By Shannon Lukens.
The plaque ceremony was Thursday for two historic buildings added to the Steamboat Springs Register of Historic Places. Both are former homes that house the Tread of Pioneers Museum at 8th and Oak.
The Seymour/Utterback House was built in 1898. The Campbell/Zimmerman House was built in 1901.
Pictured:
- Katie Adams, Tread of Pioneers Museum Curator and City of Steamboat Springs Historic Preservation Commission Chair
- Candice Bannister, Executive Director, Tread of Pioneers Museum
- Caitlin Berube-Smith, Historic Preservation Planner for the City of Steamboat Springs
- Debbie Routt, Board Member, Historic Routt County
More pictures below.
Details from the Tread of Pioneers Museum; October 2024.
“Our county’s historic buildings are our largest and most visible artifacts, as worthy of preservation, protection, and appreciation as any of the treasured collections we care for inside of the museum’s walls.” Candice Bannister, Tread of Pioneers Museum
The Tread of Pioneers Museum submitted nominations to the Steamboat Springs Register of Historic Places for both houses comprising the museum—the Campbell/Zimmerman and Seymour/Utterback houses on 8th and Oak Streets. Arianthe Stettner of Historic Routt County prepared the nominations. The City’s Historic Preservation Commission will review the application on Nov. 4, 2024.
“The museum is committed to teaching, preserving, and sharing the history of our town and county, and we believe deeply in the benefits of historic designation and preservation,” said Candice Bannister, Executive Director of the Tread of Pioneers Museum. “Though the museum board and staff have always and will always preserve these historic buildings for the community, it was important for us to list these buildings on the only local register that carries protections to safeguard these treasures (all others are honorary currently). We want to serve as a model of preservation and illustrate how meeting expanding space needs and historic preservation can work together.”
The Campbell/Zimmerman house, originally located on 5th and Oak Streets, was built in 1901 by Earnest Campbell. The Queen Anne-style home features unique half-timbered gables. In 1914, Campbell sold the house to Edward H. Zimmerman, manager of the local Mutual Telephone Exchange and later the Yampa Valley Mill and Elevator Company. Edward and Mary Zimmerman and their four children lived in the house until 1956 when the County purchased it.
In 1959, the Tread of Pioneers Museum opened to the public in the Campbell/Zimmerman house at its original location next to the Routt County courthouse. Nearly thirty years later, when the County needed the land under the house, they gifted the home to the museum under the condition that it be moved to an alternate location. The museum board then purchased a new lot at 8th and Oak, moved the house to the present site, began renovation, and built additional exhibit galleries. Sixty-five years later, the Campbell/Zimmerman house remains the heart of the Tread of Pioneers Museum.
The Seymour/Utterback House was built in 1898 on 4th and Oak Streets, by C.A. Seymour, manager of the J.W. Hugus & Co. mercantile. Using local lumber, the rectangular wood-framed building has unique features including intersecting gables and a widow’s walk. In 1944, the John A. Utterback family purchased the house as a town residence for the winter months. Utterback family members lived in the house for over 50 years.
In 1997, after her father John “Doc” Utterback’s passing, Karin Utterback-Normann donated the house to expand the Tread of Pioneers Museum. The house was moved to 8th and Oak to join the existing buildings and renovated to better serve the public as a museum.
Both historic homes, which are already on the honorary Routt County Register, are now integral parts of the museum operations and exhibits. They showcase local craftsmanship and materials and serve as tributes to the rural pioneer families whose work and leadership are significant in the development of Routt County.
The register applications’ Statement of Significance states: The structures meet the designation criteria for Significance in History (association with a significant place, person, culture, character, or event in history) and Architecture (style, type, architect, and/or builder). The buildings reflect the evolving history of early residential neighborhoods and the citizens of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Although the buildings were relocated when the previous owners gifted them to the Tread of Pioneers Museum, the buildings continue to evoke association, materials, feeling, design, and workmanship of turn-of-the-19th century residences and retain Oak Street’s historic context.
Additionally, the houses’ most recent history and association with the museum organization focused on collecting, preserving, educating, and celebrating the history and heritage of Steamboat Springs and Routt County, further strengthening the buildings’ significance.
“We are proud to partner with both the City of Steamboat Springs and Historic Routt County in their programs to demonstrate how our missions work together to honor and save our local heritage,” said Bannister. “With local designation, we can ensure these buildings will remain historically significant resources, obtain guidance from the City for future renovations or expansion, and continue to serve the evolving needs of the museum,” said Bannister.
For more information on celebrating the history and preservation of our community’s buildings, or to nominate and protect your property through the Steamboat Springs Register, contact historicrouttcounty.org or Caitlin Berube-Smith at cberubesmith@steamboatsprings.net.
