If you notice teams of people taking photos of Victorian houses in Aspen in the coming days, it’s all part of an update to the city’s inventory of historic properties.
Aspen is one of 64 places in Colorado with Certified Local Government status; that means it meets national and state standards for historic preservation.
Being a Certified Local Government means the city can apply for certain grants. It also means that those who own historic properties are eligible for state income tax credits.
A historic property inventory is required every ten years or so to maintain the certification. Aspen's last inventory was in 2000.
Amy Simon is the city’s historic preservation officer. She says this inventory is focused on properties that are already designated historic landmarks.
"This particular project is just to make observations about changes in their condition and make sure we’ve gathered all the maps and photographs and resources we can have in our files," she said.
She says it won’t lead to new landmarked properties or new restrictions.
This is phase one of the inventory and focuses exclusively on about 80 landmarked Victorian homes.
Teams will be knocking on doors of those houses and asking owners for permission to take exterior photos. If no one is home, they’ll take photos from off the property.
The final survey will be submitted to the City of Aspen and History Colorado, the state's historical society.
