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Ag And Railroad Roots Earn Historic Designation For Downtown Loveland

Stacy Nick
/
KUNC
The Loveland Feed & Grain is one of 45 downtown buildings considered 'contributors' to the historical and architectural significance of the district.

Downtown Loveland has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Historic District designation focuses on Loveland’s ties to agriculture and the railroad. Founded in 1877, the city was named after William Loveland, the president of the Colorado Central Railroad.

City planner Bethany Clark believes the designation will provide an economic boost to Loveland.

“Not only is it just an honor to be recognized as a unique, historic place within Colorado and within our nation, but we hope that we can use that honor to market downtown to attract additional tourism and bring additional revenue to our community,” Clark said.

Tourism is already a huge industry in Colorado, she added. Heritage tourism is an increasingly popular segment of that industry.

A listing in the register also gives property owners the opportunity to apply for federal preservation grants and historic tax credits. But it won’t prevent them from making improvements, altering or demolishing buildings, as long as those efforts are in line with local regulations.

The historic district centers on East 4th Street and bounded by Railroad and Jefferson avenues, including a two-block stretch of Railroad Avenue.

Credit Courtesy of City of Loveland
The historic district centers on East 4th Street and bounded by Railroad and Jefferson avenues, including a two-block stretch of Railroad Avenue.

Contributing buildings include the Rialto Theater and the Feed & Grain - which is being renovated into the Artspace Loveland Arts Campus, an arts hub featuring studio space and creative businesses.

“We’re seeing a lot more activity come to our downtown,” Clark said. “So hopefully this gets people excited about that and investing in their buildings. At some point, maybe the district will even be expanded north and south to include different areas of our downtown.”

Downtown isn't the only Loveland location on the list.

In 2014, the Milner-Schwarz house, in the 700 block of South Railroad Avenue, made the register as an architectural example of an "I-house," so named because it's commonly found in Iowa, Indiana and Illinois.

Stacy was KUNC's arts and culture reporter from 2015 to 2021.
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