Boulder History Month events, background of Modernist architecture (& labs)
May Is Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month
All Historic Boulder Events are Free in May! (see calendar below)
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Modernist architecture, from 1945 to 1975. Federal Laboratories in Boulder.
Over the past week the feeling of “Spring Fever” has been apparent in town. It’s a time when we are emerging from the quiet and internalized days of winter to the more active days of Spring. In an analogous way I believe that the arrival of the Federal Laboratories was a sort of “Spring Fever” time in the life of Boulder. The city emerged from a reserved and conventional place to become one of the most progressive and dynamic cities in the country.
The Bureau of Standards was the first federal lab to come to town. It was followed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and then the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These in turn inspired the expansion of CU to become a strong university for the sciences. The federal labs also influenced the arrival in Boulder County of technology dynamos such as IBM, Storage Tech, Ball Aerospace, Somatogen, Amgen, Xilinx, and Google. You can see NIST, NOAA and NCAR in this aerial photo.
You might be wondering what this has to do with historic preservation. One of the most active areas of preservation focus across the county is the assessment and appreciation of Modernist architecture, from 1945 to 1975. Most, if not all of the federal labs, the CU science buildings and the private sector science companies built Modernist facilities that expressed and embodied their innovative spirit. Boulder has become a Modernist mecca for all types of buildings. While there was modern architecture in town prior to the arrival of the federal Labs, these institutions imparted a resounding stamp of approval.
TOURS: May is the national observation of historic preservation. Historic Boulder will participate by celebrating the influence of the federal labs with a presentation at the N.I.S.T. lab. We also will be unveiling our first guided tour of Modernist buildings that will be hosted on an app, alongside our tour of the pioneering African American neighborhood. More tours are planned to be made available online in this manner to make historic preservation more accessible. You see, Historic Boulder is influenced by the innovative spirit of the federal labs to utilize technology to educate about the historic values of the heritage properties in town.
…………………….Leonard Segel, Executive Director, Historic Boulder
Calendar, Historic Boulder 2023
May Is Preservation Month
All Historic Boulder Events are Free in May!
Join us for our free events in May to celebrate Preservation Month:
May 13th – Mid-Century Modern Tour – Historic Boulder is offering a guided tour of some highlights of Boulder’s extensive Mid-Century Modern buildings.
May 15th – Square Nail Awards by the Heritage Roundtable
May 23rd – History Hike – Our most popular hike returns – Come hike, see and learn about cultural sites on and around Mt. Sanitas.
May 25th – Salon Series presentation by Leonard Segel on the Influence of the Federal Labs in Boulder on site at NIST.
Check our website for more details and to register for these events – space may be limited. HISTORIC BOULDER = For 50 years Historic Boulder has helped preserve over 1300 legacy buildings that assert the unique and innovative spirit of our community.
Lyons Redstone Museum will be open on weekends during May, and on Monday, Memorial Day. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. /and/ Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. === The museum will open 7 days a week beginning Saturday, June 1st. Weekend hours remain the same, and Monday through Friday is 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. === Admission is free, but donations are welcomed!
