books

After reviewing students’ design proposals and brainstorming, everyone agreed that Hayden Ranch wasn’t a fit. It was missing one key absolute—a cultural landscape. “It had to be the interaction between people and the land or people in place over time,” explains Vlahos. The right fit would be all about “taking an old place and transitioning it to a new use . . . that could take on a new life that drew community to it.”
Their last stop was Buffalo Peaks Ranch, ten miles outside of the historic mining towns of Alma and Fairplay. Everyone saw the perfect combination of landscape and buildings: High mountain grasslands, surrounded by mountains, a river runs through it and structures for mini libraries and people to gather or enjoy solitude.