Landmarks of the Future

Preservation Project of the Month – Landmarks of the Future

What is a Landmark of the Future? If you’ve been around Historic Boulder long enough, you have heard that expression before. Over the years HB has created tours of properties that have the qualities that would qualify as a landmark, when the buildings become 50 years of age.

Leonard Segel presenting the Award at the Month of Modern Wrap Party

Historic Boulder was invited to collaborate with the ‘Month of Modern’ events which ran throughout the past month of September. There was a tour of 6 fabulous homes along the west side of Boulder from Shanahan Ridge to Kalmia Street. We were asked to award the best home and we took that opportunity to measure the winner in terms of preservation criteria:

• History: Connecting to the past.
• Architecture: High quality design that is innovative.
• Environment: Concerned for the stewardship of the resources of the earth.
• Social: Improving the quality of lives.
• X- Factor: A building that expresses core values of Boulder in 2022.

Leaders of Historic Boulder toured all the properties and evaluated each on a checklist of 5 measures of criteria. The winner exhibited the following qualities:

• History: It connected to the patterns of its neighborhood, (Whittier) with a gable-shaped front façade, predominant wood siding, a carriage house garage and an ornamental front yard.
• Architecture: The contemporary exterior design is a ‘riff’ on the neighboring buildings. The interior design has an abundance of innovative details.
• Environment: Use of skylights for daylighting, solar electric, a plunge pool made of an ‘upcycled’ storage container, low energy radiant heat floors and a minimal use of water for the landscape.
• Social: An Accessory Dwelling Unit has been included as an affordable residence that is accessed off the back alley.
• X- Factor: The 2020 version of Boulder, with its emphasis on technology, culture and community, is infused in the interiors. Computer connectivity, environmental thoughtfulness, and a setting for hosting fundraisers for not-for-profits, are all included in the design.

Lucida designed by Arch11

The property, with a given name of ‘Ludica’, which means ‘joyful’ in Portuguese, is located on Mapleton Avenue. The house was designed by the esteemed Boulder firm, Arch 11, a winner of the top architecture company in Colorado, by the American Institute of Architects, in 2018.

This ‘landmark of the future’ illustrates that remarkable new properties are contributing to the spirit of Boulder, as they have in every era of the history of Boulder.