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Romero House - Historic Structure Assessment
Fort Collins, Colorado

  
Romero House, 2002

The City of Fort Collins recently received the donation of the Romero property from The Fort Collins Partners, a commercial land development company, which had purchased the property from the Romero Family in 2001 with the intent of donating it for use by the community.

In developing a treatment plan for the Romero House, the Poudre Landmarks Foundation, Inc. (PLF) determined that they needed a thorough assessment of the house's existing conditions. The PLF applied for, and received, a State Historical Fund Historic Structure Assessment (HSA) Grant for the development of this report in the autumn of 2001. As part of their HSA application, the PLF asked Colorado State University's Architectural Preservation Institute (API) to provide a proposal to conduct this assessment as part of its outreach and education efforts to the preservation community.

The API is a part of Colorado State University and reflects that institution’s commitment to the integration of research, teaching and outreach. Several aspects of the proposed project, discussed at length in this document, address that integration, and API agreed to assist PLF. API invited Cornerstones Community Partnerships (CCP) to join the assessment team for several reasons. A key concern with the Romero House is the condition of the adobe walls. Adobe is a rare building material in the north Front Range of Colorado, and few architectural or building consultants have worked with the material. CCP is a non-profit located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is internationally recognized for their technical mastery of adobe restoration. Additionally, but equally important is CCP’s accomplishment in grass roots community building, particularly in the Hispanic communities of the Southwest.

A detailed investigation of the building began in November 2001.