Highlandlake Church

Client: Historic Highlandlake Church Association

Site: Mead, Colorado

The Highlandlake Congregational Church was officially formed on November 7, 1880 when a group of interested citizens met to discuss the possibility of starting a church in the area. Samuel P. Davis was chosen to be Secretary, L. C. Mead and Samuel P. Davis were appointed as Deacons and the Reverend John Wilson from Longmont, CO was invited to preach. The church continued to grow, peaking out at about 120 members until 1906, when the town of Mead was formed about 2 miles away. From that time on, the membership declined until 1917, when funds ran out to pay the minister. With heavy hearts, the church doors were closed and the parsonage sold. The church building continued to be a focal point of the Highlandlake community. Once a year, on the 2nd Sunday of June, current and former residents of the Highlandlake community would gather from all over the world, to share memories, remember those who had passed on and greet the new generations who came to join their hearts and hands to this special place. In the hopes of preserving this historic church, Historic Highlandlake, Inc. contracted with the Collaborative to prepare a Historic Structures Assessment. The purpose of the assessment was to evaluate the Highlandlake Church, discuss existing problems and possible solutions, analyze the condition of all materials, determine structural stability, and recommend appropriate preservation treatments. Our assessment was followed by presentations for cost estimates of recommended preservation treatments, and restoration efforts are now underway.