“A society is defined not only by what it creates but also by what it refuses to destroy.” John Sawhill

With the increased number of people working remotely and moving to Steamboat Springs (and other resort towns) and the expansion of Steamboat Resort and the Ikon Pass, our town is experiencing significant growth, particularly the demand for residential dwellings and affordable housing.

To meet the demand, we see new buildings and major renovations, and unfortunately, demolitions of valuable historic buildings at an alarming rate. We are at a tipping point as we lose more and more of our heritage held in the built environment year after year. We are compromising the very character and authenticity that makes our town unique and desirable to visit and live.

---

---

You might ask, why aren’t our important places more protected? One primary reason is that unless a building owner voluntarily lists their property on the Steamboat Springs local register, there are no regulations to truly protect the building from demolition or compromising remodel. Other registers, like the Routt County and National Registers of Historic Places, are both honorary designations, not regulatory, meaning ultimately, the building is not protected.

With few owners voluntarily listing their buildings on the local Steamboat Springs Register, very few local buildings are protected, leaving most of our town’s historic assets vulnerable.

---

---

By contrast, other resort towns like Aspen listed their historic buildings of the Victorian or mining eras on their local registers in the 1970s, which resulted in mass preservation without relying on voluntary listing by the property owners.

Another issue: “Those who have moved to Steamboat Springs the past few years want to be a part of the community but may not understand the importance of acknowledging the town’s history and how their homes could reflect that,” said Arianthe Stettner of Historic Routt County.

“Unless the building is designated or protected in some way, America is a land of private property rights,” Stettner said. “People can do whatever they want, pretty much, except what is limited by planning and zoning regulations. There are setbacks and height restrictions, but preserving the historic character, for many people, that’s out the window.”

We hope to flip this trend and that more historic building owners will work with the city before they begin planning for a remodel, to make compatible additions and changes that retain the home’s historic significance to create a win-win for community history and the owner.

Protecting historic buildings does not mean owners cannot update or build a considerable addition and increase usable space. The Steamboat Springs Planning Department and Historic Preservation Program can not only help historic property owners list their buildings on the local register, but they also provide building owners and their hired architecture and design professionals with recommendations on achieving increased space through renovations. This assists in maintaining historic character, even if an owner does not want to list their building on the local register. Reaching out to the city early in the project’s planning can help save time and money.

Driving around Old Town, you can see our town’s modest history reflected in smaller, simple frame houses, and many have been scraped or built over recently to create large modern homes with amenities that so many current residents now desire. But at what cost? How do we weigh the wants for expanded space and modern living with the irreplaceable heritage and stories that those old buildings reflect for an entire street and the larger community now and in the future? What will we give to the children of this town and their children? We believe our historic buildings are our largest and most prized artifacts, deserving of as much care and preservation as our most precious treasures in the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s collection.

Historic resources, like natural resources and living species, are finite and require adequate codes and protections to prevent their extinction. Preserving the history of a place through its significant historical resources is critical for a community to retain its unique character. Without the voluntary action of more owners to protect their historic buildings and character and increased measures from the city to protect what might not get listed or preserved by the owners, our heritage through the built environment continues to be at risk.

Historic preservation involves much more than simply saving and restoring old buildings and sites of historic importance. There are economic, cultural, environmental and educational benefits for property owners and communities, including financial incentives such as tax credits that can reward property owners for their efforts. Preservation contributes to sustainability, community identity, property value increases, heritage tourism economy and more. For all of these reasons, it is in the city and community’s best interest to find ways to protect our irreplaceable heritage beyond our current Historic Preservation Program and processes that rely solely on the owner.

Creating a sense of place, showcasing our authentic Western character, preserving the legacy of our predecessors and founding citizens, and contributing to our cultural vitality is critical to the future of a sustainable town and tourism. Our authenticity and character make Steamboat Springs memorable and competitive in the resort marketplace, and prioritizing these values will ensure that the place we love and are lucky enough to call home will be recognizable in the future.

Candice Bannister is the executive director for the Tread of Pioneers Museum. For more, TreadOfPioneers.org/.