Attachment A - Ordinance 8741 Designating 745 University Ave

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ORDINANCE 8741

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AN ORDINANCE DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY AT 745 UNIVERSITY AVE., CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, ALSO KNOWN AS THE POLLS AND REGISTRATION HOUSE, 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 Nov. 25, 2025, 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 Feb. 4, 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 May 7, 2026, and upon the basis of the presentations at that hearing finds that the property at 745 University Ave. 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 its date of construction in 1907 and subsequent use as a

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voluntary election place for ward 3, precinct 3 for two decades (1908 to 1928); for its connection to

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Boulder’s voting history, including municipal questions regarding prohibition, city charter

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development and adoption, the “Hare system of preferential voting” (now called the single transferable

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vote Colorado statutes), and the election of Boulder’s first female councilmember; and as the residence

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of Leo Novak, professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado–Boulder, and Lena Novak,

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a teacher at Whittier Elementary School, who purchased the house in 1946 and lived there for 45 years;

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and 2) For its architectural significance as a good example of the Edwardian Vernacular style, popular

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in Boulder at the turn of the twentieth century. Character-defining features include the one-and-one-

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half story front gabled form with flared eaves and decorative painted wood shingle in the gable ends, the full width front porch with stucco and half-timbering in the gable end, the non-symmetrical window and door openings with stone lintel and arched brick headers, and the high quality local pressed brick. 3) For its environmental significance with site characteristics that include mature trees and Gregory Creek on the east side of the property. 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 745 University

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Ave., also known as the Polls and Registration House, whose legal landmark boundary encompasses

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the legal lots upon which it sits:

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LEGAL DESCRIPTION

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LOT 3 BLK 14 SMITHS TO WEST BOULDER

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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. 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

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TITLE ONLY this April 2, 2026.

3 _____________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor

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Attest: ______________________________ City Clerk

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READ ON SECOND READING, PASSED AND ADOPTED, this May 7, 2026

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_____________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor

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Attest:

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______________________________ City Clerk

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Exhibit A – Landmark Boundary Map for 745 University Ave.

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745 University Ave., Boulder, Colorado LOT 3 BLK 14 SMITHS TO WEST BOULDER

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Figure 1. 745 University Ave., proposed Landmark boundary (dashed yellow line).