Boulder Historic Places Plan

This residence has remained in its original location since construction and retains much of its original character, design, and materials. The Harbeck-Bergheim House resides on seven (7) open lots (originally 27). The house is surrounded by a residential neighborhood in all directions. The University Hill neighborhood in which it resides is filled with homes of the Craftsman era and others built in succeeding decades. The overall design has remained primarily unchanged since its original construction. Most of the original materials have remained the same. Between 1991 to 2015, multiple but minor rehabilitations, building upgrades, and improvements took place. The workmanship is consistent with the combination of the Colonial Revival and Edwardian Vernacular architectural styles present in the United States at the time of its construction. With much of the first and second floor spaces having been maintained with original finishes, the feeling is authentic. The building maintains its associations with John and Kate Harbeck, benefactors of the Humane Society, and the Bergheim family, who for two generations owned a clothing store in downtown Boulder. In 1972, the basement was modified to accommodate a caretaker’s apartment. Between 1991 and 2015, various rehabilitations, building upgrades and improvements took place to preserve the structure’s character and accessibility. Relationship to the National Register Criteria The Harbeck-Bergheim House meets the National Register criteria A and C for its association with Boulder's social history and development, as well as its unique architectural style. The Harbeck-Bergheim House is significant under Criterion A for the role it has played in the social and cultural life of Boulder since 1899. Harbeck and his wife, Kate, generally kept to themselves while they lived in Boulder during the summers. They were very close to their dogs, however, and upon Mrs. Harbeck's death, she donated $50,000 to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Boulder (now known and still standing today as the Boulder Humane Society). Through this occurrence, they grew social roots with the Boulder community through a love of their dogs and animals that would continue to present day. Milton and Violet Bergheim purchased the house in 1930. Mr Bergheim owned and operated a prominent clothing store along Pearl Street from 1891 until 1996. Their commitment to the growth of Boulder's Downtown and clothing market is still shared through the preservation of the Harbeck- Bergheim house as well as their family-owned store on Pearl Street. The house is also eligible under Criterion C for its representation of the Colonial Revival and Edwardian Vernacular architectural styles made popular during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries in the United States. These styles are reflected in the Harbeck-Bergheim House's prominent classical details that set themselves apart from the remaining neighborhood by way of its setback and elevated location to the street.

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