Boulder staff present Civic Area Phase 2 framework to balance preservation and new programming at Glen Huntington Bandshell

City of Boulder Parks and Recreation staff and consultants presented an update and a proposed framework Sept. 3 for Civic Area Phase 2 that seeks to balance historic preservation with expanded programming and public‑realm improvements in Central Park and surrounding civic spaces.

Shihomi Kuriyagawa, project manager for Parks and Recreation, told the Landmarks Board the phase covers the Civic Area from Ninth to Fourteenth streets and includes the Glen Huntington Bandshell, the Atrium/Library block, the Dushanbe Tea House, the Penfield Tate building and the storage and transfer building. Kuriyagawa said the project team has approximately $18 million in funding identified for the phase and is studying which improvements can be delivered within that budget.

Marcy (city staff) and Abby Stone of Rios introduced a preservation‑centered approach drawn from a 2022 National Park Service‑funded guide, Preserving Landscape Experience in Historic Outdoor Theaters. Stone said the guide’s case studies show how outdoor theaters can adopt modern technical and comfort upgrades while retaining the landscape experience that makes such sites distinctive. Stone summarized lessons from Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the All Hallows (Washington, D.C.) amphitheater, saying preservation groups helped shape upgrades that modernized facilities without eroding the landscape‑first design intent. As Stone put it of Red Rocks, “the integrity of Hoyt's simple plane squeeze between the majestic rocks has endured.”

Marcy outlined a nine‑step framework drawn from the guide that Parks and Recreation proposes to apply before any formal landmark alteration applications. Key elements include formally recognizing preservation of the landscape experience as a project goal; assembling a core stakeholder group to represent visitor experience of the landscape; documenting the theater’s history and landscape relationships; hiring a multidisciplinary design team experienced in integrating structures and landscapes; analyzing how seats, stage, circulation and auxiliary buildings contribute to both historic character and visitor comfort; and transparently documenting tradeoffs where goals conflict.

Kuriyagawa said the review is not a request for decisions; project staff asked the board for feedback to inform later design phases and future landmark alteration applications. The team said Central Park (the Bandshell area) is the likeliest focus for improvements with the existing funds; other bookend areas such as the Atrium and Dushanbe Tea House may be addressed in later phases or in partnership work.

The presentation also proposed a “historic and cultural trail” to knit Civic Area assets together and better tell stories about the site’s layered history. Kuriyagawa said staff and consultants are already expanding archival research begun in 2022–23 and would document both celebrated and difficult elements of history as part of the interpretive approach.

Public commenters raised two recurring concerns during open comment: protection of a historic irrigation ditch that runs near the Farmers Market and preservation of character‑defining elements of Central Park features such as the Huntington Bandshell seating. Margo Smith, speaking from the public, urged that a downside of the concept plan would be to “cover up the ditch that runs from Boulder Creek Headgate … to the Farmers Market,” calling the ditch an important educational and historic feature. Leonard Siegel, representing Historic Boulder, asked the board not to consider altering or demolishing character‑defining elements without seeing specific redesigns, “Historic Boulder disagrees with the assessment by the preservation planners that the seats can be altered,” he said, and urged the parks department to reveal designs before the board contemplates demolition or major change.

Board members broadly welcomed a preservation‑centered framework and the team’s early outreach, while urging caution. Several board members said they support exploring ways to increase use of the Bandshell — concerts, movie nights and other programming were popular with the public — but emphasized that changes must protect the Bandshell’s visual relationship to the Flatirons and the park’s landscape experience. One board member recommended engaging acousticians and theater consultants early; Parks staff said TheatreDNA is already part of the consultant team for production planning.

On specifics, Kuriyagawa and Stone said the team will analyze seating rake, sightlines, accessibility, restroom and backstage needs, and how those elements affect the landscape experience. The team acknowledged concerns about safety and “unsocial behavior” in the Bandshell area and described ongoing prototyping and programming (for example, seasonal events and the existing nature‑play pop‑up) that staff said have coincided with a reported decrease in police calls to the area during the recent trial period.

Speakers urged accuracy in historical attribution. Several people in the meeting cautioned against repeatedly invoking Frederick Law Olmsted senior; staff noted research shows Olmsted Brothers (including Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. in the firm) were involved in plans for the region and that the project will document and present the nuanced historical record. Kuriyagawa said the team will include both the celebrated achievements and the more difficult historical episodes in interpretive material.

The project team asked the Landmarks Board for feedback on the proposed framework; board members largely supported the framework’s intent to preserve the landscape experience while exploring thoughtful adaptations that could increase use. Staff said they will return with more detailed designs and any required landmark alteration certificate applications during later design phases.

What’s next: Parks and Recreation and the Rios team will continue concept refinement, complete the historical documentation and carry stakeholder feedback into schematic design. Staff said no landmark alteration application is pending tonight; any future LACs would follow the normal public hearing and review process under Boulder Revised Code §9‑11‑18.