The Old Log Church, the school, store, community hall†and the Ponderosa Lodge at La Foret Conference & Retreat Center are all historic log buildings in Black Forest listed on the State Register of Historic Properties.Danielle Lewon, historic preservation specialist at History Colorado,†said she has been involved in two of the Black Forest projects: Ponderosa Lodge, which has been completed; and, most recently, the Old Log Church.She said History Colorado focuses on ìpreserving places that matter,î depending, in part, on the context and significance of the building.A building can be listed as a historic site on a national, state and local level. She said the state historical fund is community driven. ìItís the community who reaches out and decides there is a building they really want to do something with and want to use again,î Lewon said.There are situations when itís not financially feasible to renovate a historic building, she said. In those cases, preservation professionals research the history and purpose of the building and document those findings, so there is at least a record that the building existed, she said.The restoration of the Old Log Church, as well as the other four buildings in the Forest, are good examples of structures worth preserving, based on the context of the building and the history of Black Forest, Lewon said.Mona Navalta, Black Forest resident and member of Black Forest Community Church, said the Old Log Church, built in 1940, needed many repairs by 2015. She learned if the church became designated as a historic building, she could apply for grants from History Colorado to help pay for the repairs. Because of her efforts, both the main sanctuary, built in the early 1960s, and the OLC were listed on the Colorado Historic Registry in 2016.In addition to applying for grants, she contracted with Barbara Darden, managing member at Scheuber + Darden Architects LLC, who specializes in historic preservation and architecture.Darden said funding for the grants is in part from the State Historical Fund. According to the History Colorado website, the†Colorado Limited Gaming Initiative of 1990 legalized gambling in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek, Colorado, and authorized a portion of gaming tax revenue to go to the State Historic Fund. The Limited Gaming Act of 1991 authorized History Colorado to administer the SHF as a statewide grants program.Three grants have been awarded to date from History Colorado. The first grant, in September 2017, covered architectural drawings, the paint, wood and daubing analysis and inspection of construction documents. ìIt was really depressing. I had no idea what to expect when we started this process,î Navalta said. ìIn my naivetÈ, I thought the first grant would cover everything, and we would be done.îThe second grant allotted February 2019, covered repairs to the deteriorating logs on the north exterior of the building. She said the architect contracted with a wood specialist to research the origins of the old wood to be able to match it as closely as possible. They also thoroughly inspected which logs needed to be replaced.The last grant awarded in February 2020 paid for the front windows and doors to be recreated to match the originals, including the stain glass windows. Navalta said they found the oldest picture of the exterior; and, Empire Carpentry, restoration specialists, used that as a model for the door and window renovations. The vinyl†windows†on the sides of the church were also replaced with historically appropriate wood windows.The grants required a cash match so she reached out to the local community and churches for donations, she said. ìThe Old Log Church was the first church built in the Forest ; and, as the other churches were getting started, several of them met there until their own buildings were finished,î Navalta said. Donations have been received from the Black Forest Lutheran Church, plus other businesses and individuals in the area she said.The most recent cash match of $15,000 came from Lexie Manfrinís family. Margaret Black, Manfrinís daughter, told Navalta that the building meant a lot to her mother, who had been a long-term resident of the Forest and a member of the Black Forest Community Church. Black said Manfrinís parents were one of the founding members of the OLC. When Manfrin passed away a few years ago, the family donated the matching gift, she said.The next step is to either finish renovating the exterior or restore the main floor inside the building, Navalta said. The architect said there is most likely asbestos in the drywall due to the year the offices were added, which means hiring a company that specializes in removing asbestos. Darden said that could cost up to $25,000.ìI didnít understand how involved or expensive this would be when I started,î she said. ìBut we wanted it to be done right and not just a bandaid put on the problem.î
