Small Towns Preservation Workshop

When: April 12, 1-5 pm.
Where: FourSquare Church, 500 N 4th St, Berthoud.

Historic Larimer County is hosting its first ever Small Towns Preservation Workshop. This is an opportunity for Historic Preservation Commission members, City Council Members, City Planners, and Preservation Advocates from small towns in both Larimer and Weld Counties to learn more about historic preservation. Topics to be covered include:

• A short overview of what historic preservation is and why its worthwhile for your community.
• The economic advantages of joining the Main Street program.
• The importance of surveys and value of landmarking properties.
• Grant funding and tax credits for historic properties.
• Panel Q&A: Get questions answered that are specific to your small town!

This event is free and open to anyone that’s interested. Historic preservation advocates; town planners, managers, and council members; and county planners and commissioners may especially find this workshop useful. Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect.

We will be accepting donations for the rehabilitation of the historic church we’ll be meeting in, but donations are entirely optional.

Feel free to contact Ron (contact info in flyer above) or email Meg if you have any questions. And if there are specific topics that you’d really like to have addressed, let us know and we’ll be sure there’s info there for you on that topic.

At the Heart of Loveland: the History of the Sugar Beet Factory Neighborhood

When: April 29, 1:00 pm.
Where: Meet up at the Great Western Sugar Railway Depots, on N. Monroe midway between 10th and 11th Streets.

Join HLC on Saturday, April 29 at 1:00 for an engaging tour centered around the Great Western Sugar Company factory in Loveland.  Historian Carl McWilliams will tell us about the construction and operation of the beet sugar factory, one of the earliest built in Colorado.  The massive facility forever changed the history of Loveland and its surroundings.  Carl will also take us to two other nearby sites, where we’ll learn more about historic topics involving the sugar factory.

Sharon Danhauer will be speaking about the long out-of-use Great Western Railway depots, which stand west of the factory.  Historic Larimer County has been involved in efforts to preserve the depots and see them eventually opened to the public.

This will be an easy walking tour. (Sorry, but we’re not going into the sugar beet factory itself as it’s not open to the public at this time.)  Meet at the historic rail depots on Monroe Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets (not the depot in downtown Loveland).

Use on-street parking, but watch out for bike lanes on 10th street near the police station. There is no on-street parking along that stretch. 

2023 Preservation Celebration & Member’s Meeting

When: May 213, 2:00 pm.
Where: Bellvue Grange, 2929 N Co Rd 23, Bellvue.

We can’t wait to see you all at this year’s Preservation Celebration and Members Meeting! We’ll be gathering together at 2 pm at the Bellvue Grange.

Our annual Preservation Celebration is a time to remember what HLC has done over the past year and to look forward to all that’s to come. 

Mark your calendar and watch for more details in an upcoming newsletter!

Upcoming Events

Tour of the old Provost property in Laporte, April 29 Postponed until Fall. Learn about the early settlers along the Poudre in Colona and Laporte in the 1860s and 70s, early railroad history, and agricultural ditch history in this tour on Rose Brink’s property.

History Along College Avenue. On June 3rd, HLC President Ron Sladek will take us on a tour along College Avenue telling us about the history of several buildings that he recently completed surveys of for the City of Fort Collins. 

Happy Anniversary Red Feather Lakes! In July we’ll be heading up to Red Feather Lakes to learn more about their history and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the community. 

The History of the YMCA in Estes Park. We hope to tour the YMCA in Estes Park and learn the history and how the site has grown and what has been preserved. This tour will likely be in September or October.