Greeley Historic Preservation Commission approves four preservation awards, schedules presentation May 19

GREELEY, Colo. — The Greeley Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously April 7 to approve four Historic Preservation Month award nominations, selecting contractor Jeff Torrey of 20 First Century Painting; homeowners John Jacobs and Brooke Cole, owners of the Jacobs/Nixon house at 1631 Eleventh Avenue; and Aloe Fiber, the lessee of 808 Ninth Street, for recognition of preservation and rehabilitation work.

The awards recognize work that the commission said contributes to the preservation or protection of local historic resources. Commission members also considered and voted to allow Commissioner Marshall to participate in the awards discussion after he disclosed board membership with Historic Greeley Inc.; the commission recorded no objection and permitted him to remain for the vote.

The commission found that the nominations met its honorific criteria. The contractor nomination noted Torrey’s long experience painting historic homes in Northern Colorado and cited work on properties such as the Southern Gillespie house and the Gables. The individual nomination for John Jacobs and Brooke Cole highlighted exterior rehabilitation, landscaping and repainting of the Jacobs/Nixon house, which the commission confirmed is listed in the local register. The Aloe Fiber nomination credited the lessee with removing mid-20th-century metal panels from 808 Ninth Street, restoring decorative arched openings, rehabilitating portions of original interior tile flooring and transforming a former office-supply building into an attractive contributing structure in the Downtown Historic District.

Motions to approve each nomination passed by unanimous voice vote. The commission noted six members were present and one absent at roll call; where the meeting recorded voice votes, the outcomes were recorded as approved by unanimous voice vote. The commission also discussed logistics for presenting the awards at a Historic Preservation Month event on May 19 and staff responsibilities for producing the awards, a news release and a flyer. Staff said a news release and social media posts will be produced and that a flyer will be circulated to commissioners when available.

Commissioner reports during the meeting touched on other downtown preservation activity. Commissioners said the owner of Midnight Oil Books has leased the old armory building for a second location that will include a bookstore, café and art space and that the lessee is working with local arts groups. A commissioner reported attending a hands-on historic-window restoration workshop in Loveland and described techniques used to restore sash windows; that commissioner said a contractor provided a shop-based estimate for full-window restoration that was substantially higher than the owner expected. The commission also circulated information about a Poudre River Restoration Initiative public meeting scheduled for April 17 at the Greeley Link Library (presentation at 6 p.m.) and announced that historian Joan Kleinfelder of the University of Northern Colorado will present a Holocaust history talk twice: April 10 at the Link Library and April 24 at the Greeley History Museum (both at noon).

The commission closed its scheduled business and adjourned. It noted that the awards will be presented at the May 19 event and that the next regular meeting likely will be the first Monday in June unless an urgent hearing requires a May meeting.