex, and surveyed site maps of the farm complex from the
mid-1990s prior to demolition of all but the Rock House.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 52
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 53
DESCRIPTION OF A TRACT OF LAND LOCATED AT 1433 OVERLAND TRAIL TO BE
DESIGNATED AS THE MAXWELL ROCK HOUSE HISTORIC SITE
A tract of land located in the southeast quarter of Section 17,
Township 7 North, Range 69 West of the Sixth Principal Meridian, City
of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado, the said tract is also
located in Tract A of the Plat of The Ponds At Overland Trail First
Filing, a plat of record with the Clerk and Recorder of Larimer County,
more particularly described as follows;
Considering the east line of the said southeast quarter of Section 1 7
as bearing North 00 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds East between a 2. 5 11
Aluminum Cap monument at the southeast corner of Section 17 and a 2. 5 11
Aluminum Cap monument at the east quarter corner Section 17, based upon
GPS observation and the City of Fort Collins coordinate base, and with
all bearings contained herein relative thereto;
Commencing at the said southeast corner of Section 17;
THENCE along the east line of the said southeast quarter of
Section 17, North 00 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds East for a distance
of 387.61 feet;
THENCE leaving the said east line, North 89 degrees 25 minutes 49
seconds West for a distance of 261.83 feet to the TRUE POINT OF
BEGINNING OF THIS DESCRIPTION;
THENCE North 44 degrees 18 minutes 42 seconds East for a distance
of 42.68 feet;
THENCE North 03 degrees 22 minutes 00 seconds West for a distance
of 52.36 feet;
THENCE North 40 degrees 53 minutes 22 seconds West for a distance
of 23.51 feet;
THENCE North 75 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds West for a distance
of 29.87 feet;
THENCE South 77 degrees 15 minutes 42 seconds West for a distance
of 33.29 feet;
THENCE South 07 degrees 26 minutes 21 seconds West for a distance
of 31.58 feet;
THENCE South 03 degrees 28 minutes 19 seconds East for a distance
of 53.37 feet;
THENCE South 81 degrees 40 minutes 27 seconds East for a distance
of 24.83 feet;
THENCE South 64 degrees 46 minutes 53 seconds East for a distance
of 29 .15 feet to the point of beginning. Containing 7232 square feet
more or less.
The above described tract is subject to all easements and rights of
ways now existing or of record ..
PAGE 1 OF 2
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Exhibit A - Maxwell Rock House
City Landmark Nomination
1433 S. Overland Trail
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 54
LOCATION SKETCH
MAXWELL ROCK HOUSE HISTORIC SITE
Col.Ar Se BeQrlng
L1 N 00 °34'11' E
L2 N 89 °25'49' vi
L3 N 44 °18'42' E
l4 N 03 °22'00' vi
LS N 40•53'22' vi
l6 N 75• 44'37' vi
L7 S 77 °15'42' vi
LB S 07 °26'21' 'w L 9 S 03 °28'19' E LlO S 81 °40'27' E
Lll S 64 °46'53' E
LOT 7
WHEATGRASS COURT
LOT 6
l<\SURV(\PROJ\l,HSC:\I.W(HS[\I.W(,OWO
DlstQnce
387.61'
261.83'
42.68'
52.36'
23.51'
29.87'
33.29'
31.58'
53.37'
24.83'
29.15'
LOT 5
NTS
JANUARY 11, 2007
E 1/4 CORNER_______..... 17-7-69
TOTAL HISTORIC SITE 72.32 SO.FT.
----y'----J L2
SE CORNER 17-7-69 --
THIS Sl<ETCH ANO THE AREAS SHOWN DEPICT THC ATTACtlEO PROPCRTY DESCRIPTION ONLY ANO DO NOT REPR£�CNT A MONUMENTED BOUNDARY SURVt't'.
_J
<{ 0::::
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0 z
0:::: w > 0
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 56
RESOLUTION 5, 2021
OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
RECOMMENDING LANDMARK DESIGNATION OF THE
MAXWELL ROCK HOUSE
1433 SOUTH OVERLAND TRAIL, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
AS A FORT COLLINS LANDMARK PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF
THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
WHEREAS, it is a matter of public policy that the protection, enhancement and perpetuation
of sites, structures, objects, and districts of historic, architectural, archeological, or geographic
significance, located within the city, are a public necessity and are required in the interest of the
prosperity, civic pride and general welfare of the people; and
WHEREAS, it is the opinion of the City Council that the economic, cultural and aesthetic
standing of this City cannot be maintained or enhanced by disregarding the historic,
architectural, archeological and geographical heritage of the City and by ignoring the destruction
or defacement of such cultural assets; and
WHEREAS, the MAXWELL ROCK HOUSE, located at 1433 SOUTH OVERLAND TRAIL
in Fort Collins (the “Property”) is eligible for Landmark designation for the property’s sufficient
degree of integrity of location, design, workmanship, materials, setting, feeling and association, as
described in City Code Section 14-22(b); and for its significance to Fort Collins under
STANDARD 2, PERSONS/GROUPS, and STANDARD 3, DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION,
contained in City Code Section 14-22(a); and
WHEREAS, the Historic Preservation Commission has determined that the Property meets
the criteria of a landmark as set forth in Section l4-22 of the code and is eligible for designation
as a Fort Collins Landmark; and
WHEREAS, the owner of the Property has consented to such landmark designation.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of
Fort Collins as follows:
Section 1. That the foregoing recitals are incorporated herein by the Historic Preservation
Commission as findings of fact:
1.That the designation of this property will advance the City of Fort Collins’ Policies and
Purposes for Historic Preservation; and
2.That the property is significant under Standard 2, Persons/Groups, as this property is a
significant reflection of the contributions of Paul and Emerald Maxwell and their family
to the agricultural, economic, social, and political history of Fort Collins; and
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 2
Packet Pg. 57
City of Fort Collins Historic Preservation Commission
Resolution No. 5, 2021
2
3. That the property is significant under Standard 3, Design/Construction, as this property is
a significant surviving reflection of a vernacular stone masonry farmhouse that is
extremely rare in the Fort Collins area; and
4. That the property retains a strong preponderance of integrity in all seven aspects of
historic integrity: Location, Design, Materials, Workmanship, Setting, Feeling, and
Association; and
5. That the owner’s desire to protect this historic property and its resources will be furthered
by the property’s status as a Fort Collins Landmark and the accompanying protections
and review mechanisms such designation confers; and
Section 2. That the Property located in the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado,
described as follows, to wit:
THAT PORTION OF TRACT A, THE PONDS AT OVERLAND TRAIL, FIRST FILING,
LARIMER COUNTY PARCEL #9717406001 THAT IS THE APPROXIMATELY THIRTY-
THREE FOOT BY THIRTY-SIX FOOT BUILDING FOOTPRINT PLUS FIFTEEN FEET
FROM THE BUILDING FOUNDATION
ALSO KNOWN BY STREET AND NUMBER AS 1433 SOUTH OVERLAND TRAIL
CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COUNTY OF LARIMER, STATE OF COLORADO
be designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with Chapter l4 of the Code of the City
of Fort Collins.
Section 3. That the criteria contained in Chapter 14, Article IV of the City Code will serve as the
standards by which alterations, additions and other changes to buildings and structures located
upon the above described property will be reviewed.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City
of Fort Collins held this 15th day of December, A.D. 2021.
X
NAME
Chair
ATTEST:
_______________________
Secretary/Staff
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 2
Packet Pg. 58
1
Application for Fort Collins Landmark Designation –
1433 S. Overland Trail, Maxwell Rock House
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
Historic Preservation Commission, December 15, 2021
Maps 2
1433 S. Overland Trail, Maxwell Rock House
1
2
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 59
• Construction:
• 1937-1941 by Paul Maxwell and sons
Stuart and Robert
• Design input from Emerald Maxwell
• Standards of Significance:
• 2 (Persons/Groups)
• Paul & Emerald Maxwell
• 3 (Design/Construction)
• Vernacular stone construction
• Strong integrity in all seven aspects
• Historical Notes:
• Maxwell Family retained property until
1972
3
1433 S. Overland Trail, Maxwell Rock House
Left: 1958 aerial
image of the
Maxwell Farm;
Below: Paul
Maxwell, FCMoD
• Architecture – one of two known
surviving rock farm houses in the
Fort Collins area
• Maxwell family
• Robert & Minnie key
to establishing
Empire Grange
• Paul & Emerald
continued legacy with
leadership in Grange
& South Side Club
• Also oversaw
expansion &
modernization of
District No. 10 school
(Laporte Avenue
School)
4
Significance in Agricultural & Architectural History in Fort Collins
3
4
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 60
5
Significance in Agricultural & Architectural History in Fort Collins
Role of the Historic Preservation Commission
Determine whether criteria are satisfied:
(1) The proposed resource is eligible for designation
(1) Significance
(2) Integrity
(2) The requested designation will advance the policies and the
purposes in a manner and extent sufficient to justify the requested
designation
Adopt a motion via resolution making a recommendation to Council
6
5
6
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 61
7
Application for Fort Collins Landmark Designation –
1433 S. Overland Trail, Maxwell Rock House
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
Historic Preservation Commission, December 15, 2021
7
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 62
From:Gayla Martinez
To:Aubrie Brennan
Subject:[EXTERNAL] 1433 S. OVERLAND TRAIL – LANDMARK NOMINATION
Date:Monday, December 13, 2021 10:47:03 AM
1433 S. OVERLAND TRAIL – LANDMARK NOMINATION
ho’oowu’ heetou’
(“where a house is located” Arapahoe place name for the Fort Collins/Cache La Poudre area)1
Dear Commissioners,
I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Fort Collins Historic Preservation
Commission for taking this item under review and to the The Ponds HOA for their stewardship of the
stone house and for bringing this petition for landmark designation to the city’s attention.
When I was a little girl, my father, Gene Maxwell, youngest son of Paul and Emerald Maxwell, used
to tell me about the tepee rings that he had found while traipsing across the foothills on the farm
where he grew up. By the time I came along they were gone. I never got to see them. It is sad and
haunting to think that there was once a group of people living in this place whose lives and ways and
accumulated wisdom have been all but erased. What could we have learned from their stories?
Which of their experiences could we have built upon? Our connections to homes and communities
of the past give us greater understanding of the place we call home today and allow us to build
communities that are more resilient and whole. This is the primary value of preserving reminders of
our collective past.
The Maxwell stone house is such a place. For me it was always simply “grandma’s house,” (my
grandfather, Paul, having passed away while I was still quite little). We always entered the house
through the door on the south side where boots caked with manure from the barns and corrals were
first scraped clean and then left in the mud room just outside the kitchen door. A narrow staircase
led down into the cellar where jars of home canned goods harvested from grandma’s garden lined
narrow shelves and boxes full of root vegetables lay on the floor. The entryway was a place of warm,
earthy smells that opened into a home filled with laughter and music and love. Love expressed not
effusively, but with steady kindness and quiet reserve.
As the background information provided with the application relates, Paul and Emerald Maxwell
were active members of the growing agricultural community of Fort Collins. Their specific
contributions were unique, but they were also in many ways representative of the diverse gathering
of immigrants from across the United States and even places further abroad who came here, much
like today’s immigrants, seeking opportunities for a better life for themselves and their children. The
stone house provides a tangible connection to those families who combined their energy with soil,
sun, and water to grow crops, raise livestock, to feed their families and those of the rest of the
growing community of Fort Collins.
While Paul took an active role in the development of local schools and agricultural associations,
Emerald led the way in establishing relationships among neighbors through the kind of face-to-face
gatherings that are increasingly rare in our fast-paced, digitized world. She was an accomplished
self-taught pianist and her paintings, though somewhat primitive in style, are charming and
expressive. In a home which never sported the finer accouterments of affluence, she managed to
insert gracious touches of art and beauty.
It is my hope that you will approve landmark designation for the Maxwell stone house so that it
might be preserved as a symbol of those, who like the Arapahoe, used the native materials available
to them to build homes and relationships and community. It would be lovely to see my grandma’s
house someday filled again with neighbors sharing food, music, and the stories that anchor us to our
collective past, enrich us in our shared present, and inspire us as we look toward the future.
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 63
Sincerely,
Gayla Maxwell Martinez
1 https://www.colorado.edu/center/csilw/language-archives/arapaho-word-lists/place-names
ITEM 4, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 64
Agenda Item 5
Item 5, Page 1
STAFF REPORT December 15, 2021
Historic Preservation Commission
PROJECT NAME
THE SCOTT APARTMENTS AND GARAGE AT 900 SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE – REVIEW OF NOMINATION
TO THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
STAFF
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
PROJECT INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Steve Levinger (owner); State Historic Preservation Office
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This item is to provide a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer
regarding the nomination of the Scott Apartments and Garage to the National Register of Historic Places. As a
Certified Local Government, both the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Mayor provide a written
recommendation.
COMMISSION’S ROLE AND ACTION: Under §302504 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and 36
CFR 60 & 61, the City of Fort Collins maintains a federal certification (a “certified local government” as defined in the
NHPA and afore-mentioned federal regulations) for its historic preservation program. As part of that certification, the
CLG provides a formal recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer on new nominations to the National
Register of Historic Places. The Commission’s role is to provide a public forum in which the community can comment
on the nomination at the hearing, and provide a formal recommendation, via motion, to either support or not support
the nomination based on the National Register criteria. The Mayor (as the chief elected local official) provides her
own recommendation, and staff will transmit the response as recorded on the National Register Nomination Review
Report Form.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission approve a motion supporting
the nomination, and directing the Chair to complete the Review Report Form to that effect.
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROPERTY
The eligibility of the Scott Apartments and Garage for the National Register of Historic Places is documented in the
nomination form prepared for the property that is attached to this staff report.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY CODE AND PURPOSE
The designation of historic properties and the work of historic preservation promote the policies and purposes
adopted by City Council for the City of Fort Collins. Designation furthers the City’s goals of environmental, economic,
and social sustainability. By continuing the use of an existing building and preserving the embodied energy of its
existing materials, National Register designation is environmentally sustainable. The designation of historic properties
also contributes to the City’s economic standing directly, through property, use, and sales taxes and revenues, and
indirectly, through the promotion of heritage tourism. Furthermore, historic designation encourages the continuation of
private property ownership. The City’s cultural standing is also upheld because the preservation of the built
environment helps residents and visitors tangibly gain a better understanding of our history and the diversity of
people who shaped Fort Collins. National Register designation enhances and encourages the perpetuation of
significant resources in the City through acknowledgement of those historic properties as well as through the financial
incentives offered for projects on National Register-listed properties, namely the Federal Historic Tax Credit. Finally,
Packet Pg. 65
Agenda Item 5
Item 5, Page 2
the designation of historic properties also maintains and enhances the City’s aesthetics through the recognition of
significant local architecture and history, contributing to the promotion of good urban design and fostering civic pride
in the beauty and accomplishments of the past. Taken together, these benefits of National Register designation help
strengthen Fort Collins’s community and support our vision of a livable, sustainable city. (Municipal Code 14-1 and
14-2; City Plan)
FINDINGS OF FACT AND RECOMMENDATION
FINDINGS OF FACT:
In evaluating the request for a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer regarding the nomination
of the Scott Apartments and Garage at 900 South College AVenue, staff makes the following findings of fact:
1. That City Council designated the property as a City Landmark on February 19, 2002;
2. That the Scott Apartments and Garage appears to eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) under NRHP Criteria A and C, as supported by the analysis provided in this staff report and
accompanying nomination form;
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission approve a motion supporting the nomination, and
directing the Chair to complete the Review Report Form to that effect.
SAMPLE MOTIONS
SAMPLE MOTION TO RECOMMEND DESIGNATION: I move that the Historic Preservation Commission
recommend to the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer that the Scott Apartments and Garage at 900 South
College Avenue is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C, as supported by the
analysis provided in the transmitted National Register nomination form dated November 5, 2021, and directing the
Chair to complete the appropriate section of the Review Report Form indicating the Commission’s recommendation.
SAMPLE MOTION TO RECOMMEND AGAINST DESIGNATION: I move that the Historic Preservation
Commission recommend to the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer that the Scott Apartments and Garage
at 900 South College Avenue is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under the stated criteria,
based on the analysis provided in the transmitted National Register nomination form dated November 5, 2021, and
directing the Chair to complete the appropriate section of the Review Report Form indicating the Commission’s
recommendation.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Instructions from the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office Regarding CLG Participation in NRHP
Nominations
2. Blank version of Colorado CLG NR Nomination Review Report Form
3. DRAFT National Register Nomination Form (Form 10-900)
4. Staff Presentation
Packet Pg. 66
P016
CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PARTICIPATION IN THE
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NOMINATION PROCESS
The Certified Local Government program establishes a partnership between the State Historic Preservation
Officer (SHPO) and Certified Local Governments (CLG) as nominating authorities for Colorado's National
Register program. It does not delegate to CLGs the sole authority to nominate properties directly to the
Register. The following procedures make clear the shared role of CLGs and the SHPO in the nomination
process:
1. Nominations of Colorado properties to the National Register of Historic Places shall be made
directly to the SHPO. Nominations may be made by any parties, including CLGs.
2. Upon receipt of an adequately documented nomination of a property within the jurisdiction of a
CLG, the SHPO shall notify the owner, the chief elected official, and the local Historic Preservation
Commission of the proposed nomination and shall transmit the nomination to the commission for
comment.
3.The commission, after reasonable opportunity for public comment, shall prepare a report as to
whether or not such property, in its opinion, meets the criteria of the National Register.
4. Within sixty (60) days of receipt of the nomination from the SHPO, the chief elected official shall
transmit the report of the commission and his or her recommendation to the SHPO. The report
should concentrate on the property's eligibility under the National Register criteria of eligibility.
a. In the event that the Historic Preservation Commission and the chief elected official
agree that the proposed nomination meets the criteria for listing the property in the National
Register, the SHPO will transmit the proposed nomination and the CLG's comments to the
Colorado Historic Preservation Review Board for consideration. The Review Board is an
independent advisory board appointed by the Governor and SHPO that evaluates and
recommends sites for nomination to the National Register.
b. In the event the Historic Preservation Commission and the chief elected official disagree
that the proposed nomination meets the criteria for listing in the National Register, both
opinions shall be forwarded to the SHPO, who will transmit the proposed nomination and the
CLG's comments to the Review Board for consideration.
c. In the event the Historic Preservation Commission and the chief local elected official
agree that the proposed nomination does not meet the criteria for listing in the National
Register, the CLG shall inform the owner of the property and the applicant of its
recommendation and shall inform them that within thirty (30) days an appeal of the
recommendation may be made by letter directly to the SHPO. The Historic Preservation
Commission shall forward the CLG's recommendations and the nomination to the SHPO,
who will take no further action unless within thirty (30) days of the receipt of such
recommendations by the SHPO, an appeal is filed by any person with the SHPO. If such an
appeal is filed, the SHPO shall transmit the nomination and CLG's recommendations to the
Review Board for consideration.
5. If no report is received by the SHPO from the chief elected official within the allotted sixty (60)
days, the state shall make the nomination pursuant to section 101(a) of the National Historic
Preservation Act, as amended. Failure of the CLG to submit reports on proposed nominations within
its jurisdiction will be considered by the SHPO in its review of the CLG.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 67
CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION IN THE
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROCESS
Page 2
6. Appeals of the SHPO's decisions may be made directly to the Keeper of the National Register in
accordance with federal regulations (36CFR60).
7. For proposed nominations of historic districts to the National Register of Historic Places, the
CLG shall assist the SHPO in:
a. Assisting the preparer of the form in verifying the names and addresses of the owners of
properties within the proposed districts, if necessary.
b. Providing for public information meetings at times and places agreeable to the SHPO and
CLG.
8. The SHPO will notify the CLG, the owner, and the applicant when a property within the CLG's
jurisdiction is listed in the National Register.
9. The Historic Preservation Commission shall be responsible for providing oversight and
monitoring of historic properties and historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. The commission is responsible to recommend in writing to the SHPO removal from the
National Register of any property or district which has lost its integrity because of the demolition or
alteration of structures.
NOTE: This section addresses only properly completed National Register nomination forms which have
been prepared in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Registration and Guidelines
for Registration (Federal Register, v.48, no. 190, September 29, 1983, pp. 44726-44728) and the National
Park Service's National Register Bulletin How to Complete National Register Registration Forms.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 1
Packet Pg. 68
COLORADO CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT
NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION
REVIEW REPORT FORM
Property Name:
Address:
Certified Local Government:
Date of public meeting at which nomination was reviewed:
Eligibility Criteria: (Check applicable boxes)
Criterion A Criterion C
Criterion B Criterion D
Please check the boxes below appropriate to the nomination review:
Commission/Board
The commission/board recommends that the nomination meets the criteria checked
above.
The commission/board recommends that the nomination fails to meet any of the above
criteria.
The commission/board chooses not to make a recommendation on the nomination.
Attach an additional sheet explaining the lack of a recommendation.
Chief Elected Official
The chief elected official recommends that the nomination meets the criteria checked
above.
The chief elected official recommends that the nomination fails to meet any of the
above criteria.
The chief elected official chooses not to make a recommendation on the nomination.
Attach an additional sheet explaining the lack of a recommendation.
Attach an additional sheet to make any further comments.
Certify this report with both signatures below
CLG Commission/Board Chair or Representative
Print name:
Signature:
(Date)
Chief Elected Official or Designee
Print name:
Signature:
(Date)
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 2
Packet Pg. 69
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018 expiration date
03/31/2022
1
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to
Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not
applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.
1.Name of Property
Historic name: _ Scott Apartments and Garage______________
Other names/site number: _ ____5LR.2298_________________
Name of related multiple property listing:
___N/A________________________________________________________
(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing
____________________________________________________________________________
2.Location
Street & number: __900 S. College Avenue_____________________________________
City or town: __Fort Collins____ State: ___CO______ County: __Larimer______
Not For Publication: Vicinity:
____________________________________________________________________________
3.State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended,
I hereby certify that this x nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the
documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and
meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.
In my opinion, the property ___ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I
recommend that this property be considered significant at the following
level(s) of significance:
___national ___statewide _x_local
Applicable National Register Criteria:
___A ___B _x_C ___D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date
______________________________________________
State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
REVIEW BOARD
DRAFT
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Sections 1-6 page 2
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title : State or Federal agency/bureau
or Tribal Government
______________________________________________________________________________
4.National Park Service Certification
I hereby certify that this property is:
entered in the National Register
determined eligible for the National Register
determined not eligible for the National Register
removed from the National Register
other (explain:) _____________________
______________________________________________________________________
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
____________________________________________________________________________
5.Classification
Ownership of Property
(Check as many boxes as apply.)
Private:
Public – Local
Public – State
Public – Federal
Category of Property
(Check only one box.)
Building(s)
District
Site
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 71
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 3
Structure
Object
Number of Resources within Property
(Do not include previously listed resources in the count)
Contributing Noncontributing
___2_________ _____________ buildings
_____________ _____________ sites
____________ _____________ structures
_____________ _____________ objects
____2_________ ______________ Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register _________
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
_DOMESTIC – multiple dwelling__
___________________
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
_DOMESTIC – multiple dwelling__
___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions.)
_Apartment_________
___________________
___________________
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 4
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.)
Principal exterior materials of the property:
BRICK;
ASPHALT (roof);
WOOD (windows),
CONCRETE (foundation)
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe
contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly
describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of
construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.)
______________________________________________________________________________
Summary Paragraph
The Scott Apartments, built in 1924, is located at 900 S. College Avenue. Situated on the southeast
corner of College and Locust, the four-story brick building is just south of Old Town, Fort Collins.
College Avenue, a segment of US Highway 287, is the main north/south thoroughfare in Fort Collins.
In front of the Scott, three lanes of traffic flow in both directions. It is a street of commercial buildings,
standing one to four stories high, and a handful of residential properties, most of which have been
converted to commercial, retail, or office use. College Avenue forms the eastern border of Colorado
State University’s main campus. The Scott occupies the same mile-long segment of College Avenue,
and stands directly across the street from the University’s Glenn Morris Fieldhouse (photos 1 and 2).
The exact construction date for the Field House varies by source, but it was likely constructed shortly
after the Scott.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 73
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 5
______________________________________________________________________________
Narrative Description
The Scott Apartments is a large, gable-roofed structure that houses twelve single-bedroom apartments
and one studio apartment. There is an associated five-car garage on site. The building design follows
that of post World War I apartment buildings, typical of the 1920s. It is designed in a “double loaded
corridor” style. Eight apartments on the first and second floors are accessed via a central hall running
through the middle of the structure. The gable roofed portion of the building houses two additional
apartments on the topmost floor, which are also accessed from a central hall. The remaining three
garden-level units are of a “walk up” style, with doors leading directly to the exterior, however, they can
be accessed from a central passageway as well.
The design follows a simple symmetrical style. It features a large rectangular main structure,
approximately 53’ x 41’. This portion rises roughly 30’ above grade to the fascia of a gable roof with a
6/12 pitch. The roofline does not extend beyond the brick wall at the fascia; there is no soffit. On either
end, brick walls extend about a foot above the roofline to create gabled parapets. 32’ long shed roof
dormers protrude above the roofline on either side of the building. A large, square, brick chimney exits
the roof near the center (photos 3-6).
The main structure is flanked at either end by rectangular, flat-roofed wings, which are slightly narrower
in width than the central building, and project roughly ten feet beyond each gabled end wall. These
wings have parapet walls that extend one to three feet above a lightly sloped flat roof system. Short
merlons at the corners, and an additional one centered on the long side, give the parapet a battlement
look. This feature is reinforced on the gable ends, where one square merlon replaces the peak of the
parapet wall, and two similarly sized ones are placed at either edge of each gable. Scuppers at each
corner of the flat-roofed wings drain into sheet metal, federal style, leader head collectors that connect to
aluminum downspouts.
Entrances
The first-floor main corridor is accessed via two entrances, one at each end of the building. The
entrances are flush with the main portion of the building, cutting through the wings to form porticos
(Photo 7). At the end of each portico, 72” wide concrete steps extend half a flight to a 48” deep concrete
landing. Another half flight of stairs extends from either side of this landing to ground level. These
stairs are 48” wide, to stay even with the depth of the landing (photo 8).
The upper flight of steps are flanked by massive, 22” thick brick walls, whose top extends level to the
main floor height. These walls do not slope down with the steps, and by their termination at the landing,
they stand 48” tall. The landing itself is bordered by a slightly narrower, 18” thick, brick wall on the
exterior edge. This wall maintains a level height of 36” across the entire landing. The lower flights of
stairs are framed by 18” wide walls on either side, which do slope down with the steps. The walls are
composed of a dark brown, wire cut brick in a running bond. The tops are finished with a soldier course
of the same brick, and topped with a gently sloped concrete cap (photo 9).
Exterior Materials
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 74
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 6
The walls of the building are constructed with two colors of wire cut brick, laid in a running bond. At
the time of construction, the newspaper described the building material as “tapestry brick.”1 A dark
brown brick is used as far as the top of the first-floor level and is four wythes thick. A sill of soldier
bricks in the same color tops this wall, creating a belt course around the entire perimeter (photo 10).
The rest of the building is constructed in a red field brick, and is three wythes thick. Rowlock window
sills, soldier window lintels, and soldier parapet tops are all in the dark brown brick, both above and
below the belt course (photo 11). Some rectangular embellishments composed of rowlock and header
bricks protrude slightly beyond the field brick at the third-floor level, just below the windows on either
gable side, which is the only decorative brickwork that uses the red brick. All the original mortar was
dark black and struck with a raked joint. Over the years, Colorado seasons have leached most of the
black color out of the original mortar, so that nearly all of it appears as a greyish brown color. However,
where the porticos protected the bricks from the weather, the color of the mortar can be seen in its
original glory (photo 7).
All the windows in the building are wood double hung, with the exception of four casement windows
that replaced the original windows around 1975, in conjunction with a fire safety modification. The
majority of the windows have wood frame screens in place, just outside the glazing. The window
frames are painted in a forest green, while the screen frames are painted in a dark pullman green.
All building exterior doors are 15 lite glazed wood framed doors. The doors that serve as main
entrances to the central corridor have 5 lite fixed panes on either side of the 15 lite entry doors. One
exterior steel entry door on the garden level replaced an original door around 2010. All the doors are
painted the same forest green as the window frames. The walk-up apartments have similar 15 lite glazed
wood framed doors leading outside, with wood screen doors fitted over these.
Centered along the north and south walls, 32-foot-long shed roof dormers protrude above the pitched
roof. The dormers are sheathed with smooth cedar shingles, and contain five double hung windows
along their length. A large, square, brick chimney exits the roof near the center. Roofing is a
combination of asphalt shingles on the pitched roof segments, and EDPM rubber membrane on the flat
roofs.
1 “Apartment House Company Organized to Build Handsome Residence Apartments Here; First to be Erected Right Away on
South College Avenue and Locust Street,” Fort Collins Express-Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Mar. 9, 1924.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 75
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 7
Site Details
Concrete sitework on the original structure was minimal, however, the concrete walk-up entrances are
worth noting. Each entrance is roughly 14” below grade. 38” wide steps run along the exterior wall,
and lead down to a 38”x 72” landing in front of the door. The steps and landing are framed by eight-
inch-wide concrete walls that protrude a few inches above grade on the north side, and are cast into a
large slab on the south. Short, 12” square, concrete pillars terminate the wall at the steps and at the
opposite corner. The pillars extend a few inches higher than the walls. Both the wall and the pillars
have a slightly angled cap similar to that found on the entry step brick walls (photo 12).
Exterior Alterations
The building’s exterior has changed little since its original construction. Around 1975, steel fire stairs
were installed on the east and west façades. In addition, steel railings were installed above the brick
parapet walls of the wings. The aforementioned window changes also occurred at this point. The most
significant changes to the exterior have involved the roofing system. The current roof is around 10 years
old. It consists of asphalt dimensional shingles over 7/16” OSB decking on the gable portion, and
EDPM rubber membrane over 7/16” OSB decking on the flat roof. Steel flashing was installed on top of
the brick parapet walls in conjunction with the new roofing.
Interior and Interior Alterations
The building’s interior corridor has seen more changes over the years than the outside. Around 1975,
the original corridor was modified to create floor separation for fire safety. Much of the original
balustrade and railing was removed to facilitate construction of framed walls, which surround the
stairwells (photo 13). Automatic closing doors were installed in these walls to complete the fire
separation project. Additional fire safety work done at this time included replacing the original hall
entry doors with rated slab doors, as well as removing hallway grocery delivery doors, and covering the
openings. There still remains some of the original balustrade on each floor. It is a fairly simple system
of smooth, square, newel posts and rectangular balusters, capped with a smooth, rounded handrail. A
small, triangular embellishment is applied near the top of each baluster and newel post. Interior trim is
simple, flat ¾” wood, with the exception of a crown molding, where the wall meets the ceiling. The
hallways are carpeted wall to wall (photos 14-16). None of the original hallway light fixtures remain.
Exposed electrical conduit runs along the ceiling and walls to furnish power to lighting and a fire alarm
system.
The individual apartments all retain their original floor plan. Ten of the apartments are nearly identical
in layout. The hall door enters into a good-sized living room (photo 17). Two French doors lead off one
side of the living room into what was originally called a “sun parlor,” but is now considered a bedroom
(photo 18). The two outside-facing walls sport an impressive total of seven windows, making its
original name quite apt. Off the other side of the living room is a small dining nook that opens to a
small kitchen (photos 19 and 20). A door from the dining nook leads to a small, full bathroom (photo
21). Another door opens to a large closet. This closet has a second large door that opens back into the
living room. Hardware remnants on this door frame indicate that a murphy bed was once installed.
These beds, quite popular at the time, were referenced in the newspaper article announcing construction
of the building; “[t]he living rooms will have disappearing beds which, with a touch of the hand, vanish
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 76
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 8
into adjoining closets.”2 None of these beds remain in the building. Much of the original kitchen and
bath cabinetry remain, as does the original pedestal cast iron bathtubs. Most of the original cast iron
radiators remain, and are still in use. Toilets, sinks, and plumbing fixtures have mostly been replaced.
Accessory Garage
The five-car garage sits directly east of the apartment building. It is likely that this structure was
constructed in conjunction with the apartment building, as its design matches closely that of the main
structure. It is not, however, mentioned in either the original building permit, or any of the several
newspaper articles that chronicled the construction of the Scott. Approximately 19’x50’, it is built from
the same two colors of wire cut brick as the main building. It also has brick parapet walls that feature
similar “battlement” details to those of the rectangular wings on the main building. On the back and
ends of the garage, parapet walls extend above the slightly sloped flat roof (photo 22). At the front,
which faces east, away from the main building, the roof extends just beyond the exterior wall. This side
has wood-framed openings for five, swing-out, wood garage doors, separated by brick columns (photo
23).
The five-car garage received a major rehabilitation around 2010, when the building’s current owner
converted the structure into a wood shop for personal use. At that time, a new roof structure replaced
the severely deteriorated original. Three roof skylights were installed, the new roof deck was covered
with a TPO membrane roof, and brick parapet walls were capped with sheet metal flashing. Existing
wood framed and sheathed interior partition walls were removed, and a new concrete floor slab was
installed. A 200-amp electric service was added. Four of the five existing garage doors were fixed in
place in their original frames. The fifth door was removed and repurposed in the workshop’s interior.
The vacated entry was framed, sheathed, and a new entry door was installed. All original windows were
fixed in place. New exterior wood shutters were fixed in place in the original window frames. Brick
walls received minor tuckpointing and repair as needed. The rehabilitation was reviewed and approved
by The City of Fort Collins Landmark Preservation Commission prior to construction.
2 “Apartment House Company Organized…,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Mar. 9, 1924.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 77
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 9
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register
listing.)
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or
represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual
distinction.
D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)
A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
B. Removed from its original location
C. A birthplace or grave
D. A cemetery
E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F. A commemorative property
G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions.)
__ARCHITECTURE__
__COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
___________________
___________________
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Section 8 page 10
Period of Significance
__1924_____________
__1924 - 1950_____________
___________________
Significant Dates
_1924______________
___________________
___________________
Significant Person
(Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.)
___________________
___________________
___________________
Cultural Affiliation
___Euro-American_____________
___________________
___________________
Architect/Builder
__Gustav Edwin Lundborg architect
__Herman Schroder Builder_______
___________________
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 79
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of
significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria
considerations.)
The Scott Apartments at 900 S. College Avenue is significant under Criterion A at the local level in the
area of Community Planning and Development. The building’s period of significance extends from the
construction of the apartments in 1924 until the sale of the buildings and dissolution of the Fort Collins
Apartment Company in 1950. The building represents Fort Collins’ adaptation of a new type of
residential housing: the commuter-friendly apartment building, aimed at working class professionals.
The building was probably designed by Gustav Edwin Lundborg, and built by Herman Schroeder, on
behalf of the Fort Collins Apartment Company to cater to middle and working class Fort Collins
residents during a population boom for the city. The Scott Apartments is also significant under Criterion
C in the area of Architecture for the period of 1924 at the local level, as a particularly distinctive and
unique example of a small number of sizable apartment buildings constructed in Fort Collins prior to the
1950s.
______________________________________________________________________________
Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.)
Criterion A: Community Planning and Development, 1924-1950
The Scott Apartment Building is significant under Criterion A for its place in the Community Planning
and Development of Fort Collins at the local level as an early example of how developers reacted to the
increased need for middle and working class housing. While apartment units had existed in Fort Collins
since the late 1800s, like elsewhere in America, they were typically either constructed on the upper
floors of downtown commercial buildings, in hotels, or were adapted spaces in single-family homes.
These included the Virginia Apartments, upstairs rentals in the building at 156 S. College Avenue; the
Utana Rooms, a boarding house at 231 Jefferson Street; or the McCormick Apartments above the Fort
Collins Express at 155 W. Mountain Avenue. Fourplexes and duplexes were built on dozens of lots
prior to the 1920s where working- and middle-class families may have needed a cheaper housing option.
Extant examples are typically along streets next to primary corridors, including on West Mountain
Avenue, and on Remington and East Laurel Streets.
Fort Collins, like much of the US, had a population boom following WWI as soldiers came home and
families rapidly grew. Urbanization and a move away from farm work also contributed to the housing
crush in many smaller cities. In Fort Collins, population growth was also fueled by the massively
profitable sugar beet factory,3 rising attendance at the college, and the spreading of the Northern
Colorado oil fields. 1923 to 1924 saw a hundred and fifty oil rigs constructed between Fort Collins and
Wellington.4 By fall 1924, headlines in the Fort Collins-Express Courier proclaimed that the city’s
population was nearing the 15,000 mark.5 The Courier forecasted that there may be 50,000 people
3 “Sugar Beets, Streetcar Suburbs, and the City Beautiful, 1900-1919,” Fort Collins History and Architecture, Fort Collins
History Connection, accessed November 2, 2021, https://history.fcgov.com/contexts/sugar.
4 “Post World War 1 Urban Growth, 1919-1941,” Fort Collins History and Architecture, Fort Collins History Connection,
accessed September 30, 2021, https://history.fcgov.com/contexts/post.
5 “Fort Collins Population Now Nearly 15,000” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 2,1924.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 80
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
living there before decade’s end.6 In the face of this rapid population growth, people scrambled to find
and build suitable housing.
The quick development of three separate apartment buildings around downtown Fort Collins in the
1920s reflects the significant expansion of the area’s economy during that decade. As the commercial
district of Fort Collins extended south along College Avenue, facilitated in part by a streetcar line,
denser multi-family housing came with it. Property records indicate that the first stand-alone apartment
building came to the city in 1922, with the construction of the Long Apartments at 220 E. Laurel Street.
In 1924, the Scott Apartments was constructed, and shortly thereafter, in 1925, the Kensington
Apartments at 200 E. Laurel Street. Excepting the Scott Apartments, these buildings were located in or
around Old Town, where apartment residents could walk to most of the key financial and commercial
centers of the City. It was more than a decade before a fourth came: the Chestnut Apartments, at 221
Mathews Street, built in 1936.
The Scott Apartments, with its unique location close to what was then the Colorado Agricultural
College, was interestingly not primarily devoted to housing students. The location was likely chosen to
take advantage of both the school and the streetcar line that once ran up and down College Avenue. In
addition, the choice to build a garage on site speaks to the Fort Collins Apartment Company’s imagined
clientele for the Scott Apartments: individuals who could afford to commute to work and live alone.
Records show most of the Scott Apartments’ residents were a mix of faculty and administrators for the
school, as well as working and middle class individuals in unrelated fields, including some women who
lived alone. The unique features of the building, such as its location on a streetcar line and its multi-car
garage, evince its significance as one of the earliest apartment buildings purpose-built for middle and
working class commuters in Fort Collins, and for its connection to the community’s development during
a huge population boom.
Criterion C: Architecture, 1924
The Scott Apartments is further significant under Criterion C for its Architecture as an example of a
unique and distinctive building type, the double-loaded corridor apartment building. Fort Collins had
relatively few apartment buildings constructed prior to the 1950s, making the Scott Apartment building
significant in both its configuration and rarity as a building type in the city.
The design employs monumental symmetry intended to be viewed from all four façades, its massive
entry steps are designed to ground a first floor that is nearly a full story above grade, and it has a unique
purpose-built multi stall garage for resident use.
One of the other character defining features of this building is its symmetry. The north façade is nearly
identical to the south façade. The east and west façades are, similarly, nearly identical, including the
massive entry steps. There is some difference in fenestration at the lower level, but overall, the building
appears quite symmetrical. It is not uncommon for buildings to display some symmetry, but usually
there are primary and lesser façades that correlate to the overall visibility of the structure. This is not the
case with The Scott Apartments. Though now a motel sits just south of the apartments, at the time when
it was built, the Scott was the only major building on the block. Photos indicate that there may have
6 “Fifteen Thousand Present Population,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 3, 1924.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
been a couple small structures, possibly houses, at far end,7 but when the motel was built in 1962, it is
noted has having been constructed on a vacant lot.8 Whether or not other structures existed on the block
with the Scott, it would have loomed over anything in the immediate vicinity. Anyone approaching
from the north or south along College Avenue would have had an unrestricted view of the building.
Until the Glenn Morris Field House was built on campus, a pedestrian approaching the street from the
college could have witnessed the west façade with its massive entry steps. For those heading towards
College Avenue or the campus, the Scott would have been easy to compare to the grand structures built
for the university, but with knowledge that it was, instead, owned by local men, and provided housing
for the people of Fort Collins, rather than being a part of an institution like the college. The monumental
symmetry allowed for the Scott Apartments to stand out as a promise to the growing prosperity of
Northern Colorado, no matter the angle from which it was viewed.
The front and rear entrances are a significant feature of the building and represent a unique design
solution to building access. In this style of building, it is quite common to situate main floors about half
a story above grade and have basement, or “garden level,” apartments on a building’s lowest floor. By
making the main level entrances almost a full story up, the architect was able to make the lowest level
apartments just a few steps below grade, creating walk-up access to the three basement apartments
(photo 27). The size and mass of the steps, as well as the landing halfway up, serve to ground the
building, so that the main floor doesn’t feel as high above grade as it actually is. Lundborg had
incorporated the basement floor walk-ups in the Shideler Apartments in Boulder. There, he was able to
take advantage of a sloping site, and designed a half flight of wide steps to grade for the main entrance.
These stairs are not nearly as massive as those found on the Scott Apartments. The resulting entrance to
the Scott Apartments is a character defining feature of the building, not commonly seen on similar
apartments.
The five-car garage that was likely built in conjunction with the apartment house is also worth noting as
part of the ingenuity of the Fort Collins Apartment Company. It is a well preserved example of what
was a new and modern amenity in 1924 “The Automobile Garage”. By the mid 1920s, real estate agents
began reporting that a garage was very important to potential home buyers.9 The Fort Collins
Apartment Company seems to have concurred for apartment dwellers as well. One aspect of the Scott
that was repeatedly emphasized in the newspapers, was that the entire structure was to be “thoroly
modern,”10 which seems have extended to the need to house the newest fad of car ownership. The
separate brick structure, with separated spaces for five vehicles, was constructed either at the time the
apartment house or shortly thereafter. The structure that still stands today is quite different from the
barns and sheds found facing the alleys in the surrounding neighborhood. Most of these structures, built
in the decade before the Scott, had been intended for livestock and buggies, which were essential to
transportation at the turn of the century. They are simple, gable roof, wood frame buildings with
minimal foundations and either dirt or wood floors. The Scott Apartments garage is solid and
7 Meg Dunn, “Then and Now: The Glenn Morris Field House at CSU,” Northern Colorado History, October 27, 2014,
https://www.northerncoloradohistory.com/csu-field-house/.
8 “Old Town Survey, 914 College South,” Architectural Survey, Fort Collins, July 1, 1996.
9 “A Brief History of American Garages,” Skywriters Garage Blog, Blue Sky Builders, accessed November 2, 2021,
https://www.blueskybuilders.com/blog/history-american-garages/.
10 Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jun 9, 1924.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
substantial, with brick walls and a concrete floor built to support a heavy automobile. The garage has a
flat roof system that bears no resemblance to a barn. It was a modern structure intended for the equally
modern mode of transportation that was becoming the norm in 1924.
Developmental History/Additional Historic Context Information
A New Type of Residential Housing
Although both freestanding and attached houses have been constructed in America since the Colonial
period, the apartment house as a recognized building form in the United States is a phenomenon of the
last century and a half. Earlier apartments took the form of rented space on the upper floors of
commercial buildings, or accessory rooms off the back of existing houses. Rowhouses and other
attached single-family dwellings were also common.
One of the defining features of the apartment house as a distinct building form was that the living unit
entries were inside the building, connected by a common corridor. This represented a significant design
change in architectural history, which then introduced new issues of safe egress and corridor lighting,
but also provided for shared amenities, such as laundry and storage facilities. Apartment houses
generally sprung up in urbanized areas, both large and small, where more units were needed. This was
often to accommodate a large influx of workers in a particular industry; working- or middle-class
families in denser, more expensive settings; or as housing for university students.11 In these situations,
home ownership for many individuals and families became less practical, and the shift to apartment-
living was booming.
Apartment buildings as a new architectural form took on a significant diversity of variants, depending on
the needs, lot configuration, and desires of the builder. For deep, narrow lots like that at 900-904 S.
College, a horizontal structure with a double-loaded corridor was a common adaptation. An apartment
building of any number of stories would have a front entry that opened into a central hallway. There
may be stairs or an elevator located somewhere along the hall, but units typically faced inward onto the
indoor hallway, and then had windows along the outward facing walls. Other variants included larger
horizontal or vertical block buildings with multiple entries and stairways with two or more apartments
accessed from a common foyer or landing on each floor. Smaller, square apartment buildings had a
vertical emphasis, a single entry on the façade, and, usually, fewer of units per floor. Many other
variants, classified by their building footprint (often an “L,” “T,” “C,” or “H” configuration), had either
single- or double-loaded hallways and incorporated more garden or courtyard space on the lot.12
For those who invested in building apartment houses, the return was twofold. First, they could establish
housing for the incoming population. Secondly, and probably more importantly, they saw a potential for
reaping a significant profit. The group of men who built the Scott Apartments laid these ideas out in a
meeting with the Chamber of Commerce in July of 1924. As documented by the newspaper, they
11 “The Chateau,” DRAFT nomination form, National Register of Historic Places, 5DV.8524, 900 Sherman Street, Denver,
Denver, Colorado, January 16, 2016, Section 8, p13.
12 Utah’s Historic Architecture Guide, Utah Division of State History, (Salt Lake City, Utah: 2018), pp64-71.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
highlighted the lack of apartment buildings in Fort Collins, particularly when compared to cities like
Denver, saying:
… Denver has 476 apartment houses; that is, one apartment house for each 500 people. If
apartments were built in the same proportion here, Fort Collins would have 22. It now
has…only one apartment house for each 7,500 people. 13
This account included the still incomplete Scott Apartments which was only the second such building in
the city, in that reckoning. While at the time Fort Collins had significantly more land for people to build
homes on than the Denver area, the need for readily accessible housing was becoming pressing. From
the perspective of those funding the project, ownership of an apartment house was supposed to turn a
significant profit. It was forecasted that half the rent would be needed to cover the building’s expenses,
but the other half would return to the pockets of the owners as profit.14 Newspaper articles in the
following months continued to tell the same story: apartments were needed to support Fort Collins’
growing population, and dedicated apartment houses would turn a profit for the owner. In one such
article, detailing the city’s population reaching the 15,000 mark, the Scott Apartments is mentioned as
nearing completion, and that:
…the prospects are that one or more similar apartments will be started soon. Apartment houses
are about the most reliable and remunerative investments that can be made, and those who
provide them for Fort Collins will reap the cream of the city’s growth.15
None of the articles provide an author, so it is hard to tell how true these claims were, or if they had been
fed to the newspaper by those same people who were seeking to make money from the construction of
apartment houses.
The Fort Collins Apartment Company
Jay Emerald Shideler was born June 24, 1896 in Kansas. He received a business degree from Columbia
University,16 and then moved to Colorado to pursue real estate in Boulder. He established The Boulder
Apartment Company with his brother, Arthur. They, with the help of Boulder architect Gustav Edwin
Lundborg, constructed The Shideler Apartments at 1090 11th street in Boulder, Colorado, in 1923 (photo
24). From there, he witnessed Northern Colorado’s rapid growth. He foresaw the impending need for
more housing in the area, as well as the profit to be made. Shideler gathered his experiences and
business sense, and headed to Fort Collins to replicate his Boulder ventures. He formed a partnership
with a few Fort Collins businessmen and a Denver banker: on March 9, 1924, the Fort Collins Express-
Courier ran an article announcing the formation of the Fort Collins Apartment Company by A.W. Scott,
Jay E. Shideler, and Eugene Borland.17 This same article announced that the first house to be built
would be on the corner of South College and Locust, taking up “five fine corner lots which face the
13 “Apartment House Company Tells Of Needs In Housing,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jul. 13, 1924.
14 Ibid.
15 “Fifteen Thousand Present Population,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 3, 1924.
16 “Apartment House Company Organized to Build…,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Mar. 9, 1924.
17 Ibid; Note: through the years, the name of the company is reported as both the “Fort Collins Apartment Company” and the
“Fort Collins Apartment House Company,” the former has been used for ease of comprehension.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
north and west.”18 This plot of land was already owned by A.W. Scott. The Express-Courier went on to
describe the building, and acknowledged that it resembled the existing “Shideler apartments” in
Boulder. An elevation drawing of the Boulder Apartment Company’s building at 1090 11th Street was
included with the article. At the announcement of the company, the board of directors included Scott,
Shideler, and Borland, as well as “two other prominent citizens of Fort Collins whose names will be
announced within a few days.”19 The company had plans, and the capital, to build several apartment
houses. Shideler, who was to be president and manager of the Fort Collins Apartment Company, passed
on the presidency of the Boulder Apartment Company to his brother Arthur, and moved to Fort Collins
to direct the development and growth of his newest business venture.20
Fort Collins issued a building permit on March 27th, 1924 for a three-story building housing thirteen
apartments,21 and a day later, H.W. Schroeder was hired to build the structure (photo 25).22 His
involvement on the project is worth noting because, not only was he a prolific builder in Fort Collins
during the early 20th century, but also a prominent figure in the community. From 1902-1905, he was
associated with constructing or remodeling over two dozen buildings in the area.23 A description of his
work appears in an article about the Honorable Thomas Jones’ decision to build a home in Fort Collins:
H.W. Schroeder, the well known contractor and builder, easily secured the contract to build Hon.
Thomas Jones’ elegant $8,500 cottage. His reputation for excellent, conscientious work insures
Mr. Jones a satisfactory job. The many fine public buildings erected by Mr. Schroeder in Fort
Collins and vicinity are enduring monuments to his skill and ability.24
Schroeder was also an active member of the community. He was the secretary for the fire department in
1890, and elected as an alderman in Fort Collins in 1897.25 He served as an officer for the Independent
Order of the Odd Fellows,26 and was chosen as a Republican delegate for Southeast Fort Collins in
1904.27 He was an inaugural member of the Fort Collins Pioneer Association in 1906: a group honoring
those who had lived in the area for at least 25 years.28 His home at 419 Mathews St is listed on the
National Register as a contributing resource of the Laurel School National Register Historic District
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Note: the apartment count in the building varies between twelve and thirteen. During the first couple of decades, the
building always had a live in caretaker, so it can be assumed that, while there were thirteen apartments in the building, only
twelve of them were up for rent. This seems to be the most logical explanation for the discrepancy in unit count.
22 Fort Collins Express-Courier, Mar. 28, 1924.
23“Record Year For Building: Nearly $400,000 Expended on New Structures in Fort Collins During the Past Twelve
Months,” Fort Collins Express, Dec. 31, 1902; “Fort Collins Still Booming: More than $2,000,000 Worth of Building Was
Done During The Year 1903 in and about this City,” Fort Collins Express, Dec. 23, 1903; “Building Outside of Collins: A
Great Amount Was Done in 1903 at this End of the Poudre Valley,” Fort Collins Express, Jan. 6, 1904; “Fort Collins Still
Booming: More Residences Built During 1904 Than Any Year in the History of the City – Though Not Many Stores,” Fort
Collins Express, Dec. 21, 1904; “New Homes for New People,” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Jan. 4 1905; “A
Season of Great Prosperity for Fort Collins Home Builders,” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Dec. 27, 1905.
24 George S. Scales, “The Hon. Thomas Jones,” Fort Collins Express (Fort Collins, Colorado), Aug. 27, 1902.
25 “Fire Department,” Fort Collins Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Jan. 9, 1890.
26 “Odd Fellows Plan Big Celebration,” Fort Collins Express (Fort Collins, Colorado), Mar. 7, 1912.
27 “Republican Delegates Elected,” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Apr. 7, 1904.
28 “Fort Collins’ Pioneers,” Fort Collins Express Jan. 17, 1906.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
(5LR.463), and was listed as a local landmark by the City of Fort Collins because of his importance to
the community.29
Construction on the apartment building began in June and progressed quickly. The Shideler
Apartments, as it was originally named, put its first “For Rent” advertisement in the Fort Collins
Express-Courier on January 8, 1925,30 although an earlier article documenting the progress of the
construction claimed that all the apartments had been rented.31 City directories for the era indicate the
company had little trouble filling its thirteen apartments with tenants. Given the quick turnaround and
overall success of their first endeavor, their financial wherewithal, land ownership, and stated plans, it
seems likely that the company would have proceeded with the construction of additional apartment
houses in earnest. This, however, was not the case. The Scott/Shideler building at the corner of Locust
and College remains the only structure ever built by the Fort Collins Apartment Company.
Unfortunately, Shideler’s business acumen included some less than reputable activity. In fall of 1925,
the Fort Collins Express-Courier ran a story on him being sued by the D.T. Pulliam company for
breaking a contract involving a land deal.32 He also sold the Boulder Apartment Company to his mother
in order to improve its financial standings.33 In early 1926, Shideler attempted to borrow $10,000, using
the Fort Collins apartment house as collateral, in order to pay off the debts incurred by the Boulder
Apartment Company.34 The other board members filed an injunction to stop him. Eventually, the suit
was settled when Shideler’s shares in the company were purchased by A.W. Scott and E.G. Steele,
giving them controlling interest.35 After this, Shideler is not mentioned in association with the company
or building, and shortly thereafter, the building starts being advertised as the “Scott Apartments.”
Without Shideler to pursue and manage the development of more buildings, The Fort Collins Apartment
Company seemed content to continue ownership of the Scott Apartments, but abandoned plans for
additional structures. The company remained owners of the building until 1950, when it was sold to
Bert and Edna Merrihew. The Fort Collins Apartment Company then was dissolved. Shideler’s dream
to create a company with multiple structures to serve the growing population of Fort Collins was never
realized; cut short by his own ambition. His legacy, however, remains in the Scott Apartments. It is a
distinct and monumental structure that embodies his desire to provide a new type of housing to the
citizens of Fort Collins.
Gustav Edwin Lundborg
There is no official or historic record that identifies the Scott Apartment’s architect; however, evidence
points to Gustav Edwin Lundborg having at least some role. Though mostly known for his bungalow
plans, Lundborg was credited with designing The Shideler Apartment building in Boulder.18 The
striking similarity of this structure to The Scott Apartments, his established relationship with Jay
Shideler, and the brief interval between construction of the two buildings leave little doubt to his role as
the building’s designer. Since no information can be found tying Lundborg to the Scott, it is unknown if
29 Cassandra Bumgarner, “Ordinance 4845 - 491 Mathews” (Agenda Item Summary, Agenda Item 6, October 4, 2016).
30 Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 8, 1925.
31 Fort Collins Express-Courier, Dec. 9, 1924.
32 “Shideler Sued for Alleged Failure to Fulfill Contract,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Sept. 16, 1925.
33 Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 15, 1925.
34 “Temporary Receiver Asked for Apartment House Corporation,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 6, 1926.
35 “Shidelers Sell Interest To Local Members of Company,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 20, 1926.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
he was actively involved with the development of the building, or if Shideler simply reused the
schematics already owned by the Boulder Apartment Company.
Lundborg is credited for designing many fine single family Craftsman style homes in Boulder Colorado.
Many of these single-family houses are within Boulder’s University Hill neighborhood or the Mapleton
Hill Historic District (5BL.535), which is a certified district and not listed in the National Register of
Historic Places. Lundborg’s own residence at 735 Lincoln Place in Boulder (5BL.3397) has been
substantially altered, with most of the original cladding replaced. His apartment house at 1090 11th
Street in Boulder (5BL.2849) and the Seventh Day Baptist church at 780 Arapahoe (possibly no longer
extant) in Boulder are the only two commercial structures attributed to him.36 The 11th Street apartment
house displays his strong preference for the Craftsman style. With the Baptist church, however, he
departed from his familiar style and opted for Gothic arched windows and Colonial Revival detailing,
more befitting the application.37 This displays Lundborg’s ability and willingness to tailor his designs to
suit his clients, as may have been the case with the Scott Apartments.
While the Scott Apartments’ resemblance to the Shideler Apartments in Boulder is striking, there are
some notable differences. The Scott Apartments is larger, and has a more substantial feel. Craftsman
details, such as overhanging eves and exposed rafters, are replaced with brick parapets, merlons, and
massive entry steps. It is important to remember that the building was to be the first of several
apartment houses constructed by The Fort Collins Apartment Company, and needed to make a statement
about the new type of housing they were going to be offering. This was not lost on the architect, be it
Lundborg, Shideler, or another, unknown party, and it is represented in the unique design and character
of the Scott Apartments.
Residents
The initial tenants in the Scott apartment building reflect the time period in which it was built, and the
working- and middle-class families that the Fort Collins Apartment Company sought to serve. By
looking at local directories and census information, a profile can be built of the tenants who occupied the
building during its first couple decades. The broad mixture of local citizens included: tool dresser;38 the
vice president of the Taylor Clothing Company;39 the city engineer;40 a bookkeeper for Riverside Ice &
Storage;41 several professors from Colorado Agricultural College;42 part of the legendary Ver Straten oil
36 “G. Edwin Lundborg,” Boulder Daily Camera, May 24, 1943.
37 L. Simmons and C. Whitacre, “Seventh Day Baptist Church,” Historic Building Inventory Record, Carnegie Library for
Local History, Boulder, Colorado, 1990.
38 Polk’s Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory, (Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers,
1927), 43.
39 Ibid, 103.
40 Ibid, 81.
41 Ibid, 169.
42Polk’s Fort Collins (Colorado) City Directory 1929; Including Loveland City and Larimer County, (Colorado Springs: R.L.
Polk Directory Co., Publishers, 1929), 154.
Polk’s Fort Collins (Colorado) City Directory 1931; Including Loveland City and Larimer County, (Colorado Springs: R.L.
Polk Directory Co., Publishers, 1931), 107.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
drilling team,43 whose discovery of oil started the Northern Colorado oil boom;44 several public school
teachers, such as those of art, music,45 mathematics, and history;46 a chemist from the Colorado Portland
Cement Company;47 a few lawyers;48 and a barber.49
The most interesting tenant in 1927 was Fenimore Chatterton.50 Though retired by the time he moved
into the Scott, he had previously been the 6th governor of Wyoming, serving from April 28, 1903 to
January 2, 1905. He had been serving as Secretary of State, starting in 1899, when the governor
suddenly died, and Chatterton assumed the role. It appears that he continued to serve as Secretary of
State under himself, and then under the following governor as well, before his term finally ended in
1907.51 The most notable occurrence during his term as governor was the hanging of famed gunman,
Tom Horn.52 It is unknown what he was doing in Fort Collins in 1927, other than living at the Scott
Apartments.
1936 saw several of the most fascinating tenants. Whitney McNair Borland moved to Fort Collins in
1935 to take over as the head of the U.S. Department of Reclamation hydraulics laboratory, which was
housed on the Colorado A&M campus.53 He became a leader in snow and avalanche science, and his
work was some of the preliminary information that led to the building of the Eisenhower Tunnel.54 His
work on sedimentation, hydraulics, and avalanches continues to be relevant, and there is a scholarship at
Colorado State University in his name.55 In addition, he was known for having climbed all the
fourteeners in Colorado.56
43 Polk’s Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory, (Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers,
1927), 32.
44 “Oil Interest Given New Impetus by Enormous Ver Straten Flow,” Daily Times (Longmont, CO), Mar. 6, 1925.
45 Polk’s Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory, (Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers,
1927), 86.
46 United States Federal Census Records, Vera Hickman and Lillian Catren, Fort Collins, CO, 1930.
47 Polk’s Fort Collins (Colorado) City Directory 1929; Including Loveland City and Larimer County, (Colorado Springs:
R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers, 1929), 44.
48 R.L. Polk’s Directory Co’s. Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory, (Colorado Springs, R.L. Polk Directory
Co., 1925), 81.
Polk’s Fort Collins (Colorado) City Directory 1929; Including Loveland City and Larimer County, (Colorado Springs: R.L.
Polk Directory Co., Publishers, 1929), 39.
49 United States Federal Census Records, Dee Brown, Fort Collins, CO, 1940.
50 Polk’s Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory, (Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers,
1927), 35.
51 “Fenimore Chatterton,” last modified November 8, 2014, https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/fenimore-chatteron.
52 History.com Editors, “Tom Horn is hanged in Wyoming for the murder of Willie Nickell,” History, last modified
November 18, 2019, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tom-horn-is-hanged-in-wyoming-for-the-murder-of-willie-
nickell.
53 “Borland to be at Hydro Lab,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Sep. 30, 1935.
54 “Gov. Johnson Renews Push for Highway Bore,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, Nov. 4, 1955.
55 Whitney Borland Scholarship - Colorado State University Scholarships, accessed October 27, 2021,
https://colostate.academicworks.com/opportunities/41995.
56 gore galore, “A Pioneer in Snow and Avalanche Science, Whitney Borland Climbs All the Fourteens, 1941 AND 1954,”
Colorado 14ers, 13ers, and other peaks, 14ers.com, February 13, 2019, https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55727.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Two other residents of note in 1936 were Anna Lute and Elizabeth Wing. Lute, who lived in apartment
ten,57 was the head of the seed lab at Colorado Agricultural College,58 and her work earned her a role on
“one of the most important committees”59 of the International Seed Testing Congress in 1931. Of 63
people chosen for different committees that year, only two were women. Wing, in apartment twelve,60
was an associate professor of chemistry at the university, and worked there for over 30 years, before
retiring in 1954.61
The Scott Apartments has always had a strong connection with the University, which lies just across
College Avenue. Since 1925, countless staff, faculty, and students have made The Scott Apartments
their home. While it has, and will continue to serve the institution, it has never been exclusive to it.
Similar to 1927, the current roll of tenants contains a handful who are associated with CSU but also a
broad mix of blue collar and middle-class residents, just as it did nearly 100 years ago.
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Major Bibliographical References
“Apartment House Company Organized to Build Handsome Residence Apartments Here; First to be
Erected Right Away on South College Avenue and Locust Street.” Fort Collins Express-Courier,
Mar. 9, 1924.
“A Brief History of American Garages.” Skywriters Garage Blog. Blue Sky Builders. Accessed
November 2, 2021. https://www.blueskybuilders.com/blog/history-american-garages/.
“Borland to be at Hydro Lab.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Sep. 30, 1935.
“Building Outside of Collins: A Great Amount Was Done in 1903 at this End of the Poudre Valley.”
Fort Collins Express, Jan 6, 1904.
Bumgarner, Cassandra. “Ordinance 4814-491 Mathews.” Agenda Item Summary, Agenda Item 6, Oct.
4, 2016.
“The Chateau.” DRAFT Nomination Form. National Register of Historic Places. 5DV.8524, 900
Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado. Jan. 16, 2016. Section 8 p13.
57 Polk’s Fort Collins (Larimer County, Colo) City Directory 1936, Including Loveland City and Larimer County, Salt Lake
City: R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers, 1936.
58 Note: The University was originally known as Colorado Agricultural College. In 1935, it changed its name to Colorado
State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which was usually abbreviated to Colorado A&M, although the directories
seemed to use the abbreviation of CSC. Since that is the primary source for this information, CSC is used here. The college
finally earned the name of Colorado State University in the 1950s.
59 “Miss Anna Lute, Colorado’s Seed Analyst, Honored,” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 11, 1928.
60 Polk’s Fort Collins (Larimer County, Colo) City Directory 1936, Including Loveland City and Larimer County, Salt Lake
City: R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers, 1936.
61 “Elizabeth Wing Retires After 36 Years at A&M,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, June 10, 1954.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 89
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Dunn, Meg. “Then and Now: The Glenn Morris Field House at CSU.” Northern Colorado History,
October 27, 2014. https://www.northerncoloradohistory.com/csu-field-house/.
“Elizabeth Wing Retures After 36 Years at A&M.” Fort Collins Coloradoan, June 10, 1954.
“Fenimore Chatterton,” WyoHistory, Wyoming State Archives. Last modified November 8, 2014.
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/fenimore-chatteron.
“Fifteen Thousand Present Population.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 3, 1924.
“Fire Department.” Fort Collins Courier, Jan 9. 1890.
Fort Collins Express-Courier, Dec. 9, 1924.
Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jun 9, 1924.
Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 8, 1925.
Fort Collins Express-Courier, Mar. 28, 1924.
Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 15, 1925.
“Fort Collins’ Pioneers.” Fort Collins Express, Jan. 17, 1906.
“Fort Collins Population Now Nearly 15,000.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 2, 1924.
“Fort Collins Still Booming: More Residences Built During 1904 Than Any Year in the History of the
City – Though Not Many Stores.” Fort Collins Express, Dec. 21, 1904.
“Fort Collins Still Booming: More than $2,000,000 Worth of Building Was Done During the Year 1903
in and about this City.” Fort Collins Express, Dec. 23, 1903.
“G. Edwin Lundborg.” Boulder Daily Camera, May 24, 1943.
gore galore. “A Pioneer in Snow and Avalanche Science, Whitney Borland Climbs All the Fourteens,
1941 AND 1954.” Colorado 14ers, 13ers, and other peaks, 14ers.com, February 13, 2019.
https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55727.
“Gov. Johnson Renews Push for Highway Bore.” Fort Collins Coloradoan, Nov. 4, 1955.
History.com Editors. “Tom Horn is hanged in Wyoming for the murder of Willie Nickell.” History. Last
modified November 18, 2019. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tom-horn-is-hanged-
in-wyoming-for-the-murder-of-willie-nickell.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 90
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
“Miss Anna Lute, Colorado’s Seed Analyst, Honored.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Oct. 11, 1928.
“New Homes for New People.” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins, Colorado), Jan 4, 1905.
“Odd Fellows Plan Big Celebration.” Fort Collins Express, Mar. 7, 1912.
“Oil Interest Given New Impetus by Enormous Ver Straten Flow.” Daily Times (Longmont, Colorado),
Mar. 6, 1925.
“Old Town Survey, 914 College Avenue South.” Architectural Survey, Fort Collins, July 1, 1996.
Polk’s Fort Collins (Colorado) City Directory 1929; Including Loveland City and Larimer County.
Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory Co., Publishers, 1929.
Polk’s Fort Collins (Larimer County, Colo) City Directory 1936; Including Loveland City and Larimer
County. Salt Lake City: R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers, 1936.
Polk’s Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory. Colorado Springs: R.L. Polk Directory
Co., Publishers, 1927.
“Post World War I Urban Growth, 1919-1941.” Fort Collins History and Architecture. Fort Collins
History Connection. Accessed Sept. 20, 2021. https://history.fcgov.com/contexts/post.
“Record Year For Building: Nearly $400,000 Expended on New Structures in Fort Collins During the
Past Twelve Months.” Fort Collins Express, Dec. 31, 1902.
“Republican Delegates Elected.” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins, CO), Apr. 7, 1904.
R.L. Polk’s Directory Co’s. Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County Directory. Colorado Springs:
R.L. Polk Directory Co., 1925.
Scales, George S. “The Hon. Thomas Jones.” Fort Collins Express, Aug. 27, 1902.
“A Season of Great Prosperity for Fort Collins Home Builders.” Weekly Courier (Fort Collins,
Colorado), Dec. 27, 1905.
“Shideler Sued for Alleged Failure to Fulfill Contract.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Sept. 16, 1925.
“Shidelers Sell Interest to Local Members of Company.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 20, 1926.
Simmons, L. and Whitacre, C. “Seventh Day Baptist Church.” Historic Building Inventory Record,
Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado, 1990.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 91
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
“Sugar Beets, Streetcar Suburbs, and the City Beautiful, 1900-1919.” Fort Collins History and
Architecture. Fort Collins History Connection. Accessed November 2, 2021.
https://history.fcgov.com/contexts/sugar.
“Temporary Receiver Asked for Apartment House Corporation.” Fort Collins Express-Courier, Jan. 6,
1926.
United States Federal Census Records, Vera Hickman and Lillian Catren, Fort Collins, CO, 1930.
United States Federal Census Records, Dee Brown, Fort Collins, CO, 1940.
Utah’s Historic Architecture Guide. Salt Lake City: Utah Division of State History, 2018.
Whitney Borland Scholarship - Colorado State University Scholarships. Accessed October 27, 2021.
https://colostate.academicworks.com/opportunities/41995.
___________________________________________________________________________
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested
____ previously listed in the National Register
____ previously determined eligible by the National Register
____ designated a National Historic Landmark
____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #____________
____ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # __________
____ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ___________
Primary location of additional data:
__X_ State Historic Preservation Office
____ Other State agency
____ Federal agency
____ Local government
____ University
____ Other
Name of repository: _____________________________________
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): ________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property _.26____
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 92
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates
UTM References
Datum (indicated on USGS map):
NAD 1927 or NAD 1983
1. NW Corner, Zone: 13 N Easting: 493493 Northing: 4491607
2. NE Corner, Zone: 13 N Easting: 493540 Northing: 4491607
3. SE Corner, Zone: 13 N Easting: 493540 Northing: 4491583
4. SW Corner, Zone: 13 N Easting : 493493 Northing: 4491583
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)
Adapted from the Larimer County Assessor:
“Beginning at the northwest corner of Block 129, Fort Collins 1873 plat, then south 76.5 feet, then
east 140 feet to the alley, then north 76.5 feet, then west 140 feet to the beginning, and also including
a portion of a vacated alley on the east side of the property.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)
The boundary conforms to the legal boundaries of Larimer County Assessor parcel 9713229001
which includes the associated and contributing historic features of the Scott Apartment complex,
including the apartment building, associated garage, and building grounds.
______________________________________________________________________________
11. Form Prepared By
name/title: _Rae Farrar ___
organization: _ __
street & number: 29723 Pinon Court_
city or town: Buena Vista__ state: _Colorado_ zip code: 81211__
e-mail rfarrar500@gmail.com
telephone: (719)221-4719
date:11/5/2021
___________________________________________________________________________
Additional Documentation
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 93
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Submit the following items with the completed form:
Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.
Key all photographs to this map.
Architectural Drawings Existing Floor plan and elevation drawings
Attachment of Photos and Captions that correspond to photo log
Photographs
Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels
(minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the
sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph
number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be
listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property: The Scott Apartments
City or Vicinity: Fort Collins
County: Larimer State: Colorado
Photographer: Steve Levinger
Date Photographed: 4/24/2021, 7/27/2021, 8/1/2021
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera:
Photo 1 of 25 View of College avenue, circa 1924 (camera facing north)
Photo 2 of 25 Historic postcard of College Avenue (camera facing north)
Photo 3 of 25 North and east façades (camera facing southwest)
Photo 4 of 25 West façade, along College Avenue (camera facing east)
Photo 5 of 25 North façade, along Locust Street (camera facing south)
Photo 6 of 25 South façade (camera facing north)
Photo 7 of 25 East portico (camera facing west)
Photo 8 of 25 East entry stairs (camera facing west)
Photo 9 of 25 Northern side of east entry stair, railing detail (camera facing south)
Photo 10 of 25 Brick detail on the south façade (camera facing north)
Photo 11 of 25 Brick detail on the east façade (camera facing west)
Photo 12 of 25 Entry detail of walk-up apartment on north side (camera facing east)
Photo 13 of 25 West stairwell (camera facing east)
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 94
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 14 of 25 First floor corridor from the west entrance (camera facing east)
Photo 15 of 25 East end of the second floor corridor (camera facing east)
Photo 16 of 25 Second floor apartment entry (camera facing north)
Photo 17 of 25 Living room in apartment #5 (camera facing north)
Photo 18 of 25 Bedroom/Sun Parlor apartment #5 (camera facing north)
Photo 19 of 25 Dining nook in apartment #5 (camera facing north)
Photo 20 of 25 Kitchen in apartment #5 (camera facing west)
Photo 21 of 25 Bathroom in apartment #5 (camera facing north)
Photo 22 of 25 North and west garage façades (camera facing southeast)
Photo 23 of 25 East garage façade (camera facing west)
Photo 24 of 25 Shideler Apartments 1090 11th Street
Photo 25 of 25 Original building permit, dated March 27, 1924
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 95
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 1 View of College avenue, circa 1924 (camera facing north). West façade of Scott Apartments
appears on the right hand side of this photo. The Armory building (no longer existing) appears just
north of The Scott. The Colorado A & M Administration building “Old Main” (no longer existing)
appears on the left. Photo courtesy of Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Local History Archive
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 96
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 2 Historic postcard of College Avenue (camera facing north). The Scott Apartments can be seen
on the right side, partially hidden by a tree. The large building on the left side is the Glenn Morris Field
House. Courtesy of the Steve Levinger collection.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 97
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 3 North and east façades (camera facing southwest). Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 4 West façade, along College Avenue (camera facing east). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 98
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 5 North façade, along Locust Street (camera facing south). Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 6 South façade (camera facing north). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 99
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 7 East portico (camera facing west). Note the darker color of mortar in the portico, where is has
been protected from the elements. Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 8 East entry stairs (camera facing west). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 100
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 9 Northern side of east entry stair, railing detail (camera facing south). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 101
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 10 Brick detail on the south façade (camera facing north). Note the two different colors of brick.
Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 11 Brick detail on the east façade (camera facing west). Also note the two colors of green used
on the window and screen frames. Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 102
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 12 Entry detail of walk-up apartment on north side (camera facing east). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 103
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 13 West stairwell (camera facing east). This stairwell would have originally been open to the
floor below on the right side with just a banister, but was walled in as part of the fire safety measures.
Part of the original banister is visible at the top of the stairs, along the hallway. Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 104
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 14 First floor corridor from the west entrance (camera facing east). The slab door in the
foreground was a fire safety modification in the 1970s, but the 15 lite door in the background, with the 5
lite windows accenting either side, is original to the building. Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 105
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 15 East end of the second floor corridor (camera facing east). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 106
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 16 Second floor apartment entry (camera facing north). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 107
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 17 Living room in apartment #5 (camera facing north). Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 18 Bedroom/Sun Parlor apartment #5 (camera facing north). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 108
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 19 Dining nook in apartment #5 (camera facing north). Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 20 Kitchen in apartment #5 (camera facing west). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 109
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 21 Bathroom in apartment #5 (camera facing north). Note the original radiator in the corner.
Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 110
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 22 North and west garage façades, with east stairs of the main building to the right (camera facing
southeast). Photo courtesy of owner.
Photo 23 East garage façade (camera facing west). Photo courtesy of owner.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 111
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 24 Shideler Apartments 1090 11th Street. Boulder, CO note Walk-Up apartment to the left. Photo
courtesy of Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, CO
Photo 25 Original building permit, dated March 27, 1924. Courtesy of the Steve Levinger collection.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 112
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No. 1024-0018
Scott Apartments & Garage Larimer, CO
Name of Property County and State
Photo 27 South entrance of the Long Apartments at 220 E. Laurel, Fort Collins, CO (camera facing
north). Note the typical, ground level entrance with “garden level” lower floor apartments. Photo
courtesy of Steve Levinger.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for nominations to the National Register of Historic Places to
nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is
required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). We may not
conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for each response using this form is estimated to be between the Tier 1 and Tier 4
levels with the estimate of the time for each tier as follows:
Tier 1 – 60-100 hours
Tier 2 – 120 hours
Tier 3 – 230 hours
Tier 4 – 280 hours
The above estimates include time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and preparing and transmitting nominations.
Send comments regarding these estimates or any other aspect of the requirement(s) to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer,
National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525.
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 3
Packet Pg. 113
1
Nomination to the National Register – CLG Recommendation –
900 S. College Avenue, Scott Apartments & Garage
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
Historic Preservation Commission, December 15, 2021
Maps 2
900 S College Avenue – Scott Apartments & Garage (NRHP)
1
2
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 114
• Construction:
• 1924-1925
• Fort Collins Apartment Co.
• Gustav Lundborg - (likely)
architect
• Herman Schroeder - builder
• Applicable NRHP Criteria:
• A – Community Planning &
Development
• Adaptation of residential
housing for working class
professionals
• C – Design
• Early 20
th Century
Apartment
• Strong integrity in all seven aspects
• City Landmark in 2002
3
900 S College Avenue – Scott Apartments & Garage (NRHP)
Left: Image of S.
College Ave c.1930
4
900 S College Avenue – Scott Apartments & Garage (NRHP)
3
4
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 115
5
900 S College Avenue – Scott Apartments & Garage (NRHP)
Role of the Historic Preservation Commission
Certified Local Government Involvement in NRHP Process
1. Review nomination
2. Provide reasonable opportunity for public comment (public meeting)
3. Pass motion to make recommendation to State Historic
Preservation Office regarding listing
• Mayor (chief elected local official) also makes independent
recommendation
6
5
6
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 116
7
Jim Bertolini, Historic Preservation Planner
Historic Preservation Commission, December 15, 2021
Nomination to the National Register – CLG Recommendation –
900 S. College Avenue, Scott Apartments & Garage
7
ITEM 5, ATTACHMENT 4
Packet Pg. 117