Property Values and Historic Districts

Becoming an historic district helps to protect the values of the homes within. Several days ago I was a part of a fun and informative bus tour for both new and existing Historic Boulder board members to view some of Boulder's interesting historic properties. Joyce Davies, one of Boulder's first and most fascinating preservationists, provided the background information. We spent some time looking at perhaps the City's smallest historic district, and one with a charming story to tell.

In 1939 eight faculty members of the University of Colorado, not satisfied with available living possibilities in Boulder, decided to form their own association. They purchased an entire city block in the Floral Park subdivision -- down the hill from Chautauqua and close to the University. They created eight lots. Each family drew for one of the lots, and each built a house. Architectural integrity was important to these faculty members, and they created covenants to preserve their buildings' exteriors. Before the words, "historic preservation" had been thought about, these eight had made a decision that preserved the past and looked ahead to the future.

These eight homes (bounded by Mariposa and Bluebell Avenues and 15th and 16th streets) all were constructed with green shutters and red tile roofs. The architect was James M. Hunter, who saved the homeowners money by buying in bulk and using recycled bricks from the recently demolished State Preparatory School. The appliances were ordered in bulk. With the homeowners all in agreement, it took Hunter only six months to design all of their residences.

When the eight houses were completed in 1940, people called the area Red Square because of the red roofed houses that surrounded an interior courtyard designed as open space.

In 1978 the City of Boulder designated this single city block as the Floral Park Historic District. Hunter's description of the architectural style is recorded in the minutes of the Boulder Landmarks Board from 1977. "The roof slope was in the style of the University buildings," he stated, while "detailing was culled from Williamsburg, and molding was in the Colonial style." (Some background information from a Daily Camera story by Silvia Pettem)

Rarely does one of these homes come on the market for sale. Two have sold within the last year, one in August of 2008 and one in January of 2009. The square footage of these two homes were 2,358 and 2,598. The average sale price of these two sales was $870,000. The average sale price of all single detached residential homes sold in the City of Boulder in 2008 was $656,026 - - and these statistics for the City include the sales of several million dollar properties.

With this little bit of history, it is fun to drive by and imagine a lifestyle many years ago.