Town of Georgetown
Design Guidelines
Book I Chapter 3: Historic Overview in Georgetown
Basic
Preservation Theory
The Concept of Historic Significance
What makes a property historically significant? In general, properties
must be at least 50 years old before they can be evaluated for potential
historic significance, although exceptions do exist when a more recent
property clearly is significant. Historic properties must have qualities
that give them significance. A property may be significant for one or
more of the following reasons:
- Association with events that contributed to the broad patterns of
history, the lives of significant people or the understanding of Georgetown's
prehistory or history.
- Construction and design associated with distinctive characteristics
of a building type, period or construction method.
- An example of an architect or master craftsman or an expression of
particularly high artistic values.
- Integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling
and association that form a district as defined by the National Register
of Historic Places Standards, administered by the National Park
Service.
The Period of Significance
In most cases, a district is significant because it represents, or is
associated with, a particular period in its history. Frequently, this
begins with the founding of the community and continues through the peak
of its historic activity. Buildings and sites that date from the period
of significance are typically considered "historic" and contribute
to the character of the district.
The Town of Georgetown, for example, has a period of significance that
spans approximately 65 years (1850-1915). Most of the structures built
during this period represent the town's mining era. Throughout this period,
the town was witness to the construction of a number of buildings and
alterations that have become an integral part of its character.
Conversely, a few structures have been built, or alterations have been
made, after this period that are generally considered "non-historic"
and may be considered for removal or replacement. However, there are also
examples of buildings that date from outside the period of significance
that may be considered historic (e.g., the early ski period, Swiss Chalet
architecture from the 1950s).
In 1995, an historic survey was completed. The purpose of the survey
was to record all of the major buildings in Georgetown, to update and
expand the existing information from the previous survey (1976) and to
record all previously unrecorded buildings. These two surveys taken together
provide the DRC and property owners with a listing of all "historic"
and "non-historic" structures in the town.
The Concept of Integrity
A district's integrity is derived from having a substantial number of
historically significant structures and sites within its boundaries. Each
of those properties also must have integrity, in that a sufficient percentage
of the structure must date from the period of significance. The majority
of the building's structural system and materials should date from the
period of significance and its character defining features also should
remain intact. These may include architectural details, such as dormers
and porches, ornamental brackets and moldings and materials, as well as
the overall mass and form of the building. It is these elements that allow
a building to be recognized as a product of its own time.
Preservation Principles
The following preservation principles should be applied to historic properties
in Georgetown.
Respect the Historic Design Character of the Building.
Don't try to change its style or make it look older, newer or more ornate
than it really was. Confusing the character by mixing elements of different
styles is also an example of disrespect.
Seek Uses That are Compatible with the Historic Character of the Building.
Building uses that are closely related to the original use are preferred.
Every reasonable effort should be made to provide a compatible use for
the building that will require minimal alteration to the building and
its site. An example of an appropriate adaptive use is converting a residence
into a bed and breakfast establishment. This can be accomplished without
radical alteration of the original architecture.
Note that the Design Review Commission does not review uses; however,
property owners should consider the impacts that some changes in use would
have upon their historic properties, since this may affect design considerations
that are reviewed by the Commission. In addition, the zoning code provides
some incentives associated with certain uses and these may require Commission
comment.
When a more radical change in use is necessary to keep the building in
active service, then those uses that require the least alteration to significant
elements are preferred. It may be that in order to adapt your building
to the proposed new use, such radical alteration to its significant elements
would be required that the entire concept is inappropriate. Experience
has shown, however, that in most cases designs can be developed that respect
the historic integrity of the building while also accommodating new functions.
Establish an Approach
The first step is to investigate the history of the property. This may
identify alterations that have occurred and may help in developing an
understanding of the significance of the building as a whole as well as
its individual components.
This historical research should be followed with an on-site assessment
of existing conditions. In this inspection, identify those elements that
are original and those that have been altered. Also determine the condition
of individual building components.
Finally, list the requirements for continued use of the property. Is
additional space needed? Or should the work focus on preserving and maintaining
the existing configuration?
By combining an understanding of the history of the building, its present
condition and the need for actions that will lead into the future, one
can then develop a preservation approach. In doing so, consider the terms
that follow:
Adaptive Use
Converting a building to a new use that is different from that which its
design reflects is considered to be "adaptive use." For example,
converting a residential structure to offices is adaptive use. A good
adaptive use project retains the historic character of the building while
accommodating its new functions.
Maintenance
Some work focuses on keeping the property in good working condition by
repairing features as soon as deterioration becomes apparent, using procedures
that retain the original character and finish of the features. In some
cases, preventive maintenance is executed prior to noticeable deterioration.
No alteration or reconstruction is involved. Such work is considered "maintenance."
Property owners are strongly encouraged to maintain their properties in
good condition so that more aggressive measures of rehabilitation, restoration
or reconstruction are not needed.
Preservation
The act or process of applying measures to sustain the existing form,
integrity and material of a building or structure, and the existing form
and vegetative cover of a site is "preservation." It may include
initial stabilization work, where necessary, as well as ongoing maintenance
of the historic building materials. Essentially, the property is kept
in its current good condition.
Rehabilitation
"Rehabilitation" is the process of returning a property to a
state which makes a contemporary use possible while still maintaining
those features of the property which are significant to its historic,
architectural and cultural values. Rehabilitation may include the adaptive
use of the building with minor additions. Alterations that are made are
generally reversible, should future owners wish to restore the building
to its original design.
Remodeling
To remake or to make over the design image of a building is to remodel
it. The appearance is changed by removing original detail and by adding
new features that are out of character with the original. Remodeling is
inappropriate for historic buildings in Georgetown.
Renovation
To renovate means to improve by repair, to revive. In renovation, the
usefulness and appearance of the building is enhanced. The basic character
and significant details are respected and preserved, but some sympathetic
alterations may also occur. Alterations that are made are generally reversible,
should future owners wish to restore the building to its original design.
Restoration
To restore, one reproduces the appearance of a building exactly as it
looked at a particular moment in time: to reproduce a pure style-either
interior or exterior. This process may include the removal of earlier
work or the replacement of missing historic features. A restoration approach
is used on missing details or features of an historic building when the
features are determined to be particularly significant to the character
of the structure and when the original configuration is accurately documented.
Combining Preservation Strategies
Many successful rehabilitation projects that involve historic structures
in Georgetown may include a combination of preservation, restoration and
other appropriate treatments. For example, a house may be adapted for
use as a restaurant, and in the process, missing porch brackets may be
replicated in order to restore the original appearance, while existing
original dormers may be preserved.
The primary objectives of a preservation approach for your historic
structure should be:
- The preservation of a building's important or "character-defining"
features;
- The enhancement and preservation of the building's relationship to
other structures in the historic district and its own site integrity;
AND
- Provision for an efficient contemporary use.
The contents of a preservation approach should contain strategies
for each of these three types of work:
- Protection and maintenance of historic features that survive in generally
good condition.
- Repair of historic materials and features that are deteriorated.
- Replacement of historic materials and features with new materials
where deterioration is so extensive that repair is not possible.
If your building is considered to be an Historic structure, the
emphasis of your preservation plan should be on protection, maintenance
and repair. For most historic structures, original details are intact,
so replacement of historic materials will be less of a task.
If your building is considered to be a Non-Historic structure,
your rehabilitation plan may well include significant efforts toward replacing
historic materials and restoring original design elements that are presently
missing, as well as maintenance and repair work.
Alterations to primary facades that change historic configurations are
generally discouraged for all historic buildings. Additions to these buildings
should be clearly subordinate to the original and generally are appropriate
only to the rear.
Each preservation project is unique. It may include a variety of treatment
techniques, including the repair and replacement of features and maintenance
of those already in good condition. Some of the basic preservation treatments
are described in the section that follows. In each case, it is important
to develop an overall strategy for treatment that is based on an analysis
of the building and its setting.
Historic Overview
Prior to the advent of gold prospectors in the 1850s, the Front Range
valleys were trading sites for the Ute Indians of the mountains and the
Arapaho Indians of the plains. Trappers and explorers had wandered into
the dense, beaver-laden forests, and the first gold seekers found an occasional
reminder of the trapper's presence.
In 1859, major gold finds were made in the Central City and Idaho Springs
areas drawing a great number of fortune seekers. Among these, two Kentuckians,
David and George Griffith, began prospecting up the creek from Idaho Springs.
At the confluence of two streams, in the area of Twelfth and Rose Streets
in present day Georgetown, their pans revealed gold. Immediately they
staked their claim and in 1860, the Griffith Mining District was established.
Other prospectors flocked to the area and George's Town, laid out by David
Griffith, began to grow. There was little placer gold in the Griffith
discovery and the boom ended almost as abruptly as it had started.
The prospectors knew that the mountains surrounding Georgetown contained
rich silver veins but these had been ignored in the search for gold. It
was not until the staking of the Belmont Claim in 1864 that the silver
boom began. It was to last for the next thirty years.
A silver camp named Elizabethtown grew up at the south end of the valley
under the shadow of Leavenworth Mountain. By 1867, the focus of the valley
had shifted there and to the rich mines above it. In 1868, the citizens
of both towns-George's and Elizabeth's-met at the corner of Rose and Mary
Streets and decided to form one town: Georgetown. In 1868 a territorial
charter, under which the town still operates, established an "alcalde"
form of government, one headed by a police judge, derived from the Spanish
mining camps in California.
By 1870, Georgetown had 3,000 residents. The requirements of silver processing
had spurred the construction of numerous mills with investors from Chicago,
New York, Philadelphia and London providing the necessary capital.
Within the old mining camp, log structures were covered with lap siding
and embellished with carpenter's lace. Fine new residences were constructed.
A school was first organized in 1867 and the large brick school built
in 1874. Methodist, Congregational, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal and
Presbyterian churches were established. Georgetown also offered luxurious
lodgings in the Barton House, Hotel de Paris and several other hotels.
Entertainment was available in the opera houses and the saloons. Volunteer
fire departments were formed to protect, successfully, the wood frame
town against the real threat of destruction by fire.
Georgetown continued to expand with the mining economy. Merchants, lawyers
and newspapermen came in the wake of the miner. The first newspaper, The
Colorado Miner, began publication in 1867. Stores of all types, from hat
shops to liveries to bakeries, crowded the downtown area. Georgetown had
become one of Colorado's major cities.
While the town was definitely settled, it was not always peaceful. Miners
from the surrounding mountains descended on the town on Saturday night
to enjoy a bit of the good life, returning to the mines by torchlight
before dawn on Monday morning.
The peak of Georgetown's boom was reached in the late 1870s and early
1880s. Five thousand people were living in the valley, and the Colorado
Central Railroad, which wound its way from Denver up Clear Creek Canyon,
arrived in Georgetown in 1877. The mines and mills maintained full and
profitable operation throughout this period. Fine brick buildings were
built to replace some of the more temporary wooden ones. Flagstone sidewalks,
granite walls and a city park added refinement. The Georgetown Loop, completed
in 1884, connected Georgetown and Silver Plume with 4-1/2 miles of track
winding back over itself to climb the 600 feet in 2-1/2 statute miles.
Two decades of prosperity inspired a confidence in Georgetown that even
the gradually declining price of silver could not shake. The town was
still building when, in 1893, the United States Congress repealed the
Sherman Silver Purchase Act and silver mining was no longer profitable
due to lack of confidence and financing from east coast and overseas investors.
For Georgetown, the Silver Queen, the thirty year boom was over. The mines,
still containing now unmarketable silver, gradually closed. The population
dwindled to 200 in the 1930s. Although never a true ghost town, many structures
were abandoned and later demolished.
The post World War II years brought another boom to Georgetown. With
easy access to Denver, the quiet charm of a proud mountain town rich in
Nineteenth Century architecture and history has created a new life for
the town.
Present day Georgetown contains more than 200 19th century structures,
an incomparable collection of western bonanza architecture. The region's
contribution to frontier mining history received national recognition
when, under the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Georgetown/Silver
Plume Mining District was designated a National Historic Landmark District
by the U.S. Department of the Interior. A number of Georgetown buildings
have also been designated individually as National Register sites.
In May of 1970, the Town of Georgetown passed its first Historic Preservation
Ordinance to assist the town in protecting its past while building its
future. Design guidelines were developed in 1978 and were updated in 2000.
Book 1 Chapter 2
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