HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.047-10RESOLUTION N0. ~~
(SERIES OF 2010)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ASPEN CITY COUNCIL REGARDING
THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF THE GIVEN INSTITUTE
WHEREAS, The City of Aspen has been informed that The Given Institute, located in
Aspen and owned by the Regents of the University of Colorado, is proposed to be
demolished in October 2010, and sold for residential development; and
WHEREAS, the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission and other citizens have urged
City Council to take action towazds preventing the loss of the facility as a community
asset; and
WHEREAS, City Council recognizes that Aspen has an over 60 year long standing
tradition, initiated by Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke, as a location for thinkers, leaders,
artists, and musicians from all over the world to join together in a setting that feeds the
"Mind, Body, and Spirit." Organizations like the Aspen Music Festival (1949), Aspen
Institute (1950), Aspen Center for Physics (1962) and The Given Institute (1972) are
strongly tied to the town's identity; and
WHEREAS, The Given Institute building was designed by Harry Weese, a prominent
modernist American architect. Weese practiced primarily in Chicago and the Midwest,
but also lived part-time in Aspen. His commission to design The Given Institute fits in to
a broader context of a "who's who" of modern architecture that began in Aspen in 1945;
and
WHEREAS, integration ofnon-profit and community facilities throughout the West End
neighborhood adds enormous vitality to Aspen. The value of the property as a publically
owned asset, with important cultural and natural significance, including the only
remaining public overlook adjacent to the Hallam Lake Nature preserve, cannot be
replaced.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council commits to take
immediate action to establish an on-going dialogue with the University of Colorado with
the intention to support them in achieving their goals for sale of the property, without
damage to the community's history and interests.
by the Aspen City Council at its regulaz meeting on June 28, 2010.
Kathryn S. Koch, ty er ~ Michael C. Ireland, Mayor
APPROy_ ~ AS TO FORM:
Jol3n a roes et, City Attorney