The historic and architectural context explores the important themes that not only influenced but also resulted in postwar development of Fort Collins between 1945 and 1969. To set the stage, the context begins with a discussion of Fort Collins at the close of World War II. The chapters that follow explore important themes related to these improvements, both in the built environment and in necessary infrastructure; the dramatic postwar transformation of Colorado A&M to Colorado State University; the role of recreation and religion in postwar Fort Collins; the tremendous residential building boom and how the phenomena of American postwar subdivision patterns were expressed locally; and the importance of local business development to fuel the city’s economic growth. Each chapter traces the variety of ways in which postwar Fort Collins was the very epitome of “expands.”

The Fort Collins Postwar Survey documented ninety-six individual sites and the fifty seven homes within the Reclamation Village subdivision. The project was designed to gather architectural and historical data for properties constructed during the postwar period. The surveyed sites included residential, commercial, industrial, and religious buildings constructed
between 1945 and the early-1970s. This rather broad date range was chosen because this project represented the first systematic analysis of recent-past resources in Fort Collins. This project’s intensive survey, based upon the findings of the preliminary reconnaissance
survey, sought to document the best examples of postwar architecture in Fort Collins.

City of Fort Collins

Certified Local Government Grant and the City of Fort Collins