Supporting History

State Historical Fund Awards Nearly $5.7 Million in Grants
Projects include historic school buildings, heritage tourism sites and endangered places

Originally published in Colorado History NOW, April 2006

The State Historical Fund has awarded 65 grants for historic preservation totaling $5,680,485 for the second competitive grant round of Fiscal Year 2006. Among the grant recipients across Colorado are historic school buildings, heritage tourism sites, endangered places and archaeological sites, as well as a landmark Denver church, an architecturally significant Art Deco building in Colorado Springs, and a historic African-American mountain tourist site.

The seven historic school buildings range from small rural schoolhouses like the Wiley Rock Schoolhouse in Prowers County, to town anchors like the Georgetown Schoolhouse, to architectural landmarks like the Huerfano County High School in Walsenburg and Ault High School in Ault. Some of the buildings remain in use as schools, while others are being rehabilitated for other community uses. The Walsenburg School, for example, will be given new life as a public library.

The schools are important not only as examples of architectural styles but as social history. “Preserving these historic schools builds pride and a sense of place in communities,” said Mark Wolfe, director of the State Historical Fund and Colorado’s deputy state historic preservation officer.

The other school sites receiving grants are the Calkins Building in Cortez, the Silver Plume Schoolhouse, and the Sullivan Gateway on the East High School Esplanade in Denver.

Other projects funded this round include acquisition of the 1925 Winks Lodge in Pinecliffe, one of only a few resorts for African Americans in the U.S. when it was built; restoration of the 1898 Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral in Globeville, which serves its low-income neighborhood by supporting affordable housing and education programs; and preservation of the 1936 Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center building, an Art Deco-style building designed by famous southwestern architect John Gaw Meem.

In addition, grants were awarded for restoration and interpretation of sites identified as endangered by Colorado Preservation, Inc., including the Hutchinson Homestead in Salida and the Hanging Flume in Montrose County—a treasure of mining history suspended on the cliffs high above the Dolores River.

A number of grants will be used to preserve important heritage tourism sites for the education and pleasure of Coloradans and visitors, including:

“These historic sites connect us with our history and heritage,” said Wolfe. “The cultural benefits of saving these places can be measured in terms of pride in our heritage, which is being passed on to future generations. The economic benefits to communities come in the form of increased tourism, more jobs, and a boon for local businesses. Historic preservation is a win-win proposition for everybody.”

The application deadline for SHF’s next grant round is April 3, 2006. For a complete list of SHF grants funded during this round, please see the chart on this page.

BY LAURIE DUNKLEE, State Historical Fund Public Relations Specialist

SIDEBAR

The State Historical Fund, a program of the Colorado Historical Society, awards grants to public and non-profit organizations to preserve Colorado’s architectural and archaeological treasures for public benefit. Program funds are provided by tax revenues from limited-stakes gaming. SHF grants have helped preserve thousands of historic schools, town halls, churches and other important structures in all 64 Colorado counties since 1993.  Click here to view PDF lists of funded projects.

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