PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us

The underlying framework for this project will be deep engagement with local leaders and community organizations to identify 10 sites that are eligible for listing on the State and National Registers. Priority for sites to be researched and nominated will be based on the public benefit of these sites as determined by:

• Community access to the site, 
• Learning opportunities involving the site,
• And the site’s relationship and contributions to the local economy and social infrastructure.

“The San Luis Valley was historically both a geo-political and cultural borderlands, in which the combination and collision of Indigenous, Hispano, and Anglo peoples formed a hybrid culture that is like no other in the United States,” said Dawn DiPrince, President/CEO of History Colorado and State Historic Preservation Officer. “Preserving the sites that tell the authentic stories of the Valley and provide collective meaning to its people is critical to recognizing the full breadth of our state’s history before it is lost to time. This effort will also provide us an opportunity to invest in the future prosperity of the Valley as historic designations can provide access to funding avenues that can be used to protect sites which define communities.”

In addition to providing technical support in researching and nominating sites, this grant funds consultation opportunities with grant-writing and sustainability planning experts who will help locals establish sustainability plans for each of the sites added to the State and National Registers. This consultation will assist locals to develop funding applications that support ongoing maintenance, operation, and/or redevelopment and restoration plans for sites so they both preserve the past, and serve the contemporary and future needs of San Luis Valley and its residents.

It is History Colorado’s hope that the preservation support and projects put in place by this grant will continue to pay dividends for the community long after the grant funded effort is completed by empowering locals to lead preservation efforts across the San Luis Valley and provide a model for how preservation can meet the needs of under-resourced communities.

“We are lucky that San Luis Valley communities have fiercely and lovingly preserved their rich historic resources for generations, and we are eager to support their stewardship with additional resources and tools,” DiPrince said. “This project has the potential to set a standard for how historic preservation can turn the vital markers of the past into economic drivers of the future.” 

The work done in the San Luis Valley will also provide History Colorado an extensive opportunity to evaluate the processes and procedures which govern nomination to the State Register. It is the organization's hope that community input provided through this project will help remove any undue barriers that restrict marginalized communities from accessing historic designation and preservation funding.

“When people think classically about historic properties they envision stunning Victorian houses, and the creations of renowned architects, but this only represents a portion of our shared history,” DiPrince said. “This work allows us to advance what historic preservation looks like and build an inclusive historic record that represents the experiences of all of Colorado’s people.” 

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

About Colorado Heritage for All
Colorado Heritage for All is an intentional effort by History Colorado to address the lack of representation of all Colorado's diverse communities on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Colorado Heritage for All supports nominations and the listing of 150 currently unrecognized historic resources that tell the stories of marginalized communities by the end of 2026.

As part of the Colorado Heritage for All, History Colorado is seeking community suggestions for properties that are vital to understanding the history of the Centennial State. Coloradans are encouraged to submit suggestions for sites that should be added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places through this online submission form or by contacting the State Historic Preservation Office via Email at hc_oahp@state.co.us. 

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 145-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado