Historic preservation benefits all of Colorado: our economy, our neighborhoods, our communities, our environment, and, most of all, our people!
A Track Record of Measuring Success
History Colorado and Colorado Preservation, Inc., are proud to document, for the fourth time, the substantial benefits that historic preservation brings to our state economy and to local communities across Colorado.
This long-running project first began in 2001, when the Colorado Historical Foundation (CHF), working under a grant provided by the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), initiated an effort to study the economic benefits of historic preservation. At that time, CHF and an expert panel identified a special slate of research topics with particular resonance for preservationists around Colorado. The central topics addressed in that first report were rehabilitation projects (those that received SHF grants or took advantage of federal and/or state tax credits), property values and neighborhood stability in local historic districts, and heritage tourism. The initial study, released in 2002, received the 2003 Stephen H. Hart Award from History Colorado for “Outstanding Achievement in Preserving Colorado’s Cultural Heritage.”
The CHF released updates to the original report in 2005 and 2011. Throughout all the updates, the core focus areas have been revisited and expanded, and timely issues introduced such as gentrification, changing economic diversity (2006), and sustainability (2011) introduced. Each of these new topics has helped tell the ever-expanding story of all the ways in which preservation benefits our state. While many outstanding reports have been produced in other states, the overall Colorado project is believed to be one of the most in-depth and long-running studies of the benefits of preservation in the country.
This 2017 report broadens the focus even further and considers a wide range of preservation’s benefits. The pages that follow identify and celebrate major themes that exemplify preservation in Colorado, including its collaborative ability, its statewide breadth and scope, and its ability to meet new challenges and evolving trends.