HomeMy WebLinkAbout450 N. COLLEGE REZONING - 34-01 - CORRESPONDENCE - CITY STAFFand deciduous trees were planted along the drive, to help buffer the view of the concrete and to
emphasize the site's park setting.
One of the most critical aspects of this property is the open viewshed from both the north and
south, when approaching along College Avenue. Built on the location of an old city's dump, the
property was designed by our early city fathers to serve as a visual gateway to Fort Collins, "with
a highly visible park -like setting on the banks of the Poudre River." Apparently, the city's efforts
were appreciated by its citizenry. A newspaper article on the profitability of the power plant,
appearing in the Larimer County Coloradoan in the early 1940s, was subtitled "From City Dump
Grounds in 1935 to City Beautiful Spot in 1942." In a 1982 discussion on the possible sale of the
property, the RFP document stated, "The City contemplates that [proposed] redevelopment
should protect the parklike setting...." A 1992 document, produced by the City's Light and
Power Department, emphasized the site as a significant asset to the community, and specifically
commented upon the location's "aesthetics and character." CSU recognized the unique
characteristics of the property in their application for landmark designation of the grotto, calling
this design element a "contributing feature to the historic landscape of the Power Plant site,
and... deserving of this recognition." As joint stewards of this property, Colorado State
University and the City have applied for various grants for preservation of the building and
landscape features. The property most recently received a SOS! grant from the Smithsonian
Institution, to evaluate the restoration needs of the Art Deco fountain. The City has already
committed Landmark Rehabilitation funds in anticipation of the fountain's restoration.
MEMORANDUM
TO: John Fischbach, City Manager
September 12, 2001
TH: Joe Frank, Director of Advance Planning
Greg Byrne, Director of Community Planning and Environmental Services
FM: Karen McWilliams, Historic Preservation Planner
RE: New Driveway and Building at the Power Plant Site, 450 North College Avenue
Action Requested:
None. For further information, please contact Karen McWilliams at x6078
Issue:
The Art Deco Power Plant Building and Fountain were designated as Fort Collins Landmarks in
1987, under all three possible areas of significance: architectural, historical, and geographical. In
1999, at the request of Colorado State University, this designation was amended to include the
Grotto, which consists of a rock garden, watercourse, pool, and historic plantings. In 1984, the
Colorado Historical Society determined that the Power Plant property was eligible for individual
listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which would confer automatic designation on
the Colorado Register of Historic Properties. Due to the architectural, geographical and
historical significance of the Power Plant building and associated landscape, staff feels that it
would be difficult to construct a new drive and additional building(s) on this property without
eroding the integrity of the designed landscape and site's historic views, and jeopardizing the
property's National and State Register eligibility.
The Power Plant property is important for much more than the Art Modeme light and power
building itself. The site is also significant for its setting, along the banks of the Poudre River,
and for its locally rare planned landscaping, eligible for National Register designation as a
designed historic landscape. Critical elements of this landscape are the grotto features (designed
as an integral part of the plant's water treatment system, to cool the effluent before it was
released into the river), the mature plantings, the large expanse of turf, and the Art Deco fountain
and Centennial Monument. Additionally, the entry drive is significant,to the landscape, for its
portrayal of mid-1930s landscape architecture design principles, of simple narrow curbs, early
roadway drainage pans, and a conscious lack of sidewalks. A decision was made at the time of
construction to minimize the impact on the landscape by not having sidewalks flanking the
roadway. Instead, sandstone pedestrian walkways were originally laid as a meandering path,
following the edge of the garden -like watercourse and leading to the Poudre River. Evergreens