Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council designates 3375 Sixteenth St. ‘Orchard House’ as individual landmark
Summary
The City Council unanimously designated the property at 3375 Sixteenth Street as an individual landmark, naming it the Orchard House and placing future exterior changes under the landmark alteration certificate process.
Boulder City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance on June 6 designating 3375 Sixteenth Street as an individual landmark, to be called the Orchard House.
The vote makes the property subject to the city’s landmark alteration certificate process and eligible for a bronze plaque and state historic-preservation tax credits, staff said.
Why it matters: The designation recognizes the house’s architectural and historical significance as an intact craftsman bungalow and as a vestige of the area’s orchard-era agricultural history in Old North Boulder. Staff told council the home retains character-defining features — a full-width recessed porch, exposed rafter tails, wood shingle siding and mature trees on the corner lot — and has had only five owners in 128 years.
What staff presented
Marcy Gerwin, principal planner in Planning & Development Services, opened the quasi-judicial presentation with the procedural criteria: council must consider the code standards in BRC chapter 9-11 and balance designation criteria with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Gerwin said the Landmarks Board voted unanimously on May 7 to recommend designation and that the property’s boundary follows the lot lines.
The house’s history
Gerwin traced ownership back to early 20th-century orchard owners and said the structure likely served as a farmhouse for a truck garden and retains a rural feel despite surrounding subdivision. “This house has had only five owners since it was built 128 years ago,” Gerwin said during the presentation. Staff recommended the “Orchard House” name to reflect the property’s agricultural history.
Public hearing and vote
One speaker had signed up to comment but did not appear; the public hearing was closed with no public testimony. A council motion to adopt the ordinance passed on a roll call; the clerk announced the ordinance (listed in staff materials as ordinance 8,703) was adopted unanimously.
Ending
Council thanked staff and the applicants for pursuing the designation. With the designation, any future exterior changes to the property will require review through the landmark alteration certificate process.
