Attachment A - Ordinance 8766 Designating 844-850 12th St

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ORDINANCE 8766

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AN ORDINANCE DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY AT 844-850 12th St., CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HEILMAN–BEDELL–STEPANEK PROPERTY, A LANDMARK UNDER CHAPTER 9-11, “HISTORIC PRESERVATION,” B.R.C. 1981, AND SETTING FORTH RELATED DETAILS.

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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO:

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Section 1. The City Council enacts this ordinance pursuant to its authority under Chapter

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9-11, “Historic Preservation,” B.R.C. 1981, to designate as a landmark a property having a special

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character or special historic, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value.

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Section 2. The City Council finds that: 1) on April 29, 2026, the property owners

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submitted a landmark designation application for the property; 2) the Landmarks Board held a public

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hearing on the proposed designation on July 1, 2026, and recommended that the City Council approve the proposed designation. Section 3. The City Council also finds that upon public notice required by law, the City Council held a public hearing on the proposed designation on Sept. 17, 2026, and upon the basis of the presentations at that hearing finds that the property at 844-850 12th St. possesses special historic and architectural value warranting its designation as a landmark. Section 4. The characteristics of the subject property that justify its designation as a landmark are: 1) its historic significance for dates of construction of 1920 (850 12th St.) and c. 1928

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(844 12th St.) by Elizabeth Heilman; for its association with Elizabeth Heilman, a key volunteer for

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Boulder’s Red Cross during the First World War (Elizabeth commissioned fellow Red Cross volunteer

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and architect David H. Holmes to design and build 850 12th St. She purchased the adjacent lot to the

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south (844 12th St.) in 1923 and built the smaller house in 1927. She lived there until her death in

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1942); for association with subsequent owners Grace and Florence Bedell (Grace and Florence were

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sisters, both retired professionals who had both worked in the new field of Home Economics teaching

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nutrition and other scientific subjects essential for families struggling through the Great Depression);

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and 2) For its architectural significance as Boulder’s only extant representation of David Hull Holmes’

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more modest vernacular work in the Southwest Mediterranean Style, demonstrating his use of rounded arches and simple façade in the iconic southwest Mediterranean style more common in Tucson, Arizona. (The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation credits David Hull Holmes with creating Tucson’s iconic Southwestern Mediterranean style, featuring thick stucco walls, deep overhangs, efficient ventilation and natural cooling, and Mediterranean styles and motifs without excesses of ornamentation. The house at 850 12th St. shares elements of David’s signature Mediterranean style, including its horizontal form, exposed raftertails, arched opening, stucco and divided lite windows. However, the house is unique in its modest size and detailing that reflect the client’s desires and

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budget. Character-defining features of the front house (850 12th St.) include the smooth stucco, the

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arched entry at the façade, the multi-lite windows in punched openings in the stucco, and the stepped

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stone chimney. Character-defining features of the rear house (844 12th St.) include the shingle

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cladding, the multi-lite windows, the garage door, and the stepped stone chimney.); and 3) For its

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environmental significance as part of the identified potential University Hill historic district.

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Section 6. The City Council further finds that the foregoing landmark designation is necessary to promote the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the city. Section 7. There is hereby created as a landmark the property located at 844-850 12th St., also known as the Heilman–Bedell–Stepanek Property, whose legal landmark boundary encompasses the legal lots upon which it sits: LEGAL DESCRIPTION

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LOTS 11-12-13 BLK 24 UNIVERSITY PLACE

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as depicted in the proposed landmark boundary map, attached hereto as Exhibit A.

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Section 8. The City Council directs that the Planning and Development Services

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Department give prompt notice of this designation to the property owner and cause a copy of this

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ordinance to be recorded as described in Subsection 9-11-6(d), B.R.C. 1981.

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Section 9. The City Council deems it appropriate that this ordinance be published by title only and orders that copies of this ordinance be made available in the office of the City Clerk for public inspection and acquisition. INTRODUCED, READ ON FIRST READING, AND ORDERED PUBLISHED BY TITLE ONLY this August 20, 2026.

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_____________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor

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Attest:

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______________________________ City Clerk READ ON SECOND READING, PASSED AND ADOPTED, this Sept. 17, 2026

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_____________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor

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Attest: ______________________________ City Clerk

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Exhibit A – Landmark Boundary Map for 844-850 12th St. 844-850 12th St., Boulder, Colorado LOTS 11-12-13 BLK 24 UNIVERSITY PLACE

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Figure 1. 844-850 12th St., proposed Landmark boundary (dashed yellow line).