The December 31 opening of the new Gateway Visitor Center in the long-neglected town entryway capped eight years of cooperative planning on the part of the Town of Georgetown, Colorado Department of Transportation, Scenic Byways, Clear Creek County, local businesses, Colorado foundations, the State of Colorado, and HGI. The story includes large doses of risk-taking, generosity, and tenacity on the part of many residents and agencies.

In 1994 the Georgetown Planning Commission was concerned about the appearance of the Gateway. The area did little to alert travelers to the charm of the historic mining community just down the road. In an effort to drum up ideas and support, the Planning Commission hosted a meeting of property owners at the old Alpine Inn, which is now known as the Old Georgetown Station.

Don Kelley was in attendance. Although he did not live in Georgetown, Mr. Kelley did have a connection with the town through his ownership of the property on which the defunct Amoco station was located.

The assembled group hatched the idea of a visitor center and noted that the site of the abandoned gas station would make an ideal place for the proposed structure. They turned to Mr. Kelley and asked if he would consider selling it. The response was an enthusiastic "yes."

The next step was a formal meeting between the Planning Commission and the Board of Selectmen to find out if there was any support for the idea. The Board unanimously agreed to pursue the idea of a visitor center on the corner. The next issue was, as usual, money. The Selectmen felt that, in view of the town's other capital needs, they could not justify authorization of town funding for the purchase of the property.

However, the idea was too attractive to land in the dustbin. The Planning Commission then contacted Historic Georgetown, Inc., and asked if it would assume responsibility for operating the visitor center. Because HGI's charge is the preservation of a landmark district, it made sense to maintain a visitor center at the entryway to the district in order to provide interpretation of the historic sites. HGI agreed, and the two entities cooperatively pursued the purchase of the property from Mr. Kelley. The partnership was also useful in that the Town was able to apply for public funds, and HGI, as a non-profit organization, had the ability to apply for grants from charitable foundations.

The first funds toward purchase came from a grant from the State Department of Local Affairs. The purchase was also heavily funded by local individuals and businesses. Six lots were eventually purchased from Mr. Kelley, and two additional lots were leased from the Colorado Historical Society.

Two years later, in 1996, HGI opened the doors of the front part of the abandoned gas station as a visitor center. Clear Creek County Emergency Services leased the bays. The Colorado Department of Transportation almost immediately came to appreciate the existence of a restroom facility along I-70, and as a result the Department assisted in expanding the building to provide additional restrooms.

But from the beginning the plan was to tear down the gas station and build an attractive new visitor center that would welcome travelers and encourage them to become visitors to Georgetown. That plan took six more years to accomplish.

In 2000 the Town and HGI made their joint application to the Transportation Enhancement Fund (TEA-21). This source provides federal funding for amenities along interstates, and the money is distributed by state departments of transportation. Initially, $386,000 was granted from the enhancement fund. After September 11, 2001, the restrooms at the Eisenhower Tunnel were shut down, and C-DOT Region 1 needed to find another location for a rest area. C-DOT realized that it would be cheaper to cooperate with the visitor-center project than to build its own facility, and $390,000 was received from the rest-area funds. At last the project was underway.

Long-Hoeft Architects designed a handsome building that evokes a feeling of Georgetown's past. The plans were extremely attractive to fund raisers. Said Project Co-ordinator Cindy Neely, "It's hard to find money for a Quonset hut."

HGI set a fundraising goal of $1.5 million, which would include not only construction of the building, but furnishings, fixtures, and interpretive displays. Additional funding came from the Coors, Boettcher, Gates, and El Pomar Foundations, and, remarkably, more than $100,000 came from local businesses and individuals. The State Historical Fund of the Colorado Historical Society partially funded the interpretive displays.

This past March the Construction bids were opened at the Community Center. The low bid of $949,000 went to Key Construction of Lone Tree, Colorado, and ground-breaking ceremonies occurred in April. During demolition of the old gas station and construction of the new building, temporary quarters for the visitor center were set up in the old Dairy King building. Moving day to the new building was December 30, and the new visitor center opened at 1:30 New Year's Eve- thus HGI managed to provide visitors' services without missing a beat!