The Boulder Jaycees Depot
New: Roof Replacement Before and After Pictures!

Depot Project Lithograph


History of the Depot
In 1890, the Union Pacific Railroad built the Depot on 14th Street on the north side of Canyon Boulevard (then Water Street).  It was constructed of Boulder County stone at the cost of $16,000.  On August 13th, 1890 the Boulder County Herald newspaper noted that “The stonework is not to be surpassed in the state.  The woodwork is exceedingly well done and is handsome.  A gentleman who has made a critical examination of the work says ‘one ounce of putty will cover all the defects in the way of joints, cracks, etc.”  The Depot continued to serve as the railroad passenger station until 1957, when a new station was built east of town.  The Depot then changed to a bus terminal operated by the Denver-Boulder Bus Company and the Travel Center travel agency.  In 1973 the City of Boulder began the removal of the Depot to open 14th Street to Canyon Boulevard.  Historic Boulder and other concerned citizens thought that tearing down one of Boulder’s most prominent architectural landmarks would be a great loss.  The Jaycees acted upon this community service opportunity and approached the City and the Pow Wow County Fair association with the idea of moving the building to the Pow Wow Grounds.  Jaycees purchased the building for $68,000 and obtained a lease for the new site.  Members of the Jaycees personally guaranteed the note from Colorado National Bank to pay for the building and the move which was accomplished two parts on its way to the present location at Pearl and 30th Streets.  The first half was moved on June 25th 1973, and the second half on September 14th of the same year.  In addition to moving the Depot, the Jaycees rehabilitated the building.  The cupola was rebuilt using historic photographs for reference and the entire roof was replaced.  The sandstone, originating from the Anderson Quarry in Skunk Canyon, was cleaned.  The interior was remodeled to contain meeting rooms, small offices, and a kitchen.  The Depot became the home of the Boulder Jaycees as well as meeting place for other community organizations, and a place for groups to conduct craft fairs, dance classes, wedding receptions, and business meetings.  The Jaycees conducted many fundraisers to retire the original purchase and relocation loan.
The Depot was rededicated on its new site on July 4th, 1976, and in 1979 the Depot was Landmarked by the Boulder City Council (ordinance 4444)



 



Depot todayThe Depot Today

Since time time of relocation, there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the city, and in particular around the area of the old Pow Wow Grounds.  The Crossroads Mall expansion and redevelopment in the early 1980’s and rezoning in the area provided the impetus for the original development of the Crossroads Commons Shopping Center along Pearl Street between 28th and 30th Streets.  This development has effectively surrounded the Depot and in fact blocks the historic front view of the building, which was aligned to the south as in the original location along the rail spur that was removed during redevelopment.  In recent months, the reconfiguration of the center to add the very successful Whole Foods and Barnes and Noble stores has brought additional pressure upon the building from the aspects of parking availability for groups using the facility and from vandalism facilitated by demographics, inadequate lighting and traffic flow.  The Boulder Jaycees replaced the roof of the Depot in April 1999.  The contractor on the sucessflu project was firm with historic preservation expertise: Roof Check of Longmont, Colorado.  The Roof Replacement project materials meet current building codes have been approved by the Boulder Landmarks Board.  The Roof Replacement project is partially funded by a State Historical Fund grants award from the Colorado Historical Society.
Roof Before Replacement
    
                                                    Roof Before Replacement (detail)

Roof After Replacement
    
                                                      Roof After Replacement (detail)

Note that the new vents added will significantly extend the life of the roof.  The material had to change from wood shake to simlulated dimensional fiberglass shake to meet building code.



For questions, concerns, or assitance regarding the Depot please contact us at: boulderjcdepot@usa.net


For more information about the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce, please contact  The Boulder Jaycees.


 
 



This page last updated on March 29, 1999