Brief history of Depot building damage and restoration
TEXT FROM GRANT WRITTEN TO RESTORE THE LYONS DEPOT BUILDING
Following the 2013 flood, the Lyons Depot had substantial damage, leaving it nearly unusable: its floor practically gone, and its collections in jeopardy. Built in 1885, the building operated as a train depot until the 1960s. The Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, before it was revamped into the Lyons Depot in 1984.
In 2015, the History Colorado State Historical Fund funded both interior and exterior rehabilitation of the library, as well as archaeological monitoring, among other things.
The library has long been an integral part of the Lyons community, not only as a place to check out books, but as a community resource, providing a meeting space and wireless internet. Rehabilitating the Lyons Depot will preserve the history of the depot, and bring an important town resource back to life after disaster.
History Colorado State Historical Fund
Grant Applicant Organization: Town of Lyons
Fund: Acquisition and Development
Grant Awarded: $200,000
The Lyons Depot is on-track to complete construction in early April 2016. Currently, the Lyons Regional Library is located at 405 Main Street in Lyons.
NOTE: The other historic building in town that was destroyed was the Shelter in Meadow/Johnson Park. Only the stone chimney was saved, and it is part of the new open-air shelter.
I was honored to work on the Lyons Depot restoration project with Project Manager Christina Wells (Heritage Roundtable Local History and Preservation Honor Award), architect Tim Stroh, Bryan Construction and the Colorado Historical Society. My job was to design interior and exterior color palettes for the Depot that were historically appropriate as well as contemporary in feel.