Preserving community character
Tamera Manzanares | For Yampa Valley Real Estate
While peeling layers of linoleum in her historic downtown home, architect Cynthia Pougiales found a 1926 Denver Post lining the original floor.
She used the well-preserved newspaper to wallpaper the powder room. She also integrated other found treasures, such as a children’s metal paint box, into special places where they serve as reminders of the home’s irreplaceable past.
Preserving historic structures can be an adventure, yielding stories linking us to Routt County’s roots. At the same time, preservation can allow for creativity in reviving old structures for modern uses.
“There are a lot of people in special places that don’t know they are in special places,” said Pougiales, who specializes in historic preservation projects at Thira Incorporated.
The city of Steamboat Springs has a Historic Preservation Program as well as Design Guidelines to help Old Town property owners planning additions or alterations on historical properties.
Improvements to historic structures — those 50 years and older — are subject to some form of historic preservation review.
The city has researched 250 homes and buildings in Old Town, documenting their historical and/or architectural significance and possible eligibility for historical registers.
The survey, which is available at the city’s Historic Preservation Office, is a good place for property owners to investigate their property’s background. They also can research ownership records at the Routt County Assessor’s office and look for additional background information at the Tread of Pioneers Museum.
Once property owners pinpoint that special something about their home, they may decide to pursue historical designation on the local, state or national historical registries. Benefits include income tax credits, sales tax rebates for preservation materials purchased in Steamboat and possible eligibility for grants to help with preservation work.
Pougiales is currently rehabilitating her downtown home, which was the longtime home of the Barrows family and downhill ski Olympian Jim “Moose” Barrows.
The wood frame house, built circa 1910, was placed on the Routt County Register of Historic Properties in 2005 because of its ski history background and its L-type vernacular architecture — a building style distinguished by steep metal roofs and wood and shingle siding.
A property must be important to the community from a historical, architectural or geographic standpoint for local designation. Recognition does not restrict what the owner may do with the property.
Preservation projects fall into different categories. Restoration reproduces a structure’s appearance exactly as it looked at a particular moment in time, while rehabilitation returns a property to a state that allows modern uses while preserving features significant to historical, architectural and cultural values.
Most preservation projects in Steamboat may be considered rehabilitation projects, according to the Steamboat Springs Historic Preservation Program.
In addition to reflecting architectural styles and details, historic homes may have locally milled lumber, sandstone from the Emerald Mountain quarry and other regional materials. Older structures also may feature work by local craftsmen such as Carl Howelsen, a stone mason who contributed to various buildings in Steamboat.
Assessments conducted by specialists such as Pougiales can help homeowners gauge a home’s condition and rehabilitation or restoration needs.
Although rehabilitation/restoration is more expensive than renovation or new construction, the value of helping to preserve the community’s historical identity is immeasurable.
“It’s an opportunity to preserve the character of the region by telling its story,” Pougiales said.
For more information about the city of Steamboat Springs Historic Preservation Program, go to www.steamboatsprings.net and click on the Departments link and then Intergovernmental Services.
