Landmarks board conditionally approves relocation of garage at Tyler House, 2940 Twentieth St.

The Boulder Landmarks Board on Sept. 3 voted unanimously to conditionally approve a landmark alteration certificate to relocate an existing accessory garage into the designated boundary of the Tyler House at 2940 Twentieth Street. The board adopted staff findings and imposed conditions on final driveway alignment, drainage/guttering details and a written relocation methodology from the moving company.

The vote followed a staff presentation and public comment. Claire Brandt, historic preservation planner, told the board staff found the proposal consistent with standards in Section 9‑11‑18 of the Boulder Revised Code of 1981 and recommended conditional approval, noting “the proposed relocation of the accessory building does not damage or destroy the exterior architectural features of the historic building” if conditions are met.

Applicant Catherine Barth said the move would shorten a treacherous, icy walk from her house to its garage: “I just didn’t want to put my garage into the landfill if I could reuse it,” she told the board, adding reuse was a conservation priority. Structural mover Mark Powell explained the plan to retain the roof in place and deconstruct and reconstruct the concrete‑block walls with updated mortar and reinforcement.

Nut graf: The board’s conditional approval lets the non‑contributing 1950s garage be incorporated into the Tyler House landmark parcel while preserving the house’s character; final LAC issuance depends on the applicant satisfying the staff‑recommended conditions and on whether city council calls up the decision within 16 days.

Staff described the proposal as a rotation and relocation of the existing 34‑by‑23‑foot, one‑story, concrete‑block garage (about 12 feet to the roof ridgeline). The garage would be rotated 90 degrees and moved about 13 feet to the south, set back roughly 96 feet from Twentieth Street and about 16½ feet from the northeast corner of the historic house. No mature trees are proposed to be removed. Staff recommended maintaining gravel driveway materials, replicating a low concrete curb, and ensuring positive drainage away from the historic building as conditions of approval.

During the hearing, board members asked about whether the building could be moved in one piece. Powell replied that while moving it whole was possible, the walls would still require deconstruction and reinforcement: “the roof will be in place, but the walls will be deconstructed and reconstructed,” he said. Staff confirmed they received a contractor methodology and a structural engineering report in the days before the meeting and incorporated that information into the record.

Public commenters supported reuse and noted environmental benefits of retaining embodied energy in existing materials. Leonard Siegel, speaking for Historic Boulder, said reusing the garage was “commendable” and consistent with preservation goals. Lynn Siegel and other speakers raised separate preservation concerns about other Civic Area proposals (see related story), but those remarks were not part of the Tyler House hearing.

Action and next steps: Abby Daniels moved adoption of the staff memorandum and conditional approval; Michael Ray seconded. The board approved the motion 4–0 (John Decker, Abby Daniels, Michael Ray, Chelsea Castellano voting aye). Claire Brandt said the approval is subject to a 16‑day city council call‑up period; if council does not call up the decision, staff will verify the conditions and issue the LAC when they are satisfied. A denial would have carried a 30‑day council review option and a 12‑month prohibition on substantially similar applications.

Ending: The board recorded the conditions in the staff memorandum and will monitor fulfillment of the relocation methodology, driveway and drainage details before issuing the final certificate.