Broomfield gives Nordstrom silo historic landmark status
The designation subjects non-routine exterior work to preservation review and requires future interpretive signs to address the site’s agricultural workforce history.
Broomfield City Council unanimously designated the city-owned Nordstrom silo a local historic landmark on Sept. 22. The designation brings most exterior work under preservation review, and an amendment requires future interpretive signs to address the history of the property and surrounding agricultural workforce. The council approved Resolution 2026-111 with the amendment.
The designation covers the circa-1948, 40-foot concrete-stave silo at 1790 W. 160th Ave. Non-routine exterior work must go through Historic Landmark Board review for a Certificate of Historic Appropriateness after a public hearing; demolition requests follow a separate process. The designation does not change the site’s Open Lands classification in the city’s comprehensive plan, the staff report and resolution say.
Mayor Pro Tem Lim proposed the amendment, saying the landmark application had not prompted a full examination of the property’s socioeconomic and cultural history. It directs future educational plaques or interpretive signs to present a “complete and contextualized history” of the property and surrounding agricultural workforce, to the extent that history can reasonably be established through a records search. The condition sets a standard for future interpretation, not a finished exhibit or restoration plan. Staff said it would work with the Historic Landmark Board to encourage fuller historical research in future landmark applications.
The city’s preservation case cites the silo’s mid-century construction, its association with the Nordstrom Ranch and Broomfield’s agricultural history, and its status as the ranch’s last remaining structure. Proposed improvements such as a trail connection, shade structure, trailhead and agricultural-history signage would require a separate future funding request.
Restoration funding remains prospective. The staff report describes a planned $232,000 State Historical Fund grant application and says a draft 2027 city budget includes $125,000 for council consideration. Together, those amounts would total $357,000 if the grant is awarded and the budget funding approved, compared with an estimated $332,000 for rehabilitation and stabilization. Staff told council the difference would provide contingency for problems uncovered during restoration.