Boulder City Council on Thursday, April 11, voted 7-1 against establishing a historic district that would have stretched from Central Park to the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building. Councilmembers cited worries about a “selective reading of history” in the area, among other reasons. Mayor Aaron Brockett was the only councilmember who supported the creation of the proposed district.
Without the historic district, it likely will be easier for the city to pursue its plans to revamp the civic area, potentially by encouraging more recreational activities and events. The creation of a historic district would have added hurdles for construction projects.
Proponents of the historic district viewed it as an opportunity to memorialize the area’s history. The applicants for the district sought to commemorate the architects who helped design the area in the early 1900s, including Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., a landscape architect recognized as an advocate for the preservation of natural areas. Olmsted also promoted covenants in housing developments that excluded Black people, according to researchers. Others saw it as an opportunity to formally acknowledge the city’s role in displacing one of the city’s first Black communities located along Boulder Creek. The neighborhood vanished in the 1920s after the city bought or seized properties to build a park.
Several councilmembers said they want the city to continue researching to better understand the history of the Black residents and, earlier, the Indigenous people, who once lived there.
“The city owns the land and should elevate the stories of historically marginalized populations, regardless of this designation,” Councilmember Lauren Folkerts said during the meeting.