Several years ago, the need for a permanent office for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory became apparent. Quite by accident, a unique opportunity arose to acquire a wonderful State Historic Property just across the lake from our current location. All that was required was to restore a 115 year old building that had not been occupied for over 40 years (except for by pigeons, coyotes, and other assorted wildlife). Restoring this building, while a new undertaking for us, was very consistent with our mission. In the end, we developed a 4300 square foot environmentally friendly space without breaking ground or impacting existing wildlife habitat.

Our Plan:
Although restoring the Old Stone House was a mammoth undertaking, financially and practically, compared to building a modular office, we felt it was an opportunity too good to pass up. We also knew that, in the long run, the Old Stone House would be much more appealing as a headquarters. We signed a 99-year lease with Barr Lake Sate Park (owner of the building) and began raising money first for an architectural master plan for restoring the building and second for actual construction work. Our master plan was completed in 1997 and, in early 1998, we received our first grant for restoration of the Old Stone House from the State Historical Fund of the Colorado Historical Society.

Since then, we've received grants from the W.M.B. Berger Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, Kenneth Kendal King Foundation, Raphael Levy Memorial Foundation, KN Energy Foundation, the ECA Foundation, and the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund. RMBO's members and friends have contributed funds to the effort, and RMBO's Board of Directors has twice benefit auctions that have raised a combined total of almost $30,000. All of these donations put us at nearly 90% of our $540,000 campaign goal.

Having money in hand allowed us to begin initial construction work while fund raising continued. In 1998 volunteers spent weekends cleaning up the site inside and out, and demolishing nearly all the interior walls and ceilings in the building. In early 1999 Phase I of construction began. This included the major exterior restoration of the house and nearly all the interior framing. Significant work was completed to restore the masonry work, which was badly damaged from vandalism and wear.

Making Progress:
As the year progressed, so did the amazing transformation of the Old Stone House: from a sagging hulk destined to be razed to a beautiful landmark. The project has been in good hands from Day One: our general contractor, Boa Construction, Inc., is Denver's premier remodeling firm. Boa is experienced in historic restoration work and expert at implementing challenging projects such as this one. Likewise, our architect, George W. Schusler (Boulder, Colorado), has years of experience on many historic restoration sites in Colorado and other western states.

Beginning in December 1999, the staff, board, members, and friends of RMBO pitched in to finish the job by performing all of the necessary interior prep and paint work. Ten weeks later we consider ourselves "highly experienced amateurs" in the world of spackle, sandpaper, Bondo, and paint. We moved into our new home the first week in March, and have already been proud to host meetings for the Colorado committee of the Important Bird Areas project and the western regional managers of the U.S. Forest Service. But we're not done yet! There's still plenty of work to be done on the OUTSIDE of the house: weatherproofing the deck, painting the trim, installing the landscaping.

Read about the history of the Old Stone House

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