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Commission approves restoration certificate for 640 Avenue C
Summary
The Boulder City Historic Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for restoration work on a 1931 house at 640 Avenue C, owned by the Boulder City Hoover Dam Museum, after staff said the plans meet Secretary of Interior standards; work had briefly proceeded before permits were issued.
The Boulder City Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve a certificate of appropriateness for restoration work on a 1931 National Folk–style house at 640 Avenue C, allowing museum-led repairs to proceed and enabling staff to clear related building permits.
City planner Nikisha Lyons told the commission the Boulder City Hoover Dam Museum acquired the residence in 2017 and proposes to reopen an enclosed north patio and replace nonoriginal siding with six-inch wood drop siding that matches original plans. Lyons said the restoration complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and the city’s adopted design guidelines.
"This proposed project will retain and preserve original and historic features and materials and will restore the original floor plan," Lyons said, describing the work as consistent with historical documents and Bureau of Reclamation architectural plans on file with the museum.
An advisory member on the commission reiterated staff and consultant findings. "In my professional opinion, I concur with Courtney Mooney's assessment. It does meet all eight of the SOI standards," the advisory member said.
The commission discussed that some work began before a COA or building permit was in place; Lyons said staff issued a stop-work order after early-September notifications, met with the museum and contractor, and then processed the application and building permit.
Commissioner (motion) moved to approve the certificate of appropriateness for 640 Avenue C on the basis that the proposed work complies with the Secretary of the Interior standards and the city's design guidelines; a colleague seconded the motion and the measure passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: The house is identified as a contributing resource for the local historic district (period of significance 1931–1945). Staff said the project's approach restores character-defining features without creating a false sense of historic development, and permitting will proceed now that the COA is approved.
Next steps: Staff said, if approved by the commission, they will finalize building-permit approvals for the city to issue and the museum can continue restoration under the approved plans.
