Officially, the City of Florence now can be found listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On July 14, a corridor of Florence was recognized to be on the registry; 52 contributing properties and about 20 non-contributing properties.

For months, the city’s Historical Preservation Committee and the City Planner have been working to get earn the historical designation.

In May, they visited Denver, where they went in front of the state review board for the national registry.

City Planner Wade Broadhead said the designation is mostly honorific, but now that Florence has the official distinction of being on the registry, it can benefit in a number of ways.

“Obviously, we can put a sign on the highway,” Broadhead said, adding they’ve already been in contact with the Colorado Department of Transportation about installing a sign on U.S. 50.

He said CDOT already is working with the Florence City Council about looking into placing more decorative signage at the edge of town.

“Bigger buildings are (also) eligible for historical preservation tax credits, which can be a 20 percent tax credit on a rehabilitation loan,” Broadhead said.

Buildings in Florence that could benefit from these tax credits include the Rialto Theater, the Elks Lodge, Florence Brewing Company and the McCandless Building.

Broadhead also said being designated as a historic district is beneficial for many towns.

“Historical districts gain value, hold values through time and can act as a buffer in bad times,” he said.

He added that typically tourists and economic developers are attracted to historic districts.

Currently, developers are looking at the McCandless building.

Broadhead said they were attracted to the historic downtown in Florence and saw an opportunity.

If these developers continue moving forward, Broadhead said they are looking at turning the McCandless building in a “mix use,” property – meaning it can serve as storefronts and housing.

“It’s also a reaffirmation that we see this area as the heart of Florence, it’s the area we want to preserve and people want to come in to be part of,” Broadhead said regarding the nomination process.

He said nobody objected to the nomination and property owners already take care of their buildings.

“Compared to a lot of small towns in Colorado, we have a lot of good architectural integrity,” Broadhead said, saying many of the buildings in Florence today were built in the later 1800s when Florence was an oil town.

Many other buildings were added, he said, in the 1920s.

Broadhead said the next steps will look at a demolition review or a historical design review.

He said as the city’s ordinances stand now, someone could come in and demolish one of the buildings listed on the registry and turn it into a parking lot.

With a demolition review, then a developer coming in or property owner would have to go through a review process and permission to demolish a building.

Broadhead said a design review would be something else to look at, but he’s not as concerned about it because the look of the buildings already look like the area is part of a regulated district.

“The (historical) distinction can also help tell or retell the story of the town … I .think people get attached to the story and want to be here to be part of the story,” he said.

Sarah Matott: 719-276-7648, matotts@canoncitydailyrecord.com