Arkansas Valley Fairground Adobe Stables

Year Listed: 2007
County: Otero County
Construction Date: 1938
Threat When Listed: Deterioration
Status: IN PROGRESS
 
 

In 1878, the founder of Rocky Ford, G.W. Swink shared his bountiful watermelon crop with passengers at the Rocky Ford Depot and the Arkansas Valley Fiar began.  Today, the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds hosts Colorado’s oldest continuous fair. The Adobe Stables were constructed as a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and are a rare intact example of exposed adobe brick.

In 2017, the Adobe Stables held a successful “Kentucky Derby” themed fundraiser. Colorado Preservation, Inc. held its second annual weekend workshop series, where through the efforts of a number of preservation partners and volunteers, twenty-five of the stables were rehabilitated for use.  The City of Rocky Ford has made the restoration of the stables a top priority and has conducted subsequent community workdays to make and lay hundreds of traditionally formed adobe bricks.  The goal is to have all the stables fully operational once again able to house horses during the fair and special events.

The Stables were added to the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2007.

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Preservation for a Changing Colorado

Historic preservation has a direct economic benefit to communities and Colorado! Take a look at the 2017 study, which considered the ways adaption of historic places has a direct financial effect on the state.

This updated, most resent study, was the result of a partnership between Colorado Preservation, Inc and History Colorado, funded by a grant from History Colorado's State Historical Fund. Prepared by Clarion Associates, the new report document the economic benefits of rehabilitation projects, analyzes property values and neighborhood stability in local historic districts, and summarizes the increasing impact of heritage tourism, private preservation development and the success of Colorado’s Main Street program.

In a key finding, researchers determined that for every $1 million spent on historic preservation in Colorado it produced $1.03 million in additional spending, 14 new jobs, and $636,700 in increased household incomes across the state!

The 2017 report also considers the important role preservation plays in helping Coloradans provide new spaces for creative communities and co-working, create and sustain meaningful places, responds to the state’s changing demographics, and addresses climate concerns.

Click Here to see download and read the full report, "Preservation for a Changing Colorado".