Landmarks and Historic Districts

Local Landmark Designation

Landmark designation honors, preserves and protects buildings and areas that have been determined to have a special character and historic, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value to the city. There are currently 10 historic districts and 175 individual landmarks, totaling over 1,300 designated properties.

Individual landmark designation and historic districts have the same protection and require the same procedures or review for exterior changes.

To find out if your property is designated, please refer to the Map of Historic Districts & Landmarks, the List of Individual Landmarks or the List of Local Historic Districts.
To nominate your property as an individual landmark, submit an Application for Individual Landmark Designation.
Please see the Significance Criteria for Individual Landmarks. and the Significance Criteria for Historic Districts. for more information.
All exterior changes to a designated property require review and approval through a Landmark Alteration Certificate. See the Design Review page for more information.
A number of incentives are available for locally designated properties. See the Incentives page for more information.

In August 2019, the Historic Preservation team began creating pages for each property that receives an application* for Individual Landmark Designation, after the application is first heard by the Landmarks Board (the application’s Initiation Hearing if the applicant is not the owner; the Designation Hearing if the applicant is the owner). This is a way to follow the process of Landmark Designation. Applications for properties do not always result in the property becoming Landmarked, but by visiting these pages you can become involved in the process and email us your comments about the nomination.

*Per 9-11-3 B.R.C 1981 Designations or amendments to an individual landmark or historic district may be initiated by: (1) Resolution of the city council or the landmarks board; (2) The application of all owners of the properties proposed for designation or their authorized agents; (3) The application of a group of property owners, with the consent of a minimum of twenty-five present of the properties which constitute building sites within the proposed historic district; or (4) Application of any historic preservation organization.

Local Historic Districts

There are ten local historic districts in the City of Boulder. Use the overviews as a guide to explore Boulder's designated historic areas. See the Map of Designated Historic Districts to plan your route.

Colorado State Register of Historic Places

The Colorado State Register of Historic Properties is a listing of the state’s significant cultural resources worthy of preservation for the future education and enjoyment of Colorado’s residents and visitors. Properties listed in the Colorado State Register include individual buildings, structures, objects, districts and historic and archaeological sites. The Colorado State Register program is administered by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation within History Colorado. History Colorado maintains an official list of all properties included in the Colorado State Register. Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places are automatically placed in the Colorado State Register. They may also be nominated separately to the Colorado State Register without inclusion in the National Register.

History Colorado provides an overview of Properties in Boulder County listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archaeological resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Properties in Boulder listed on the National Register include the Arnett-Fullen House (646 Pearl St.), Highland School (885 Arapahoe), the Carnegie Library (1125 Pine St.), the Boulderado Hotel (2115 13th St.) and Mt. St. Gertrude's Academy (970 Aurora Ave.).The Downtown Boulder Historic District (Pearl St.) was listed on the National Register in 1978.

The Colorado Chautauqua is also designated as a National Historic Landmark,one of only 25 in Colorado.

Photo Gallery - Boulder's Landmarks and Historic Districts