City Council Agenda and Packet 2010 07 06

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For many surveys, the surveyor did not go back earlier than around the 1950s. He did not conduct a chain of ownership on each house by using the Boulder County’s online records or visiting the County Recorder’s Office. For example the survey of 801 Pine Street only covers the house’s recent history and does not include information regarding its early residents, who were John and Emma Barker (early Louisville settlers from England). They bought the property in 1894 and resided there through the decades of the early 1900s. We have found large gaps for the early history of some buildings, but this information is accessible. This deficiency would be addressed by conducting a chain of ownership for each property and using census records, directories, obituaries, and other records to research these early owners/residents and close the gaps. Louisville Historical Museum resources were not fully consulted resulting in the omission of significant information. These include: historical photographs; directories covering many years; the obituary collection (obituaries being useful for both biographical information and ascertaining family relationships when last names vary); the 1909 Drumm’s Wall Map of Louisville that shows the primary structures on each parcel (like Sanborn maps); and files on Louisville families. Again using the example of 801 Pine Street, a review of museum information shows that this was the home of one family (the Barkers and Hoffmires) for 77 years, a significant fact not ascertained by the surveyor. All museum resources would be used for both the new surveys and the reevaluations. The surveyor did not know that Louisville addresses changed in the late 1930s resulting in confusion and references to wrong buildings. It usually involves survey references to a building that was five blocks away because addresses changed by the addition of approximately 500 so that addresses that were originally in the 500s changed to the 1000s for north-south streets. An example is the 2000 survey of 721 La Farge Avenue: “In 1928, Boulder County Directories list Anthony and Filomena (Felma) Ross as the residents at this address.” This is correct in that the 1928 directory does list that couple at “721 La Farge.” However, the old address system was in effect in 1928. 721 La Farge at that time was five blocks away. The surveys from 2000 are used extensively for information when a demolition review is conducted. The errors have unfortunately led to disagreements along the line of “if it is in the survey is must be true.” Having an accurate and formal reevaluation form is critical for demolition review, landmark eligibility, and long-term preservation planning. The Contractor may conduct research as he determines, but research should include a review of the following types of materials: Chain of ownership records from the Boulder County Assessor’s Office Historic photos Census records Obituary files Directories Family histories Building permit files Sanborn and Drumm Maps 1947 Boulder County Assessors Cards with photos 50