Two Fort Collins sites tied to Hispanic and migrant sugar‑beet history headed to State Register review

History Colorado will ask the State Review Board to consider two Fort Collins properties for addition to the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, officials told the Fort Collins Historic Preservation Commission during its Sept. 17 meeting.

History Colorado senior national and state register historian Damien Pechota said the nominations are part of a statewide initiative to add more sites representing underrepresented communities. “A survey and study found that 4% of Colorado State and National Register listings only represented underrepresented communities,” Pechota said, and the agency aims to expand listings through its “heritage for all” work.

The two Fort Collins nominations are the City Park Baseball Field and the Romero House, also known as the Museo de las Tres Colonias. Dr. Molly Leiva, who prepared the nominations on behalf of community members, told the commission the City Park Baseball Field was a “vital gathering space for the Hispanic and Mexican American community” from the 1940s through the 1960s, when the Fort Collins Legionnaires — a team formed from sugar‑beet industry workers — regularly played there. The Romero House is an adobe home built in 1927 by John B. Romero that the community later turned into the Museo de las Tres Colonias to highlight early sugar‑beet workers.

Commissioners and staff discussed what inclusion on the state register would mean for the properties. Pechota and staff from the city said state and national register listings are honorary and do not by themselves impose local restrictions, though they can make projects more competitive for the State Historical Fund and other incentives. “These are honorary and information‑gathering only,” Pechota said, while noting the recognition can aid visibility and future grant applications.

City staff added that because the city owns both properties, staff will coordinate with Parks to manage any practical implications. The Romero House has received State Historical Fund support in the past, staff said.

Members of the public praised the nominations during the meeting’s public‑comment period. Jerry Yawadan, president of the Maceo de las Frescolonius board, described recent community programming at the Museo, saying the organization hosted more than 110 visitors on its historic homes tour and is expanding community events. “We just came off doing a historic homes tour… we had over 110 come through Saturday,” Yawadan said.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the nominations at the Sept. 17 meeting; staff characterized the item as informational because the formal review will occur at the State Review Board the following day. Staff encouraged community members to follow History Colorado’s initiative and said the state staff can assist communities that lack resources to prepare nominations.

If the State Review Board approves the nominations, the sites will be entered into the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties; that designation is separate from local landmark protections and is primarily an honorary listing with potential to support grant eligibility.

For more information, History Colorado’s initiative and the nominations are available through the state agency’s website and the city’s historic preservation staff.