Project# 0560.03 Mitigation of Buildings at Fitzsimons VAMC, Denver, CO, 2009

HHM prepared mitigative documentation for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as required under the Memorandum of Agreement for the proposed demolition of Buildings 608, 609, and 614 at the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. The mitigation consisted of HABS Level II documentation of three buildings that contribute to the NRHP-eligible Fitzsimons Army Medical Center Historic District. HHM professional staff conducted intensive-level field survey of the three buildings in July 2009. Historians collected data regarding extant physical characteristics of the interiors and exteriors of the buildings. HHM’s professional staff took both digital and large-format photographs of the three buildings documenting character-defining features of each. In addition, field survey efforts included documentation of architectural and landscape elements that characterize historic buildings on the Fitzsimons campus. To augment the field documentation, HHM professional staff conducted archival research at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center archives, as well as other repositories in Denver. HHM also worked with the VA to obtain and reproduce original architectural plans for each of the three buildings. The information gleaned from the collected materials allowed HHM professional staff to develop a historic context for the Fitzsimons campus and prepare historical narratives and architectural descriptions for each building. The documentation was approved by the National Park Service in 2010.