Historic buildings and sites

The Louisville Historical Museum helps preserve Louisville's history and small-town character by researching and documenting the city's commercial and residential buildings and sites. Property histories and building surveys guide the Planning Department and the Historic Preservation Commission as they run the Historic Preservation Program. Together, these resources tell the rich story of the residents, property owners, and businesses of Louisville's Old Town.

Property history reports

The Museum Coordinator researches the history of historic buildings in Louisville and writes reports for the Planning Department and Historic Preservation Commission. You can find these reports in the City of Louisville Digital Records Repository.

Looking for a property that isn't listed there? Please email the Museum team or call (303) 335-4850.

View address histories listed by street address.

Historic building surveys

To build a library of historical and architectural information, the City Planning Department has commissioned historic building surveys for part of Old Town. Surveys are listed by street address. Some include copies of Boulder County Assessor cards from the 1940s.

Please keep in mind:

• Buildings and sites may have changed since the surveys were done.
• Owner information may no longer be current.
• Recent changes to a site may not appear in the survey.

See the full list of addresses and read the reports in the City's Digital Records Repository.

Boulder County Assessor Cards

In 2010 and 2011, the Museum obtained scanned copies of many property appraisal records first created by the Boulder County Assessor's Office. (An assessor card is a record used to set a property's value for taxes.) The original cards are kept at the Carnegie Branch Library for Local History in Boulder.

The Museum now holds digital images of 1,291 assessor cards for the Louisville area. They cover the Main Street commercial area and subdivisions such as Jefferson Place, Caledonia Place, Capitol Hill, and Pleasant Hill.

Cards from 1948 to 1983 are available through the Museum's online collection. You can search by keyword or by address in quotation marks, for example "740 Front."

Assessor cards include details about the land and the building. The property's value was set using checklists and notes about its condition.

Landmarked buildings

Louisville was founded in 1878 as one of the first coal mining towns in Boulder County. The city has grown and changed over the years but has kept its small-town character through a voluntary historic preservation program. (To landmark a building means to officially recognize and protect it for its historic value.) The program offers property owners incentives to landmark, including grants from the local Historic Preservation Fund.

National Register of Historic Places

Louisville has 12 commercial or residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. (This is the nation's official list of places worth preserving for their history, architecture, or culture.) They were chosen for their historical, architectural, or cultural significance.

Historic context reports

The City of Louisville adopted its first preservation master plan in October 2015. The plan set priorities for supporting preservation in Louisville. One recommendation was to create three reports on the city's history. The project was approved in 2016 and finalized in 2018.

The three reports are:

• Residential Development
• Commercial Development
• Industrial Development, covering Louisville's agricultural, railroad, and mining origins

See the completed reports, commissioned by the Planning Department's Historic Preservation team.

Historic marker requests

The Museum has created guidelines for historic markers placed on City property. These guidelines set clear standards for which subjects, events, people, or places qualify. The Museum can also help draft historical context plaques for businesses in Old Town Louisville. Please email the Museum team or call (303) 335-4850.

Historic Marker Guidelines

Time period. The subject of a marker (a site, event, or person) must be at least 50 years past, measured from the event or from the person's death.

Significance. The subject must have a clear, established level of historical importance, not just popular appeal.

No duplication. A marker should not be placed if the subject is already recognized by another marker or monument, public or private.

Public location. A marker must be placed in a public right-of-way, within public view, in a spot relevant to the subject. (A right-of-way is land set aside for public use, such as along a street.)

Form of recognition. The marker should match the design of other City markers, or take a form fitting for the subject.

A marker must connect to Louisville-area history in at least one of these categories:

• Settlement of the area before Louisville was established in 1878
• The development of Louisville, including early government and incorporation, such as the mayor, town trustees or city council, the town or city manager, and city departments or functions
• Public and private community services, such as water, electricity, gas, and telecommunications; newspapers; postal services; medical services; cemeteries; and railroads
• Land development in the area, including subdivisions and neighborhoods (including ethnic neighborhoods), the histories of individual buildings, and patterns of family compounds or families living near one another
• Economic activities, including coal mining and mining-related businesses; agriculture and agriculture-related businesses; and retail and commercial businesses
• Social and cultural activities, including faith communities and their buildings; civic, fraternal, and arts organizations; community events and festivals; domestic life; and recreation
• The migration of people to the Louisville area
• The relationships of Louisville-area residents to the wider world
• Education in the area, including school buildings and activities
• Individuals and families who have lived in the area or who shaped its development
• Geographical features of the area
• Natural history or archaeological material gathered through the lawful excavation of Louisville-area sites