Chamber of Commerce Building
Routt County
The 1960 Chamber of Commerce Building in Steamboat Springs is architecturally significant in the area of architecture as a superior local example of the Modern Movement’s Usonian design philosophy. Integrated into the surrounding landscape and oriented toward the nearby Soda Creek and Little Toots Park, the building embodies many of the defining characteristics of the design philosophy, including the use of natural materials, which help blend the building into the site, dominant horizontal lines, integrated windows, and an inverted gabled roof with wide overhanging eaves.
Chamber of Commerce Building
Notable are two cottonwood trees extending through the porch floor and roof and incorporated into the overall design. Architect Eugene Sternberg designed the Chamber of Commerce Building as one of several commissions he received in the Steamboat Springs area. The building’s small-scale is unusual within the architect’s broad body of work, but typifies his interest in economical construction through its utilization of donated materials and volunteer labor.