Historic Ault High School Wins 2009 Governor’s Award

In February, Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter presented the Colorado Historical Society’s 2009 Awards honoring outstanding achievements in historic preservation.

In the mid-1990s, historic Ault High School nearly met the wrecking ball.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Ault community and Weld County School District RE-9, the 1921 Mediterranean-style landmark has been restored and is ready for a new generation of Ault students.

On Feb. 4, Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter presented the school district with the seventh annual Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation in a ceremony at the Colorado History Museum.

Designed by prominent regional architect Sidney G. Frazier, Ault High School is a highly visible landmark on Colorado Highway 14 at the west entrance to the town. It is listed in the State Register of Historic Properties. The gracious building functioned as Ault’s only high school from 1921 to 1976; then as the junior high school until 1992.

When a new school was built in the mid-1990s, the Board of Education considered demolishing the historic school but met with tremendous opposition from the public. The strong affection of local residents for this community landmark—coupled with the growing student population in the small community—led the board to decide to restore the vacant building and return it to use as a school.

With the leadership of then-Superintendent Dennis Scheer, the school district received five grants from the State Historical Fund totaling more than $800,000. The grants funded an assessment and preservation plan for the important building, as well as the work needed to return it to use as a school.

“School buildings are important to communities,” said Estella Cole, historic preservation specialist at the State Historical Fund. “Ault High School showcases one of the State Historical Fund’s primary missions: to return historic buildings to communities for good use. The community is preserving not only the building, but also the bond of memories between the generations that went to school there.”

The interior and exterior of the building were carefully restored, including upgrading mechanical, electrical and data systems. To retain the historic integrity of the school, new wiring and cabling was hidden behind baseboards or carefully channeled into the existing plaster—which was repaired to its original appearance. Floor, wall and ceiling finishes were repaired and restored, as were corridors, classrooms and built-in fixtures and casework.

The most dramatic visual change was the installation of new double-hung windows that exactly replicated the historic windows. The original windows had been replaced in the 1970s with small aluminum windows and glass block, which detracted from the appearance of this community landmark. The main entry and exterior doors were also restored.

Stephen H. Hart Awards

The 23rd Annual Stephen H. Hart Awards for historic preservation recognized eight outstanding projects that have impacted historic preservation in Colorado.

• Town of Breckenridge – for rehabilitation of the Fuqua Livery Stable;
• State of Colorado Office of the State Architect—for rehabilitation of the State Capitol Building and the Cheesman-Boettcher-Governor’s Residence;
• Park County Office of Historic Preservation—for exceptional historic preservation initiative;
• Town of Manzanola – for the rehabilitation of the Santa Fe Railway Depot;
• Eureka Masonic Lodge No. 66 Ancient Free & Accepted Masons—for the structural and interior rehabilitation of their building;
• San Juan County Historical Society – for the production of HAER & HSA documentation of the multiple-building Shenandoah-Dives Mill site;
• City of Montrose – for the rehabilitation of the Elks Building, with recognition to Montrose Grants Coordinator Janet Freed & Administrative Services Director Virgil Turner;
• Historic Highlandlake Inc. - for the restoration & rehabilitation of the historic Highlandlake Community Church.

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