Rich with history and innovative design, Boulder is home to many architecturally impressive buildings. 

1. Mesa Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research

Designed by architect I.M. Pei in 1961, the plans for the National Center for Atmospheric Research took inspiration from the history of Colorado and cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, with a modern perspective. The facility is split into separate “villages,” and is one of the designs that helped launch Pei’s career, which includes an expansive portfolio, including work on the Louvre.

Credit: Leonard Segel

2. Carnegie Library for Local History

Inspired by Greek architecture, the Carnegie Library for Local History was built in 1906. It remains a vital resource for Colorado history, and is located on Pine St. and Broadway in downtown Boulder. 

Credit: Lauren Walters

3. Chautauqua Auditorium

As a part of the original Boulder Chautauqua development, the auditorium opened to the public on July 4, 1898. Used as a space for concerts, shows and events, the venue has hosted a wide range of artists including Ziggy Marley, Amos Lee and Joan Baez.

Photo courtesy Colorado Chautauqua

4. Williams Village Towers

Originally completed in 1969, Williams Village has since grown to include newer buildings to provide more student housing opportunities. Stearns Tower stands out as one of the tallest buildings in Boulder, with stunning city views from a library located on the top floor. 

Credit: Carnegie Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection

5. Harbeck-Bergheim House

The Harbeck-Bergheim House on 12th St. and Euclid Ave. most recently served as the Museum of Boulder prior to its relocation in 2018. Its said that while the building served as a personal residence, the top floor was used as a rollerskating rink. The space is now used by Women’s Wilderness, who occupies a quarter of the building and sublets to other groups focused on social and environmental justice issues. 

Credit: Lauren Walters

6. The Academy Nursing Home

Built in 1892 and located on Lincoln Pl. and Aurora Ave., The Academy Boulder was originally a Catholic boarding school for women. The building itself features Richardsonian Romanesque architectural details and has since undergone renovations. It is now a senior living community. 

Credit: Lauren Walters

7. Spruce Street Mansion

Believed to be one of the oldest standing buildings in Boulder, this historic mansion located on 11th St. and Spruce St. is now used as office space for the Community Foundation Boulder County, a local nonprofit organization.

Credit: Lauren Walters

8. Hotel Boulderado

Hotel Boulderado was the first luxury hotel in Boulder, after it opened to guests on New Year’s Day in 1909. To commemorate the rich history of the hotel, a grand ball is thrown each year on New Year’s Eve. 

Credit: Lauren Walters

9. Old Main

Constructed in 1876, Old Main was the first building built on the CU Boulder campus, and was the only building used by the university until 1884. While the campus has continued to expand, the building is still used for classes, office space and museum exhibits, such as the LEGO model of the campus. A restoration begin on the building in early 2024. 

Credit: Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado

10. Boulder Public Library

The Main Library was built in 1961 by architect James Hunter, who also designed several other prominent buildings in Boulder, including the Boulder Medical Center and Boulder Municipal Building. The space features a coffee shop, access to the Boulder Creek and exhibit space in addition to its expansive library collection. 

Credit: City of Boulder

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In early spring, beautiful clouds line the bright blue sky over campus. Surrounded by the Flatirons, these campus buildings embody a romantic Italianate style with red tile roofing, a style popular in the Mediterranean. Sandstone for the building walls is gathered locally from Front Range quarries.

Photo by Jacob McKinney

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After graduating from CU, Philip Cudaback (EnvDes’88) moved to San Diego, where he worked in corporate architecture for 15 years. In 2007, he started his own firm, Lahaina Architects, which specializes in commercial architecture across Southern California. In 2011, he took on a passion project in Kearney, Nebraska, designing a memorial for the Central Nebraska Veterans Home, which houses 225 veterans.The $2 million memorial — funded by donors — was officially dedicated on Nov. 11, 2021. Here, Cudaback shares about his passion for design and the inspiration for the monument.

What was the best part of your time at CU?

I was always into architecture, so CU’s environmental design program was perfect for me. The education itself was very rewarding, and it also taught me how to deal with people. Outside of school, I enjoyed skiing up in Dillon. I met many lifelong friends at CU that I’m still in contact with. I still love coming back to Boulder and CU a couple of times a year. 

Can you describe the memorial's design?

The memorial features eight, 16-foot-tall service monuments, representing the branches of service, linked together by a horizontal beam. Around them are 16 smaller, 8-foot-tall pillars, each dedicated to military conflict dating back to the Civil War. Behind each service pillar is a U.S. flag on a flagpole. It’s an educational monument for people to be able to walk around, read about all the conflicts and sit and reflect. 

What was your inspiration?

“Shoulder to Shoulder,” the theme of the monument — is influenced in part by CU. The design’s purpose is to honor all veterans past, present and future. The design represents how all branches of the military and all veterans are connected and stand together as one cohesive unit. 

What was the dedication ceremony like? 

It was an hour-long ceremony, with over 500 people attending. There was a ribbon cutting and the mayor of Kearney, Stan Clouse, Congressman Adrian Smith and Governor Pete Ricketts all gave speeches. I was able to meet a lot of veterans, many of whom came up to thank me. It was a really wonderful day. 

Why is this project important to you?

This project is outside of the work I usually do, but I wanted to help out the community, honor the veterans and just do a good deed. The veterans here deserve a beautiful memorial. It was a project I couldn't turn down.

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Photo courtesy Philip Cudaback

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Last October, d’Andre Willis began her role as CU Boulder’s campus architect and director of planning. She is the first woman to hold the position. Here she discusses her favorite buildings, sustainable design and why she chose to work at CU Boulder.

What inspired you to become an architect?

I have always had a deep response to buildings — both as objects and as habitable spaces. I remember trips to Chicago as a kid and being wowed by individual buildings that looked cool to me and intrigued by the way the buildings conversed with each other in the city. At that age, I drew a lot of plans for dream homes; most of them had streams running through them and trees growing inside.

Why did you want to work for CU Boulder?

I am passionate about the link between the physical environment and the culture of a place. The focus of my career has been on creating public spaces that have an impact on making communities better, and it’s an honor to be asked to steward a physical campus of CU Boulder's quality in support of the academic mission, culture and people of the university.

What is your favorite building on campus?

Often an architect’s favorite building is their current project, and by that measure I am most passionate about the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building. Hellems is so important to campus — it’s a key part of our historic Norlin Quad, a center for teaching where nearly all undergrads take at least one class and the first building on campus designed by Charles Klauder in the Tuscan Vernacular style. Unfortunately, within the wonderful exterior of Hellems, the classrooms and other spaces for faculty and students aren’t up to the quality that the university needs. Currently we’re in the early design phases of a project that will renew all of Hellems to create a dynamic and welcoming hub for learning while taking care of the historic fabric for the next 100 years of this important building’s life.

What’s your favorite building in the world?

I’d like to take that question in a different direction and tell you about one of my favorite places in the world. I love buildings in their context, particularly cities and campuses, where structures, landscape and public art shape outdoor spaces that are joyful and energetic. Dearborn Street through Chicago’ Loop, for instance, is a place where buildings and sculptures create a string of amazing public spaces.You can start near the south end with wonderful historic structures like the Monadnock Building; then traverse Federal Plaza, which is ringed by Miesvan der Rohe’s Federal Towers, his luminous post office and the historic Marquette Building by Holabird and Roche with its ornate lobby and Calder’s exuberant flamingo sculpture anchoring the center. Continue north to the Chase Bank Plaza with Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaics. Last and not least is Daley Plaza, where the stately columns of the city and county building and the groundbreaking Daley Center tower designed by C.F. Murphy in CORTEN steel shape a plaza enlivened with sculptures by Picasso and Miro.

How does sustainability factor into everyday thoughts about design, especially here in Boulder?

The negative impacts that buildings have made to climate change, habitat loss and other ecological damage is clear: We can do better and we must. CU has been a leader in sustainable design, and I look forward to continuing to push the bar higher on our new construction and renovation projects. Sustainable design works best when it is an integrated effort working simultaneously on many different fronts. These efforts include stewarding our existing buildings so that they can continue to serve the university for years to come, creating buildings that are resilient to natural and human-caused events,decarbonizing through changing fuel sources and reducing energy usage in both new and existing buildings. Also, buildings need to contribute positively to the health and wellness of the people who use them, such as by connecting to the amazing natural environment all around us here in Boulder.

How do you strike a balance between traditional design styles and innovation?

I’m new to campus, but from my first moments here, I’ve been impressed by the reverence in which the Klauder buildings in the historic core are held.These buildings are treasures, and CU is known across the country for their standard of beauty. I’m also excited by the opportunities in East Campus, north of Boulder Creek and Williams Village to explore aesthetic expressions that expand the campus identity and create a sense of neighborhood and community.

What is most different now for someone entering the architecture field today than in the past?

One of the major differences is the understanding that the profession needs to expand to include diverse voices and people from diverse backgrounds. Change is slow, but steady. I’ve seen significant change in the span of my career in the number of women in leadership positions in the profession, and am honored to be the first woman to serve as CU Boulder's campus architect. I am encouraged by the serious efforts underway to create lasting gains for LGBTQ people, and Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other people of color in the profession.

What do you like to do for fun?

My favorite outdoor activities are nature walks, biking and rowing; sculling in single person boats has been a favorite activity enjoyed by my husband and me for many years. I also enjoy playing music, particularly in ensembles with other people. My pandemic creative outlets have been learning to play keyboard and doing weekly watercolor sessions with my two sisters via Zoom.

Anything else we should know about you?

I start my day with the KenKen puzzle in the Daily Camera.

Interview condensed and edited.

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Photo by Matt Tyrie

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Since 2017, a team of 30 CU Boulder students and faculty has worked to build an all-electric house in one of the coldest towns in the lower 48 states: Fraser, Colorado. They completed the 1,176-square-foot project in April.

The world took notice.

In April 2021, they won first place in the Build Challenge, an international competition challenging participants to design and build a functional house that creatively solves real issues within the building industry. In addition to the first-place win, CU took first in three of the 10 judged events — innovation, market potential and architecture.

As high living costs in mountain towns deter potential residents, team leaders Gabi Abello (Engr’20) and Hannah Blake (Engr’20) wanted to tackle energy efficiency and affordability in mountain homes.

With heat pumps, solar panels and an attached rental unit to supplement income, the SPARC house (Sustainability, Performance, Attainability, Resilience and Community) functions at net-positive energy efficiency, even selling solar energy back to the local power grid.

The team is perhaps most proud that the house is now a home to residents Kristen Taddonio and Joe Smyth. “It’s just awesome to be able to wake up in the morning and look out and see mountains and to be here,” Taddonio told CU Boulder Today. “It’s just a dream come true.”

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Photo courtesy CU Boulder

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CU's clay roof tiles are a staple of the campus architecture. Here's 10 things you might not have known about them:

1. The tiles were introduced by Charles Klauder, a Philidelphia-based architect.
2. In 1921, Hellems Arts & Sciences became the first campus building with a clay tile roof.
3. There are 160 tiles in a 100-square-foot-area, putting the total on campus in the millions.
4. Each tile weighs three pounds.
5. The tiles come with a 75-year warranty.
6. They are durable: CU only replaces about 50 to 75 tiles a year.
7. When they are replaced, it can take up to an hour to change a single tile.
8. Each building has a unique color palette that fits within CU's architectural guidlines. 
9. Their curvature helps mitigate hail damage by distributing the force of impact.
10. Today the tiles come from the Ludowici Roof Tile Company, based out of Ohio.

To learn more, read the full story: CU Boulder's Roof Tiles Are a Campus Staple.

Photo by Patrick Campbell (top), Photo by Glenn Asakawa 

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From up close and from miles away, CU Boulder's red-orange tile rooftops signal it's no ordinary place. 

CU Boulder’s soul-stirring vistas are legendary. John Steele couldn’t avoid them if he tried. For over 19 years he’s been repairing and replacing the red-orange clay roof tiles that are a hallmark of CU’s campus.

“Best office in the world, I’ve always said,” said Steele, the senior roofer in CU’s Facilities Operations and Services division.

With 160 tiles in a 100-square-foot area, and at least half of the school’s 3 million square feet of rooftop covered in clay, Steele and a partner are responsible for keeping on top of millions of tiles.

Along with CU Boulder’s signature sandstone walls, limestone trim and black metal accents, the Mission-style tiles were the inspiration of Philadelphia architect Charles Klauder, who in 1919 produced CU’s first campus master plan. He ultimately designed 15 buildings in what he called “Colorado style” and former campus architect Bill Deno calls “Tuscan Vernacular.” Boulder’s landscape reminded Klauder of a bike ride he’d taken through northern Italy.

In 1921, Hellems Arts and Sciences went up as the first campus building in the new style, a departure from Klauder’s previous collegiate gothic work.

“He stressed that Colorado would be the first educational institution in the West to attempt a uniform building style,” Deno said in Body & Soul, his book about Klauder’s influence on CU. “He promised them that his building plan would make Colorado’s campus one of the most beautiful in the United States, and he delivered.”

In the early 20th century, the clay for the tiles came from local quarries, a factor for the ever-frugal Klauder. Most have since closed. Today the handcrafted, kiln-fired tiles come from an Ohio firm, Ludowici Roof Tile Company. Each comes with a 75-year warranty.

CU replaces between 50 and 75 tiles each year. But a lot of the originals, now nearly 100 years old, are still in place.

“That’s what tile roofs do — they last a long time,” said Steele, who’s been on top of nearly every building at CU Boulder. “You’re paying for longevity.”

When CU gutted and renovated the 81-year-old, Klauder-designed Ketchum Arts and Sciences building in 2015, workers pulled off, examined and reused almost every tile. Besides the exterior walls, the tiles are now among the only original elements, campus architects said.

It’s not just the tiles’ mixture of clays that make them strong. Their curvature helps mitigate hail damage by distributing the force of impact.

Hardy as they are, their most striking feature is their color — colors, really.

To the careful observer, there are sometimes subtle but usually harmonious variations from rooftop to rooftop. Duane Physics has only a few red and orange tones in a generally flat finish, for example, while Clare Small has ivory and deep brown tiles, some with glossy finishes. CU Boulder’s architectural style guidelines, while strict, are not rigid.

“When a new architect arrives, we don’t hand them a stylebook, like at other places,” current campus architect Bill Haverly said. “We walk them around.”

Sometimes it can take Steele and a partner up to an hour to change a single three-pound tile.

“It depends,” said Steele, who does most of the work in summer. “If they’re the pans, which are the bottom tile, then you have to take off the caps all around it to get to that one piece. And then you have to put it all back together.”

It’s the dedication of people like Steele that helps CU Boulder maintain its reputation as one of America’s most beautiful universities. Without the red clay roofs, it wouldn’t feel the same.

For Steele, that’s satisfying. So is the feeling that he’s contributing in a practical way to the university’s academic mission. “I like helping to keep people’s heads dry while they are learning and advancing their life,” he said.

In our print edition, this story appears under the title "Shouting About the Rooftops" Comment on this story? Email editor@colorado.edu.

Photos by Glenn Asakawa

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Tuscan Vernacular

1917

Year Charles Klauder, who developed CU Boulder’s “Tuscan vernacular” architectural style, first visited campus

15

CU buildings designed

14

Number built

1921

First (Hellems)

1947

Last (McKenna Languages, after Klauder's death)

1

New edition of Body & Soul, book about CU Boulder's architecture 

Good News for Early Risers

Early risers may be less prone to depression, according to one of the largest studies yet to explore the link between sleep-wake preference and mood disorders. 

Researchers at CU Boulder and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston looked at sleep-wake preferences and depression rates for 32,000 female nurses and found that early birds were 12 to 27 percent less likely to develop depression.

So: Stop staying up late to watch Netflix. Doctor’s orders.

For details of the study, visit CU Boulder Today

Heard Around Campus 

Love them, comfort them, calm them down, make them feel safe and secure and let them know you care for them.”

 

— CU emeritus professor Marc Beckoff, author of Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do, on helping pets through grief, in the Huffington Post.

Barbie’s Got Brains

Casey Fiesler is taking down stereotypes — one Barbie at a time. 

The CU assistant professor of information science won notice in 2014 after critiquing Mattel’s Barbie for its representation of women in technology. The company responded with a job offer.

Fiesler contributed to Mattel's new book Code Camp with Barbie and Friends, which teaches children to code and encourages girls and women to pursue careers in STEM. The book was recently released along with a new doll, Robotics Engineer Barbie.

© iStock/benimage (clock). Photo courtesy Casey Fiesler (Barbie)

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Former CU Boulder campus architect Bill Deno (Arch'72; MA'73) talks with the Coloradan about CU Boulder’s campus aesthetic, “Tuscan vernacular,” developed by Charles Z. Klauder in the early 20^th Century.

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Name: Woodbury Arts and Sciences Building

Year Built: 1890     

Architect: F. A. Hale    

Today: Today, Woodbury is connected to the Eaton Humanities Building and houses administrative offices and the advising center for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Once Upon a Time: When the building was first built in 1890, it served as a men’s dorm with top-notch amenities for its time: steam heat, electric lights and hot and cold running water.

Did You Know? Woodbury served as a temporary hospital during the 1918 influenza epidemic before being converted to the business school in the 1920s.

Have a Memory to Share? Email editor@colorado.edu.

Check out our other building posts here.

Information and historic photos courtesy of CU Heritage Center; Photo by Amanda Clark

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