Morse Park Survey Plan Next Steps

Home in Glen Creighton

In 2018, with a grant from the State Historical Fund and support from the community and Lakewood Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), the city hired a historic preservation consultant to develop a historic resource survey plan, which assessed at a high level the historical significance of buildings in the Morse Park neighborhood. The project involved extensive neighborhood outreach, interviews with residents and community meetings. The Morse Park Survey Plan was completed in 2020 and can be viewed online.(PDF, 11MB)

The goal of the survey plan was to document the general history of buildings in the neighborhood and to identify and prioritize areas for additional research and analysis. The survey plan involved conducting a windshield survey*, which identified four high priority sub-areas for future in-depth research, including Glen Creighton, Vista Manor-Parkridge 1st Resubdivision, Summers-Carr Court-Andreen and Rhine Knollwood.  These sub-areas had the highest number of buildings with historic integrity** and were recommended as high priority areas for further study. Of these sub-areas, Glen Creighton had the highest number of buildings with historic integrity**.

According to the Survey Plan, “Glen Creighton represents a rare, early example of curvilinear subdivision design by Saco R. DeBoer and Walter Pesman. The area is the largest recommended for survey and displays diverse architectural styles (many potentially architect designed) and a wide range of building dates. A number of properties within Glen Creighton also may be associated with individuals influential in society." This excerpt can be found on page 59 of the Morse Park Survey Plan(PDF, 11MB). 

Research Effort Underway

The HPC is excited to support the next steps of the survey plan by researching properties within the Glen Creighton sub-area. This research effort will involve conducting reconnaissance level surveys* of homes in the Glen Creighton neighborhood from the public right of way (sidewalk or street) and documenting addresses, observational information about architectural styles and features, and photographic information. This research effort will be used to help the city and HPC collect and document architectural information for properties that retain a high level of historic integrity. The research can also help facilitate future nomination of an historic property if the owners wish to do so. 

The HPC will provide the completed reconnaissance surveys to Glen Creighton property owners and the Morse Park neighborhood. Based on the results of the reconnaissance level surveys, the HPC will develop a priority list of historic properties that would be good candidates for intensive-level surveys if and when staff and funding resources are available.

* Learn More about Historic Resource Survey Types & Processes

Why Survey?

As a Certified Local Government (CLG), Lakewood follows guidelines from the State Historic Preservation Office for preservation, including initiating or continuing a process for surveying and keeping an inventory of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts within the local jurisdiction.

Surveys are used to document historic resources within the community and evaluate the eligibility of individual resources and historic districts for the National Register, State Register, and local registers like Lakewood.

There are many benefits to surveying, including:

  • Locate potential historic resources
  • Document historic resources
  • Document change over time
  • Inform Section 106 processes
  • Document threatened resources

Types of Surveys

The National Park Service establishes the guidelines for documenting and conducting surveys in the Guidelines for Local Surveys and CLG’s are required to follow these guidelines. There are several types of surveys that differ by level of detail, cost, amount of data collected and how the data is reported:

  • Windshield surveys are the least intensive survey approach, where researchers drive the streets and roads of the community or survey area and make notes on the buildings, structures and landscape characteristics seen and the general character areas. This survey type was used in the recent 2020 Morse Park Survey Plan.  
  • Reconnaissance surveys are a step above windshield surveys and are observational, visual or predictive surveys that identify the general location and nature or culture of individual historic resources in a historic area. Documentation at this level is assessed from the public right of way and typically contains basic information such as property address, number of buildings/resources on each property, architectural styles, construction dates, any noticeable alterations/changes, photographic information and recommendations for further survey activity. The HPC will be conducting these surveys in this current research effort.
  • Intensive surveys are visual and research-oriented surveys that fully record each property by including detailed architectural and historical information about the historic buildings/resources, with additional construction, property and ownership history included. An intensive level survey will include multiple photographs, a site plan and location map, and will contain an assessment of individual eligibility for local landmark designation and State and National Register designation. After conducting reconnaissance surveys, the HPC will recommend a few properties for these intensive surveys when resources become available.

 

** What is Historic Integrity?

Historic Integrity is one aspect of historic preservation eligibility. In order for a property to be listed on the National, State, or local Register, a property must have both significance and integrity. Those terms can be defined as:

  • Being associated with an important historic context (significance) and;
  • Retaining historic integrity of those features necessary to convey its significance.

Historians determine the significance and integrity of a building based on criteria developed by the National Park Service (NPS) through surveys.

The Historic Preservation Commission is applying the NPS standards and criteria to evaluate the properties in the Glen Creighton neighborhood through physical examination and documentary research. According to the NPS, historic integrity is evaluated by looking at the location, design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling, and association that the property must retain to convey its historic significance.

For more information, please visit the National Park Service or Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Office.  

 

The survey effort will be led by HPC volunteer experts in historic preservation. If you have any historic photographs of buildings in Glen Creighton to share or would like more information on this project, contact Matthew Seubert, Principal Planner with the City of Lakewood, at matseu@lakewood.org.

This project is now concluded. If you are interested in pursuing local landmark designation for your property, please visit the Local Landmark Applications page.

 

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