Oldest house in Nederland?

The Bryant House was most likely built between 1859 and 1861 in the town of Dayton, which was located under what is now Barker Reservoir. In 1871, William Conger Bryant, who was the mill operator for the Caribou Mill – what is now called the Wolftongue Mill – relocated the house to land now occupied by the RTD Park & Ride.

Given the age of the building, it is one of the oldest known structures in the county and is believed to be the oldest structure in the town of Nederland.

Recent History

In 2003, the building and other structures were slated for destruction when RTD began the construction of its Park and Ride parking lot. Major efforts were taken to save the Bryant house because of its significant historical value. The Nederland Area Historical Society (NAHS), led primarily by Dan Martin and Kayla Evans, pushed for the preservation of the structure, and were successful in negotiating its relocation to where it sits today. During the relocation, numerous artifacts now held by the NAHS were found under its foundation.

When the structure was relocated, agreements were made between the various stakeholders. RTD maintained ownership of the land where the Bryant house was relocated. The Town of Nederland owns the building itself. In 2005, the NAHS signed a 20-year lease with the Town to manage the building.

Upon signing the lease, several unsuccessful attempts were made to restore the structure to a usable state. Even at that time, the building was in disrepair and needed substantial renovations, which the NAHS could not afford. The only avenue towards acquiring the funds was through Historic Preservation grants offered by the State of Colorado through a “Landmark” designation.

Landmarking a structure is a formal application process that would encumber the RTD land where the building sits. This potential for encumbrance became a major stumbling block for the preservation effort. In 2007, meetings were conducted between representatives of the Town of Nederland, NAHS, and RTD to try to find a path forward, but none was found and little action was subsequently taken.

Since that time, through a generous donation by Ron Mitchell, new roofing underlayment was installed and has helped keep the building from completely falling apart. Beyond that, the unforgiving Nederland environment has continued to deteriorate the building.

Now, there is a renewed effort to do something with the Bryant house. The new NAHS board has been learning the history of the structure and past efforts to preserve it. Discussions with members of the Nederland DDA as well as RTD occurred in late 2021.

NAHS and DDA members are now working to organize a stakeholder meeting to plan a path forward for the historic structure before it is too late. Once a plan is determined, NAHS will re-engage RTD with a proposal and work towards implementing that plan with hope for their cooperation and support. RTD engagement is vital in order to create a sustainable future for the structure.

Much remains to be said about the expense and effort necessary to preserve the Bryant House. Keep an eye out in future issues for more information on William Bryant and the artifacts found in the Bryant House.

If you, or anyone you may know, would be interested in getting involved, please reach out to Emmit Hoyl, President of NAHS, at emmithoyl@gmail.com and let him know your thoughts.