Montrose, CO –  The City of Montrose has been selected to receive $200,000 in grant funds from the History Colorado State Historical Fund to complete roof rehabilitation work to the city-owned, historic Denver and Rio Grande Depot, located at 21 North Rio Grande Ave.

The Montrose County Historical Society leases the building for use as the Montrose County Historical Museum. The city will match the $200,000 grant with $71,128 in local funds. Construction is slated to begin next spring 2019.

A check dedication ceremony for this project is scheduled to take place during the Youth Preservation Summit at 9 a.m. at the Ute Indian Museum.

The depot is representative of Mission Style structures built in the United States during the early 20th Century with stucco exterior walls, a red-tiled roof, and open-arcaded corridors, among other features.

The depot’s roof has been plagued with minor leaks for many years in various areas, but over the past five years, problem areas have become more widespread and difficult to address.

The city is seeking to preserve the building by replacing the roof underlayment to address leaking that has caused interior damage and poses a risk to the structural integrity of the building.

Historically, the city has been able to patch many of the more identifiable leaks; however, recently it has become a challenge to locate areas of infiltration. Identifying areas of infiltration can only be accomplished by removing all of the tiles and the original underlayment.

After removal and safe on-site storage of the original tiles and removal of the existing underlayment, the roof structure will be inspected for structural repair needs. Precautions will be taken to cover exposed roof areas with waterproof material while the roofing components are being removed and re-installed. The original undamaged roof tiles will be reinstalled over a modern 30-pound felt roll paper with a modern ice water shield perimeter membrane.

The new underlayment should prevent water infiltration for many years to come. Little roof maintenance is expected to follow the repairs.

The project was designed and went through the city’s competitive bidding process prior to grant application submittal.

“This grant continues the city’s efforts to preserve Montrose’s historic structures which speak to our community’s development and growth. We are grateful to the State Historical Fund for their contribution that will help preserve this iconic structure for many years to come,” said grant coordinator Kendall Cramer.

The city intends to contract with Peak View Roofing Company of Colorado Springs, a full-service roofing company that provides services to both residential and commercial clients. The company has experience with historic tile roofs, including the roof renovation of Canon National Bank, formerly Canon City’s historic depot that is very similar to the Denver and Rio Grande Depot in Montrose. The company has also completed new tile construction roofs, including a roof at the Broadmoor Hotel Resort in Colorado Springs.  

The Denver & Rio Grande Depot in Montrose was completed in 1912 and served as an important transportation hub until the 1950s when passenger service ended. Cargo service ended in 1972 and the building was granted to the City of Montrose.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

# # #