Easton Office Building
1636 16th Street/ Roger J. Easton, architect/ Formalism style/ Structure of Merit/ built 1964This building was designed as the architecture office of Roger Easton. He was a graduate of the Iowa State University College of Architecture and worked in Portland, Oregon for the international modernist firm Skidmore Ownings and Merrill before moving to Boulder to teach at CU. He was one of several young architects who worked in the office of James Hunter before venturing out on his own.This building is one of the more poetic Modern-era buildings in Boulder. Its ethereal composition, which practically hovers above the ground, is inspired by the architecture of the international master of Modernism, Mies Van Der Rohe. Its front façade is mostly solid walls, while the back side which faces the creek is a wall of windows. The design was given an award by the American Institute of Architects.
demolished: National State Bank of Boulder
1650 Canyon Boulevard/ Everett-Zeigel Architects architect/ Expressionism style/ built 1973This site is included in the tour to illustrate that MCM buildings are being demolished, this one in 2018, as Boulder continues to grow. Small buildings are replaced by larger ones, and the heritage of innovative design is being lost.This branch bank building had a unique approach to drive-up car culture; it was designed as a series of circles. The central circle was the retail bank, and radiating curves moved automobiles forward to arrive at the drive-up tellers.About Boulder's historic preservation program: Demolition applications for buildings over 50 years old are reviewed by the preservation program for historic value either by Planning staff alone, or by the Landmarks Design Review Committee, and/or by the Landmarks Board when greater consideration in a public hearing setting is deemed necessary. Like the Harvest House Hotel, the demolition application for this bank building was reviewed and approved by staff because the building was constructed during or after 1940. Buildings constructed before 1940 are subject to more rigorous reviews.
Easton Apartments
1700 17th Street/ Roger J. Easton architect/ Miesian style/ built 1972This innovative design is composed of two apartment buildings elevated on columns that shelter the building entrances and parking. They are linked at the top with a suspended walkway that accesses roof terraces. The building façades have no windows facing the street to provide visual and acoustic privacy for the apartments, but open internally with large windows and balconies.
Boulder High School
1604 Arapahoe Avenue/ Glen Huntington architect/ Art Deco -Streamline Moderne/ built 1937While this building predates the MCM era, it is included on this tour because it was one of the first Modern buildings in Boulder. At the height of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Boulder High was built with funds from the WPA. Its design was cutting edge for its time and followed the principles of the Art Deco/Streamline Moderne movement.The exterior composition of the school is a balance of horizontal and vertical bands of windows. The building was constructed with local sandstone and Indiana limestone, the same materials used for many of the buildings at the University of Colorado. The entrance is highlighted with bas-relief sculptures representing Wisdom and Strength. Many additions have been made over the years in keeping with the design character of the original building.It is worth mentioning that the lead architect, Glen Huntington, was the first practitioner of Modernism in Boulder. His notable work includes the Boulder County Courthouse, the bandshell in Central Park, and a Modern apartment building on 12th Street in University Hill.About Boulder's historic preservation program: Buildings owned by the school district are not subject to Boulder's ordinances. The same is true of buildings owned by CU.
Eye Clinic
2111 Arapahoe Avenue/ Heinzman & Kindig architect/ Rustic Modern style/ built 1964This building is split between a lower base level, horizontal in orientation and clad in painted brick, and an upper floor which has a repetitive design element of triangular vertical pilasters with windows. It is clad in wood shake shingles.Originally designed as a doctor’s clinic, the building is now used for Naropa University offices. Like other small buildings on a large site, this building is in danger of demolition. In 2021 there was a proposal to tear it down and build apartments.
Harvest House Manor
1444 Folsom Street/ Ralph D. Peterson & Associates architect/ International Style/ built 1958The Harvest Manor Apartments were part of a large development that includes Arapahoe Village Shopping Center, the Harvest House Hotel, and tennis and swimming recreation facilities. The building is a good example of the International Style made famous in Europe. Defining characteristics are the economical industrial construction techniques, the horizontal composition, flat roofs, a central entry between the two wings of residences, and the generous balconies. Exterior alterations made this year (2023) include the removal of the original balcony railings and modifications to curved entry screen wall, both character defining features.Status: In 2023 a demolition permit application was submitted for the Harvest Manor Apartments building. The application has been forwarded to the Landmarks Board for a decision.
Harvest House Motor Hotel
1345 28th Street/ Ralph D. Peterson Associates architect/ International Style/ built 1958-9This building was a part of the large development described under the Harvest House Manor tour stop which has had additions and modifications over the years.For more than 60 years, this hotel has been the setting of community-building activities, and until the emergence and popularity of the Pearl Street Mall in the mid 1980’s, it was the social hub for Boulder activities.The building is one of the best examples of the International Style of the Modern Movement of architecture design in Boulder. The characteristics of this design are the sweeping horizontal lines of balconies, sun shading, and ribbons of windows. Its curving floor plans emphasize the sweep of the south façade, and the use of local sandstone gives the building a regional flavor. Status: In 2021, a proposal to redevelop the property was unveiled. The plan is to tear down the hotel and replace it and the recreation area with three apartment buildings intended for college students. Demolition was approved by Boulder's Planning staff.
Van Schaak Building
1717 Folsom Street/ Harry McMichael Architect/ Miesian Style/ built 1970The design of this one-story office building shows a strong influence of the work of Mies Van Der Rohe. Modernist design elements include the repetitive array of large windows across the front of the building, the crisply detailed brick walls, the flat roof, and the way the building seems to be suspended a foot from the ground.
IBM Sales Division Office
1909 26th Street/ Roger J. Easton architect/ Miesian style/ built 1970This building, known as the Kellcourt Building, first served as offices and a retail space for IBM typewriters. The project was inspired by the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, designed by Mies Van Der Rohe. The exterior is comprised of a two-story box with alternating vertical panels of brick and glass and sits on a solid concrete base. The corners are elegantly detailed with a steel column flanked by windows.In 2007, new owners hired a Boulder architecture company to update the building, including some embellishments to the exterior which are considerate of its original character.
Mecha Building
2546 Spruce Street/ unknown architect/ Googie style/ built 1971This Googie-style building is included in the MCM tour because it is currently under review for demolition. Googie architecture represents an era when automobile use became widespread and buildings were designed to accommodate this car culture, including drive-in theaters, restaurants, liquor stores, and coffee shops. They were often highly geometric, expressive, and attention grabbing.The dramatic feature of this building is its upward sloping roof with strong rafters supporting a large overhang. This property occupies part of a large, proposed development that includes the entire block along Spruce Street. The current plan requires this building to be torn down and the rafters salvaged. The Landmarks Board will decide if the building should be protected as a landmark.Status: The proposal requires Site Review, which allows the city to have more influence in shaping a project to better align with its goals than a by-right development. Typically, one of these goals is historic preservation. In this case, unlike Site Reviewed projects in the past, the city appears to favor housing over historic preservation. However, the review process is not complete, so it is not known if the city will permit demolition.
1934 Pine St
unknown architect/ Late Modern style/ built 1965The MCM building here is the addition built onto the south side of an older house at the corner of Pine and 20th Street. The addition converted the single-family house into apartments. It is composed of three adjoining townhomes, each with its own low-sloping gable roof above an entry door at the ground level. The Modern elements include the large, triangular gable windows, the overhanging roof eaves, and the unadorned stucco front façade.
Addition to St. John's Church
1419 Pine Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Expressionist style/ built 1965This small chapel is one of several buildings on the MCM tour by the architecture firm of Hobart Wagener. He moved from Portland, Oregon to Boulder in the early 1950s and became a lead designer at the office of James Hunter. After a few years, he started his own company which became a prolific Modernist design company, producing over 200 innovative buildings in Boulder. The designs often had expressive roofs in a variety of shapes.The chapel is an example of one of these roofs in a classic, pyramidal shape. It is supported on a base of rugged blocks of sandstone. The entry has beautiful stained-glass windows and double doors with abstract artistic details. The original design included a skylight at the roof apex similar to the Atrium Building, also on the tour, but it was not built.
Addition to First United Methodist Church
1421 Spruce Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Formalism style/ built 1960The United Methodist Church was built in 1892 in a handsome style know as Richardsonian Romanesque. The MCM addition along Spruce Street doubled the capacity of the sanctuary. The roof gables and the rusticated stone base reflect the original church. Even the low-arching windows at the ground level relate to the arched-top windows in the old church. The large size of the addition was cleverly reduced in appearance by joining six smaller building blocks instead of using one long, unbroken façade. The addition is perforated with hundreds of openings, most adorned with beautiful stained glass. The end panel forms a pavilion that is an open-air shelter over the main entry to the sanctuary. A unique design element that is not visible from the ground level is the roof geometry. It is built in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid, which is a technical name for a favorite detail of the MCM era.
Additions to Boulder County Courthouse
1325 Pearl Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Formalism style/ built 1962The iconic Art Deco Boulder County Courthouse was designed by Glen Huntington and built in the 1930s. It replaced an earlier building that burnt down.The additions were built on the east and west ends to create more office space. The design approach was to create backdrops that did not draw attention from the main building. Each addition is composed of two, three-story blocks joined by a recessed, glass entry. The exterior relates to the old building by using the same light-colored sandstone and vertical bands of windows.
Colorado Building
1919 14th Street, James M. Hunter and Associates architect/ Meisian style/ built 1955/ Historic LandmarkThis is downtown Boulder’s only ‘skyscraper’ at nine stories, built when the city was trying to portray a progressive image and before today’s height regulations. Business leader, Allen Lefferdink, hired James M. Hunter and Associates, the premier architecture firm of the decade, to build a distinctive, modern building for his Colorado Insurance Group headquarters.The design is inspired by the work of Mies Van Der Rohe and consists of a tall office block with a roof-deck helipad and a short retail block that housed a department store. The exterior is a regular pattern of glass and window frames, called a curtain wall, which is a favorite Modernist detail. The narrow sides are covered in stacked brick with a subtle abstract pattern that is repeated up the entire wall. In big cities, buildings like this reach heights of 60 stories, but in Boulder this building is politely short.Some years ago, a previous owner changed the color of the panels below the windows. The current owners restored the original color and landmarked the building.
The Rink
1722 14th Street/ Charles Haertling architect/ Formalism style/ built 1975The Rink office building is a conversion of an old roller-skating rink into offices. The adaptation of the existing building uses a curved-roof motif to create a colonnade of rounded arches with pilasters. A large, Modernist second floor deck faces the creek.
The Atrium Building
1300 Canyon Boulevard/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Rustic Modern style/ built 1969/ Historic LandmarkThe Atrium was built as a bank for Midland Savings and Loan in an area on Canyon Boulevard where four other banks were located as the street became a major Boulder thoroughfare. Several branch banks for Midland Savings and Loan were designed by Wagener, all are dominated by an expressive roof form. This building is crowned with a large skylight at the apex of the roof pyramid and originally had a double-height atrium space in the main hall. Stone columns support the roof and frame its large storefront windows.The City of Boulder owns this building and has used it since the 1980s for government offices. In 2022, the City Council voted to landmark the building. It is anticipated that the property will be repurposed once the city offices are relocated.
Huntington Central Park Bandshell and Central Park
1212 Canyon Boulevard/ Glen Huntington architect / Art Deco style/ built 1938/ gifted to the city and erected by the Boulder Lions Club/ Historic LandmarkWhile this structure predates the MCM era, it is an iconic early Modernist design that expresses the progressive spirit of Boulder. The bandshell's strong form of six concentric arches that taper toward the back of the stage is derived from 1930s-era theaters in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. This geometric design was also used by the architect for the Boulder High School auditorium. The front arch is anchored by two thick buttresses at the ground, and the elevated stage can be reached by steps on either side. The primary materials are a concrete base supporting painted acoustic panels that are framed in wood.The concept for the bandshell and the associated seating first appeared in the masterplan that was created by Saco De Boer, a well-known landscape architect and planner. It was declared a city landmark in 1995.Status: Even after achieving landmark protection there have been proposals to demolish the bandshell as a part of an overall re-imagining of Central Park.
City of Boulder Municipal Building & Addition
1777 Broadway/ International Style/ Historic LandmarkFirst Phase: James M. Hunter & Assoc. architect / built 1951Second Phase: Hobart D. Wagener architect/ built 1962The first phase of the Municipal Building was designed by the architecture office of James Hunter, successor to Glen Huntington’s firm and the training ground for many architects who went on to be leaders in the Modernist progressive design approach in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It faces Broadway with a curving front flanked by curtain walls of windows and flat roofs. Functional office wings extend to the south and north with horizontal bands of windows. It exemplifies the International Style of Le Corbusier.The second phase is an addition to the west, designed by the office of Hobart Wagener, a former employee of James Hunter. While clad in the same local sandstone as the first phase, this building has a different character. The windows are vertical slits set in the stone walls. The addition connects to the main building with a two-story glass wall where the entrances to the building have been positioned.
Boulder Public Library
1101 Arapahoe Avenue/ International Style/First Phase: James M. Hunter architect/ built 1961Second Phase: Roger J. Easton architect/ built 1974(Third Phase: built 1990s)The library was built in three phases, this tour focuses on the first two which express the progressive ideas of Mid-Century-Modernism. The first phase was built along Canyon Boulevard in the International style of the American Modern master, Edward Durrell Stone. It consisted of a theater in the back, horizontal wings for library stacks in the middle, and a box for the lobby in a balanced, symmetrical form. The building has a welcoming colonnade along the entire east side that borders two courtyards with concrete screen walls. The roofs are flat.The second phase addition to the south uses the same materials as the original building but has a different character. A glass bridge dramatically spans Boulder Creek and leads to a two-story concrete and glass paneled area that houses library stacks. A special feature is the covered plaza at the ground level that faces the creek.(The third phase addition along Arapahoe Avenue acts as the main entrance.)
demolished: First National Bank
1800 Broadway Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Rationalist style/ opened in 1958This building is on the tour even though it was demolished in the late 1990s. It was one of the most significant MCM buildings to be built in Boulder. Its radical design signaled that even the conservative banking industry had bought into the progressive ethos of Modernism.Key design elements were the gridded sun shades on the southern façade, arched concrete canopies over the drive-through lanes, the use of local sandstone, and almost no ornament.About Boulder's historic preservation program: This building was less than 50 years old at the time of demolition therefore the demolition application was not required to undergo preservation review.
Home Savings and Loan
1913 Broadway Street/ unknown architect/ Googie style/ built 1963Downtown Boulder has had several drive-thru banks beginning in the 1960’s. This one is built of local sandstone with a low sloping roof over the driveway. Its dynamic, Googie-style triangular façade has been modified over the years, weakening the original integrity of the design.
Masonic Lodge of Boulder
2205 Broadway Street/ James M. Hunter and Associates architect/ International Style/ built 1948/ Historic LandmarkThis striking building replaced the original Masonic Temple (1895) destroyed by fire in 1945. The Masons joined the wave of organizations that switched to a modern style. The inspiration for the design was drawn from the International Style combined with a local Colorado feeling. Most of the exterior is made of beautifully detailed local sandstone.Key design elements are the horizontal composition of the forms, the simply-detailed sandstone second floor above a concrete first floor, the flat roofs, the concrete canopy at the entrance, the concrete eyebrow overhangs at the first floor windows, and horizontal reveals in the first-story concrete façade.The Boulder History Museum bought the building in 2013, had it designated as a city landmark, and renovated it to become the Museum of Boulder. Alterations made to the exterior were required to meet approval from the city's Landmarks Board.
Tye Dental Headquarters
1150 Maxwell Avenue/ L. Gale Abels architect/ Formalism style/ built 1967/ Mapleton Hill Historic DistrictOriginally a dental office, this building features three unique towers of windows, and an L-shaped wall leading to a double height, recessed entrance.L. Gale Abels was one of several prominent architects in Boulder County who experimented with MCM design. His architectural pedigree is exceptional, having trained with two of the leading figures of Modern design, Walter Gropius and Eero Saarinen.About Boulder's preservation program: Built outside of the period of significance, 1865 to 1946, for the Mapleton Hill Historic District this building may not have the same protection as others in the district. However, significant changes or demolition of buildings over 50 years old, such as this one, are reviewed by the preservation program.
Boulder Valley Eye Clinic
2401 Broadway Street/ Charles A. Haertling architect/ Expressionism style/ built 1967/ Structure of MeritOne of the most iconic and creative works of Modern era architecture in all of Colorado is this former Boulder Valley Eye Clinic. It was innovatively constructed with concrete injected onto a metal rebar formwork and then sprayed with a protective outer surface called gunite. The original floor plan was loosely based on the shape of the eye with the entry at the spot where the pupil would be located and suites of offices and exam rooms curved away on each side. This building and the dental office across Maxwell Street were built at the same time, demonstrating the broad diversity of design approaches during the MCM era. The Broadway exterior of this building has been altered.The maverick architect, Charles Haertling, was one of the most creative architects who ever worked in Colorado. He approached each project with a completely fresh, imaginative approach, never repeating his original and artistic designs.About Boulder's historic preservation program: The city honored this building with the recognition of Structure of Merit which is a way to recognize architecturally significant buildings that have not been landmarked, but it affords no legal or protective implications.
Mountain Savings and Loan Association
2300 Broadway Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Rustic Modern style/ built 1964Prior to moving to Boulder, architect Hobart Wagener worked in Portland, Oregon for renegade Modernist Pietro Belluschi. This building is reflective of the cutting-edge design from Belluschi's office.The building was designed as a branch office for the Mountain Savings and Loan Bank. The roof has a very thin profile. Its low sloping form crowns the building, and it provides a welcoming front porch entrance. The textured wood siding is crisply detailed and references vernacular barns. Horizontal windows accentuate the length of the building.The current owner appreciates and understands MCM design and has continued that theme in the renovation of the interior.
Sacred Heart Catholic School Auditorium
1315 Mapleton Avenue/ Langhart-McGuire-Barngrover architect/ Expressionism styleAuditorium: built 1959Classrooms: built 1967This school was built over many years in several phases. The tour focuses on the auditorium and classrooms buildings both of which were designed by Victor Langhart who came out of the office of Hobart Wagener.The auditorium wing is a simple box with subtle Modernist details, including the double stairs on the street front, the repetitive pattern made of stacked concrete blocks for the side walls, and a roof in a series of angles (folded plate configuration) with clerestory windows that bring light into the interior.The classroom wing is on raised columns creating ground-level space for students to recreate. The interior provides learning spaces for up to 200 students. The building is constructed with exposed concrete structural frames and masonry infill walls with flat roofs.
demolished: Casey Middle School auditorium
1301 High Street/ Hobart D. Wagener architect/ Expressionist style/ built 1950?This portion of the Casey Middle School has been demolished but it is included on the tour for the following reasons.The addition of this new gymnasium was a cutting-edge and beautiful MCM industrial design. An abundance of dramatically-shaped clerestory windows on the roof provided shadowless light into a big space in an economical and environmental way.In the 2010s, the school was completely remodeled to bring it up to current educational infrastructure standards, and the gym and adjacent library were torn down. Because the Boulder Valley School District is its own legal entity, it is independent of City of Boulder regulations regarding demolition or landmarking. The next school planned for demolition is the much larger, perhaps more historically significant Baseline Junior High school.
2450 Broadway
2450 Broadway Street/ unknown architect/ International Style/ built 1950This modest office building is an example of the International Style. The predominantly horizontal composition has a flat roof with large overhangs, an incised concrete base, and local sandstone walls. Most windows are deeply recessed with the striking exception of the entrance which is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows. This looks like it could have been a James Hunter design.Status: This building is included in the Alpine Balsam Area Plan, approximately defined by Cedar, 13th, Portland Place, and 9th Streets. The city's current inclination for Area Plans is to increase density and height to encourage housing development. Therefore, a non-landmarked small building on a large lot, like this, would have little protection from demolition and pressures to maximize development.
2475 Broadway
2475 Broadway Street/ Hobart Wagener architect/ Expressionist style/ built 1969This eye-catching office building features large windows that pop out of the façade, a flat roof, and vertical bands of paneling.(Just to the west is a Late Modern apartment building from 1984 that is worth checking out.)
825, 827 Dewey Ave
825, 827 Dewey Avenue/ Elwood Grabow architect/ Rustic Modern style/ built 1966This Modernist one of a kind version of a ski chalet has three apartments that stack on top of each other and step from the front of the property to the back as the land slopes down to the north. The shingled roof serves as the front exterior wall, while the sides have numerous windows.
Bassler House
545 Mapleton Avenue/ unknown architect/ Usonian style/ built 1961/ Mapleton Historic DistrictThis Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design strongly resembles the work of California developer Joseph Eichler. Key design elements include the single-level floor plan, the low sloping roof with broad overhangs, and the breeze-block screen walls.About Boulder's historic preservation program: Like two other buildings on this tour, the construction date of this house is outside the period of significance for the Mapleton Hill Historic District.
Trafton Bean House
2221 4th Street/ Hobart Wagener architect/ Usonian style/ built 1955/ Mapleton Historic DistrictAddition: Late Modern style/ built 1977The original version of this house was a simple design with a garage near the street and the living spaces in a wing that stepped down the hillside to the west. An addition reimagined the house in a Late Modernist style with a flat roof, ribbons of horizontal windows, a flying beam, and a brilliant white paint finish.Around the time the modern addition was completed, the neighborhood reacted by creating a protected historic district, making it more difficult for such a contemporary design to be built again in this area.About Boulder’s preservation program: The U.S. Secretary of the Interior's guidelines for best preservation practices recommends additions to historic structures or infills in historic districts to reflect design of the current time while simultaneously being compatible with the historic building(s). Boulder's guidelines follow suit.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
345 Mapleton Avenue/ James M. Hunter architect/ Rustic Modern/ built 1949Consider how innovative this church’s design was when it opened in 1949! The original entrance was a two-story wall of gridded wood panels (today a wall of glass) framed in limestone and sandstone. The slender bell tower is capped with an abstract expression of the holy trinity. The side walls have alternating vertical bands of sandstone and stained-glass windows, solidly supported on a concrete base. Inside, the sanctuary has soaring laminated wood columns and beams that span the width of the large space.The addition of a small chapel to the west was done in a contrasting Modern design approach that is angular and expressive as opposed to the rectilinear and calm main building. This was designed by an unknown architect, possibly Hobart Wagener.
Menkick House
165 Green Rock Drive/ Charles A. Haertling architect/ Miesian style/ built 1969-70The design of this house references the work of Mies Van Der Rohe. The exterior composition is a cubist abstraction of the towering wall of red rocks that provide a backdrop to the house. Walls of vertical sandstone blocks contrast with horizontal wood slats, ribbons of windows, and a cantilevering deck on the north side. The floor plan has three linear wings that extend out from the central hub of the house where the kitchen is located.This home has recently undergone a complete interior renovation and an exterior restoration. The primary change to the original exterior design is the addition of a home office/studio on top of the underground garage.
