Discover Denver FAQs
Know It. Love It. One Building at a Time.
What is Discover Denver, and why is this project important?
Discover Denver is a building and neighborhood survey meant to identify historic and architecturally significant structures
citywide. This collaborative effort is led by Historic Denver, Inc., in partnership with the City and County of Denver and
History Colorado. The survey will gather information using public records, neighborhood canvassing, academic research,
and suggestions from the public, and will put all of this data into an online database so that anyone can learn about
Denver’s past — building by building.
Discover Denver is important because it will identify the places that matter to Denver’s history. Through this survey we
can share the value of these historic properties — to promote public pride and awareness, to encourage neighborhood
rehabilitation and reinvestment, and to inform city planning initiatives.
I’ve never heard of this type of survey. Is Denver the first to do one?
Historic city surveys are fairly common and tend to inspire a sense of urgency to reinvest in the special, irreplaceable
buildings and places that make a city unique. Many major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Tulsa, have
recently conducted their own citywide historic surveys. These efforts have helped property owners and visitors learn more
about the community’s history, supported municipal preservation and planning efforts, and led to environmentally
sustainable practices like adaptive reuse of buildings.
Tell me more about the Discover Denver pilot project. What are the pilot areas and how
were these areas selected?
Discover Denver set out to select one neighborhood, one thematically linked set of areas, and one architectural theme for
the three pilot areas. While there were many excellent options citywide, the Discover Denver steering committee based its
choices on several factors. They sought to include residential and commercial areas, as well as areas with good potential for
historic structures. They sought to ensure geographic and historic diversity among their pilot areas. Finally, they
endeavored to choose pilot areas where there might be significant interest and support for the project. The pilot areas that
were chosen are:
•
Harvey Park neighborhood – mid-century modern houses built in the early 1950s, located in southwest Denver.
•
Historic streetcar commercial districts – mixed-use commercial following the historic streetcar routes.
•
1920s Small Homes and the Architects Small House Service Bureau – a selection of residences in multiple
locations built between 1921-1941.
1
How can I find out if my property is included in one of the pilot
areas?
We will define the boundaries of each pilot area in the coming months, using information
gathered from historic research and publicly available data. Once each area is fully defined, we will post a map on our
website and notify the relevant registered neighborhood organizations.
Why was my neighborhood not included in one of the pilots?
Although there were many neighborhoods and themes from which to choose, our resources are limited and therefore so
are our pilot areas.
Following a successful pilot program, we look forward to rolling out the survey to all properties citywide. However, doing
so will be a multi-year project.
If I live in a pilot area, what can I expect when Discover Denver comes to my
neighborhood?
Most residents and business owners in the pilot areas will experience minimal — if any — impact from Discover Denver
surveyors. Discover Denver will first review publicly-available data (such as assessor records) on all properties in a pilot
area. Properties within a pilot area that are more than 30 years old will be surveyed in the field, which will consist of a
survey worker observing the property from the public street or sidewalk and taking notes on its physical integrity (whether
or not the building retains its historic features). Workers will have project-specific identification and should identify
themselves to you if asked.
If you live in a pilot area, you may see Discover Denver workers walking throughout the neighborhood, taking notes on
paper or laptop, and snapping photos from the street or sidewalk. You may wish to participate in the survey by speaking
with Discover Denver workers, sharing information or photos, or pointing out architecturally significant elements of a
building that you own. Many property owners enjoy exchanging information with survey workers — to learn more about
their own property/community, or to provide information that may be relevant to the survey. However, you are not
obligated to participate in any way, nor are you obligated to allow anyone access to your property. No one associated with
Discover Denver will enter or access your property without your permission.
How does a historic survey differ from a historic designation?
A historic survey is a wide-ranging look at a large number of properties, meant to gather basic data on elements like
architectural style, year built, and historical significance (if any). It can occur with or without the involvement of the
property owner, and the resulting data is included in a publicly-available database. The long-term goal is to survey every
property over 30 years of age in the city of Denver, to identify the places that matter to Denver’s history, communicate the
value of historic resources, and nurture a culture of reinvestment.
2
The official designation of a historic landmark or district at the local level is a legislative
action. The process begins when a person or group applies with Denver’s Landmark
Preservation office. The property’s owner is involved in this process, usually as the applicant. Through the designation
process, the City must find that the property or district meets a series of specific historic designation requirements.
Ultimately, local designation must be approved by Denver City Council.
The resulting landmark or district designation may make the property eligible for tax credits. When alterations are
planned to the exterior of these historically designated buildings, the project is subject to City design review to ensure the
changes do not negatively alter the building’s historic character.
State and national register designations require a separate process, which is overseen by History Colorado. While Discover
Denver hopes to uncover many more of Denver’s special historic resources, designating properties on the local, state or
national level is not a part of the program’s goals.
What type of findings will Discover Denver make on my property? What type of data is
being collected, and how is it collected?
The survey is meant to collect basic data on all of the city’s vintage buildings and make it available to the general public.
Each property is different. For most, Discover Denver will simply record or verify basic information like year built,
architectural style and materials, subdivision, square footage and building footprint.
For a relatively small percentage of surveyed properties — those that exemplify an architectural style or time period —
Discover Denver will seek additional information to verify the architectural integrity of the structure. This may involve
recording exterior conditions or alterations to the structure and comparing the building of today with historic records.
An estimated 5 to 10 percent of properties may be historically significant and eligible for national, state or local historic
recognition and incentive programs. As a result of the survey, owners of properties found to have historic significance will
now have the relevant historical information up front, and can learn more about historic designation options or financial
incentives available to help them maintain and/or adaptively reuse their properties.
If my property is included in a Discover Denver pilot area, does this mean that my
property will be designated historic?
No. Properties will not be designated through the Discover Denver process.
What if I don’t want my property included in the survey?
3
All properties will be surveyed generally using publicly available records, such as assessor records, and properties 30 years
of age or older will be field surveyed from public rights-of-way. Like an assessor’s survey, the Discover Denver survey will
eventually apply to all properties in the city. The resulting data will supplement other city data and may be used to
support city planning goals.
What is the timeline for Discover Denver (pilot vs. full rollout)?
Pilots are scheduled to begin in Fall 2013 and end mid-2014. Discover Denver will schedule the start date for the full
citywide survey following a post-pilot funding assessment. The full citywide survey could occur over a period of 10 years.
How can I find survey results for specific properties?
After our pilot survey data is collected and organized, it will be initially housed within and accessible from the City of
Denver’s website. Long-term goals of Discover Denver include more interactive ways for the public to connect with the
information gathered during the city-wide survey. Stay tuned to our website — www.DiscoverDenver.co — to stay upto-date with our progress.
I am interested in designating my property or neighborhood as historic now or in the
future. If my property or neighborhood is not included in the Discover Denver pilot
areas, should I wait for the full survey to reach my area?
No. Anyone who is interested in applying for official local historic designation for a property may do so at any time
through the Landmark Preservation office at Denver Community Planning and Development. To learn more, visit
www.DenverGov.org/Landmark.
How can I find out more or become involved in Discover Denver?
Please visit our website at www.DiscoverDenver.co.
www.DiscoverDenver.co
4