This once-grimy coal-mining town has been reborn as one of Colorado’s best-preserved and most popular resort towns.  Founded in 1878, Crested Butte sits in a remote, magnificent mountain valley at 8,885 feet and is named for the most prominent of many nearby peaks.  The Crested Butte National Historic District embraces most of the town, roughly bounded by Whiterock and Maroon Avenues between 1st and 8th Streets.  New buildings within the district play on the traditional massing and materials of the historic structures.  The town also established its own Board of Zoning and Architectural Review to preserve buildings—and outbuildings.

The State Historical Fund has given the town $413,936 in grants to restore the old Hardware Building, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Water Tower, the Rock School House and other historic buildings.

Information Sources

Parts of this text taken from Guide to Colorado Historic Places by Thomas J. Noel