Boulder Landmarks Board Recommends Landmark Status for 745 University Ave., Citing Voting History

The Boulder Landmarks Board voted unanimously Feb. 4 to recommend that 745 University Ave. be designated a local historic landmark and be named the "Polls And Registration House." The recommendation, adopted 5‑0, will be forwarded to the Boulder City Council for a public hearing within 100 days and a final decision.

Claire Brandt, the city's historic preservation planner, told the board the 1½‑story pressed‑red‑brick house, built in 1907, retains key features and historical associations that meet local designation criteria. Staff noted the property's long record as a polling and registration location for Ward 3, Precinct 3 and recommended a name that recognizes that use.

Owner and applicant Celeste Landry, who has lived in the house since 1994, described her archival research linking the house to early municipal elections and to the city's adoption of proportional ranked voting. "I was very pleased when I was doing research in the Carnegie library to discover that my home was a polling place," Landry said during her presentation to the board.

Historic Boulder and several residents spoke in favor of the nomination during public comment. Tim Plass, president of Historic Boulder, said the home's association with voting and its preserved materials make it a fitting candidate for designation and thanked the owners for bringing the nomination forward.

Board members uniformly praised both the house's intact architectural features and the historical story identified by the applicant and staff. "It's the ideal situation when the owner comes to us," one member said during deliberations, and another described the house as an important local example of early‑20th‑century Edwardian vernacular architecture.

By recommending designation, the board set the findings and directed staff to forward the record to council; Brandt said the council hearing would be scheduled within 100 days (staff noted mid‑May as the calendar target) and that, if council approves the designation, the city will work with the owners on a plaque recognizing the property.

What happens next: The city will schedule a council hearing within the statutory 100‑day window; owners or other parties retain appeal rights where allowed by code. The board's motion adopted the staff memorandum dated Feb. 4 as the board's findings.

Officials, speakers and documents: The recommendation cites sections 9‑11‑1 and 9‑11‑2 of the Boulder Revised Code and National Park Service integrity guidance as the standards used in staff analysis. The board's motion was moved by Abby Daniels and seconded by John Decker and was approved by roll call vote 5‑0.