Boulder County designates 3.96 acres of Hummel Farmstead as local landmark

Boulder County commissioners unanimously designated 3.96 acres of the City of Boulder-owned Hummel Farmstead as a local historic landmark on Sept. 24. The county hearing established that construction in the landmark area requires a certificate of appropriateness. Staff said interpretive signs proposed there must also undergo review and receive approval from the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

The designation covers the farmhouse, eight outbuildings and other historic and archaeological features at 3902 North 63rd Street. That area is a small part of the roughly 78-acre city-owned parcel.

The local landmark designation is separate from the property’s National Register listing. The farmstead was listed in 2001 as the Boulder County Poor Farm; county staff said that listing covers 40 acres and has a period of significance from 1897 to 1951. The new local designation starts its period of significance in 1870, the approximate construction date of the original house built by George Chambers, and runs through 1951.

Staff recommended the designation for the site’s historical associations and agricultural history, the Queen Anne farmhouse’s architecture, and its potential to yield information about agricultural and social history. Although the broader parcel is associated with Fort Chambers and the Sand Creek Massacre, staff said the designated area is not directly associated with the fort or massacre and contains no resources identified as related to them.

The city’s 2024 concept plan, developed with Tribal Representatives, recommends continued agriculture, ecological restoration, visitor access and an interpretive trail across the broader site. It also recommends restoring the historic Queen Anne house, which served as the Poor Farm, and describes educational use as a possible secondary use. People also gave public testimony about interpretive designs at the city’s Open Space Board meetings in June and September.