Preservation Plan for Howelsen Hill

PRESERVATION PLAN FOR HOWELSEN HILL STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO October, 2002 [ i ] • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan • CREDITS Steamboat Springs City Council Historic Preservation Advisory Commission 2002 - 2003 Jerry Nettleton, Chairperson Kathy Connell, President Jayne Austin Loui Antonucci Lara Craig Steve Ivancie Jonathan Faulkner Nancy B. Kramer Karolynn Lestrud G. H. “Bud” Romberg Joanne Sanfilippo Arianthé C. Stettner Paul Strong Other participants Bob Dapper - Nordic Council 2000 - 2001 Jan Kaminski - Mountain Architecture Design Group, Kevin Bennett, President PC Ken Brenner Dan Smilkstein - Nordic Council Kathy Connell Jim Engelken Consultants G. H. “Bud” Romberg Winter & Company Arianthé C. Stettner 775 Poplar Avenue Paul Strong Boulder, Colorado 80304 City of Steamboat Springs Noré Winter Paul Hughes - City Manager Ray Kramer Christopher M. Wilson - Director of Parks, Open Julie Husband Space, and Recreational Services Karen Good Linda Kakela - Director of Intergovernmental Ser- vices State Historical Fund Jeff Nelson - Supervisor of Howelsen Hill James Stratis - Projects Manager Laureen Schaffer - Project Manager 225 E 16th Ave. #260 Susan Dellinger - GIS Coordinator Denver, CO 80203 phone: 303-866-2822 Parks and Recreation Commission Jill Brabec Jim Chappell Funding Gary Engle This project was partially funded by a State Histori- Melinda Sherman cal Fund Grant Award from the Colorado Historical Matt Tredway Society and by the City of Steamboat Springs. Peter VanDeCarr Pete Wither For more information, contact: Bobby Yeager Laureen Schaffer, historic preservation specialist City of Steamboat Springs Howelsen Hill Commission PO Box 775088 Rick DeVos (also Executive Director - Steamboat 137 10th Street Springs Winter Sports Club) Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 phone: 970-879-2060 Doug Bradfield John Fetcher Sue Rife Steamboat Springs, Colorado iii • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan • TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Historic Significance 5 Key Features 7 Issues Associated with the Preservation of Howelsen Hill 17 Policies for the Preservation of Howelsen Hill 20 Planning Areas 24 Guidelines 25 Recommendations/Actions 27 Maps Howelsen Hill Historic Features Howelsen Hill Existing Conditions Planning Areas iv Steamboat Springs, Colorado • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan• Introduction Howelsen Hill lies along the western edge of the Yampa River in downtown Steamboat Springs. It rises 440 feet from the river level to its peak, in a sharp, steeply contoured conical form. The famous Steamboat Spring, for which the city gained it name, lies to the north and the community’s rodeo grounds are located to the south. To the west, the back side of the hill slopes down into a basin which looks farther west to Emerald Mountain. The Significance of Howelsen Hill Howelsen Hill has played a major role in the history of Steamboat Springs. It is one of the earliest sites where competitive Nordic ski jumping was introduced in the United States and also is one of the oldest, continuously operating municipally owned ski areas in the country. Howelsen Hill also is an important visual landmark that has been a major reference point in the city and it has served as the locale for numerous celebrations and events, many of which were established early in the community’s history and continue to be staged today. It represents the community’s early social and cultural patterns that focused on winter recreation. It includes the physical features of the mountain itself that relate to its early history, and also the institu- tions that operated and maintained it. The City of Steamboat Springs View from Howelsen Hill across the Brooklyn Neighborhood to Mount Werner. Steamboat Springs, Colorado 1 • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan • has recognized the historic significance of Howelsen Hill by desig- nating it a historic property. Today, Howelsen Hill is owned and operated by the City of Steam- boat Springs, serving residents and visitors in a variety of recreational activities. As such, it continues to support its historic func- tions and to adapt to changing needs. Decisions about maintenance and improvements continue to arise, some of which could affect the integrity of the property as a historic resource. It is in this light that this preservation plan (the Plan) is established to help assure that Howelsen Hill retains its historic character while continuing to meet compatible contemporary needs. This plan is based on two key goals: Goal 1: To preserve the qualities of Howelsen Hill that contribute to its historic significance Goal 2: To assure the continuing viability of the traditional activities of Howelsen Hill that have contributed to its historic significance This preservation plan (the Plan) provides policies and guidelines for the historic Howelsen Hill and related park lands and open space in Steamboat Springs. The purpose of the Plan is to provide the City of Steamboat Springs with a comprehensive approach to the preservation of the specific features and general qualities of Howelsen Hill that contribute to its historic significance. The Plan includes specific recommendations and guidelines for preservation, which balance the interests of recreation and cultural resource conserva- tion. The preservation of working cultural landscapes Why should the historic character of Howelsen Hill be preserved? Howelsen Hill stands as an icon in the community, representing the town’s love of winter sports and its commitment to recreation and its youth. Generations have grown up in Steamboat Springs experi- encing Howelsen Hill directly as athletes or indirectly as spectators and supporting parents. The sense of connection with Howelsen Hill is strong and helps to distinguish Steamboat Springs. This link with the culture of the residents is fundamental and should be preserved to help maintain this sense of community. As a cultural landscape, Howelsen Hill is particularly important because it has served as a major focal point for community activities throughout much of the history of Steamboat Springs. It is also especially important because the historic uses for which it was cre- ated continue today. 2 Steamboat Springs, Colorado • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan• This continuation of use is an ideal condition for historic preserva- tionists, in which a property continues to serve its original function. However, some challenges come with this circumstance: as the re- quirements of the historic function evolve, some changes in the resource itself are necessary. New technologies and international stan- dards used in the construction of ski jumps, for example, require modifications to parts of the jumping hills. The challenge is to ex- ecute needed changes in ways that maintain the key features of the property which contribute to its significance. Working cultural landscapes can continue to be used and experi- enced in a manner similar to the way in which they were during their periods of historic significance (the time during which the property took on its historic character), even with change occurring. In the case of Howelsen Hill, modifications to the profiles of individual ski jumps occurred over time, in response to changing technologies and evolving styles in the sport. Nonetheless, the fundamental features of these ski jumps, including their general alignment in plan, the views to and from them, and the physical experience of them by jumpers, remain essentially the same as they were. It is the preservation of these qualities that are the focus of this Plan. The Planning Area The boundary of the area considered his- torically significant varies, to some ex- tent, depending upon the type of historic Ski Jumps designation that is being considered. All told, the area generally considered as Howelsen Hill Park contains approxi- mately 420 acres. (See the Existing Con- ditions map.) However, the original por- tion containing the ski area is somewhat smaller, containing 300 acres. This is the part considered to have historic significance. Within this historic area, there also are two different boundaries, that recognized by the Colorado State Reg- ister of Historic Properties in 2000 and A recent aerial photograph of the planning area that recognized by the Routt County Register of Historic Properties in 1997. During the course of this planning effort, some issues arose that could not be addressed within the defined scope of work. Therefore, this Plan is designed to serve as a working document for the City of Steamboat Springs to use over the next year. It can be tested during that time to assure that it meets the City of Steamboat Springs’s Steamboat Springs, Colorado 3 • Howelsen Hill Preservation Plan • objectives and to evaluate how well it can be administered. After an This working plan was developed with contributions from the key appropriate testing period, edits can be made, reviewed by the State decision making groups: the City Historical Fund, new topics can be addressed, and an additional Plan Council, Howelsen Hill can be completed. Commission, the Planning Commission, the Parks and The current Plan is limited to addressing broad policies and guide- Recreation Commission, the Historic Preservation Advisory lines for preservation. Some specific preservation issues require fur- Commission, the Nordic Council ther study and should be addressed in a later stage. Funding an addi- and the Steamboat Springs Winter tional Preservation Plan could be provided in October of 2002 and Sports Club, as well as city staff that Plan would

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