Effort underway to implement another CB historic district

Preserving the early recreation era buildings built between 1960-1984

by Mark Reaman

While admitting it might be a hard sell with impacted property owners who get to vote on the idea, the Crested Butte town council and members of the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review (BOZAR) indicated they want town to form another historical district in Crested Butte — one preserving the so-called “Early Recreation Era” of town. The idea is to sustain contributing structures built between 1960 and 1984.

While it was determined that 272 such structures were built in that time, consultant and architectural historian Ron Sladek surveyed them all and came up with 69 that met architectural style and standards worth designating as historical. “There are 69 buildings that reflect the best of that period,” Sladek said.

The new district would be a locally designated historic district, not a nationally designated district like Crested Butte’s Mining Era historic district (1880-1952). It would also not be an easily contiguous portion of town and instead was described as being a “salt and pepper” or non-contiguous district focused on the various 69 structures that are not all in the same area of town. Staff, council and BOZAR are discussing various options and regulations to maintain the Early Recreation Era buildings. Most would not permit demolition of the buildings but would focus on design standards to retain the building forms. Things like roof forms, window openings, porches, material application and deck placement might be regulated.

There was no interest in letting the “district” be one where property owners could choose to opt-in. Rather the idea is creating an overlay in town for that historical preservation. But under state regulations, 51% of the impacted property owners have to agree to the creation of the historical district and abide by the regs of such a district.

“The buildings are sprinkled throughout town and represent a turning point in our architectural history,” said Crested Butte Senior Planner Jessie Earley. “They used innovative construction methods and materials for the time, and they capture the story of the town’s more recent growth. The materials used were not built to last, unfortunately and some degrade quickly in our harsh winters.”

“It is interesting that the early recreation era buildings were not robust buildings so some may start falling down around us,” noted BOZAR member Ed Schmidt.

Earley said she has talked to 27 of the 69 property owners on the list and her goal is to talk to all of them. She indicated there has been a mixed reaction to the idea with about 10 of the owners expressing enthusiasm for the idea and the rest being more tentative. She said they were waiting for details. She said grant funding would pay for an “intensive survey” of 12 of the properties from each of the identified eight categories that include Neo-Victorian, Contemporary, Chalet and Vernacular styles among others.

“It seems like the cart is before the horse,” said BOZAR chair Erik Nauman. “I would be surprised if 51% agreed to do it. Why would they? Out of fear, most property owners don’t like putting any extra restrictions on their property.”

“They would be eligible for things like state and federal tax credits and other incentives,” said Earley. “The majority of the people I’ve talked to understand the goal and voiced support for what we’re trying to do but we’re not going in blindly. Also, these buildings are currently being regulated by the current Design Guidelines. So, in a way, this would loosen the current regulations to 1880-1952 architecture.”

“Incentives are as important as anything,” agreed Nauman. “Tax credits are great but maybe we can offer more. People are sensitive to what they can and can’t do with their property.”

“The question is, does the community want to retain the buildings from this point in its history or just have pictures of them in a book,” asked Sladek. “You can do either.”

“I value preserving those buildings,” said councilmember Kate Guibert.

“I want to get the pulse of these property owners to see how they feel about this preservation,” added councilmember Gabi Prochaska. “Do these owners love the reflection of this odd era of buildings in Crested Butte?”

“I would lean toward a narrower district,” said mayor pro tem Mallika Magner. “Some of these examples are uninspiring.”

“I’d want to keep it broader,” countered Prochaska. “I appreciate the features of the time.”

“The simple form houses of the period remind us some people had to build just what they could afford in Crested Butte and they were simple places to live,” said Nauman.

Earley said designating fewer than 69 buildings, especially based on personal preference, was not advocated by Sladek.

“One incentive for some people is to understand they have an important project with an old house,” said Nauman. “The point of this is to have a variety within the built environment. Look at the whole big picture.”

“Is there some way to get ahead and make sure we have that 51% support before spending a lot of time on this?” asked Magner.

“We understand it is labor intensive to form such a district,” said Earley. “We didn’t go into this blindly.”

“The town has this variety of 40- or 50-year-old houses and if they are not taken care of, they’ll be gone,” said owner of one of the houses on the Early Recreation Era list, Charlie Slater. “I renovated the house when I first bought it but couldn’t change much so what you are proposing isn’t draconian. You want to save these houses. It’s good for the town.”

“My house is also on the list,” said Sue Navy. “It’s a good list. It is really important to preserve that segment of housing. My house exemplifies what Crested Butte architecture was in ’83. I want to see it remain part of Crested Butte.”

Earley and Sladek will continue reaching out to the other 42 property owners on the list. They indicated they are available to meet and answer questions about the new historic district options with the property owners and will report back to the BOZAR and council. Property owners can reach to town by emailing planning@crestedbutte-co.gov.