Historic block poised for remake

The Conner family cabins, a mining-era leftover that has somehow escaped the makeover of downtown Aspen, are finally slated for redevelopment.

But the preservation project, roundly praised Wednesday by the city's Historic Preservation Commission, will restore the cabins and leave them as the quaint, little structures that have long reminded passersby of a different time.

The Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-0 yesterday to approve developer Greg Hills' plan, which includes the construction of three separate residences behind the trio of cabins that line East Hopkins Avenue behind City Hall.

The cabins will be renovated and restored for commercial office use. The three-story residences behind them will top out at 31 feet - about 15 feet lower than the city zoning would permit, according to Hills, who didn't want the new buildings to dwarf the old ones.

The Conner family, which purchased the first of the little houses some 73 years ago, has been approached repeatedly over the years by prospective buyers, including the city, said Claude Conner. They found the right fit with Hills, managing partner of Austin-Lawrence Partners.

"I wanted to see the houses restored like they are going to be," Conner said. "We wanted the houses to stay like they are."

Austin-Lawrence Partners has an option to purchase the cabin parcels for an undisclosed price. That sale should be finalized in June and work will commence shortly thereafter, Hills said.

Additions tacked onto the rear of two of the historic cabins will be removed and the homes will be moved to the back of the property to allow for the excavation of basements. Then the cabins will be moved back to their new sites, closer to Hopkins, and the new buildings will be constructed behind them.

"This is excellent. These little cabins on East Hopkins are going to be very happy with their new facelift," said Jeffrey Halferty, Historic Preservation Commission chairman. "I think this will be marked for a preservation award at some point."

The cabins, only one of which is currently occupied, were in danger of "demolition by neglect," said Amy Guthrie, the city's historic preservation officer. "Luckily, that is not going to be their fate after all."

One of the cabins has been vacant for some 30 years. They date back to at least 1893, according to Guthrie.

The coming change, however, is a significant one. The block containing the cabins is perhaps the only one in the downtown core that has changed little since Aspen's mining days. The block also contains City Hall and St. Mary Church and rectory - all are historic structures that look much as they did when they were built, though the parish recently added a garage/caretaker unit on its property.

Guthrie called for the Historic Preservation Commission to work closely with Hills and his crew to make sure as much of the exterior material as possible on the aging cabins is retained as they are refurbished.

The landscaping plans call for some touches in keeping with old Aspen - sunflowers and sweet peas in front of the cabins.

Because the project isn't seeking any variations from city zoning, the final approval from the Historic Preservation Commission is all that is needed. The redevelopment doesn't require City Council review.

Janet Urquhart's e-mail address is janet@aspentimes.com