Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board to Honor Atlas Theatre with LeClercq Jones Award

Each autumn, in recognition of exemplary historic preservation efforts, the City of Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board (CHPB) awards a non-residential business or entity for its contributions in preserving Cheyenne’s commercial-built heritage and their significant efforts to preserve, restore, or reconstruct their property.

This year’s LeClercq Jones Award will be presented to The Historic Atlas Theatre (Cheyenne Little Theatre Players) on Thursday, November 29^th at 6:00 p.m. at 211 West Lincolnway during a private ceremony.

If you’re interested in seeing the building, please call (307) 631-3835.

This year marks the seventh annual awarding of the LeClercq Jones Award. LeClercq Jones was President of Frontier Printing for 35 years and is most recognized for his tireless efforts in documenting Cheyenne in pictures, newspaper clippings, historic research, and oral histories. His time-lapsed images of Cheyenne street fronts, taken in 10-year increments from the same vantage point, offer significant historical context for Downtown’s growth and change.

The main goal of the Historic Preservation Board is the preservation of historic places and spaces to remember, learn from, and take pride in the city’s past. The CHPB also undertakes multiple events throughout the year. In addition to the LeClercq Jones Award, they award a prestigious residential homeowner with the Dubois Award in May. The Board also hosts the annual Tour the Legend in September; a historic buildings tour that allows citizens to tour historic buildings and fraternities that have been graciously opened by the owner(s).

The CHPB also undertakes multiple preservation projects throughout the year, working with monetary assistance through grants provided by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund to preserve and protect buildings and other landmarks throughout Cheyenne. Some current projects include the restoration of the Warren Rest House (which is wrapping up work this month), continued fundraising to restore the Airport Fountain on 8^th Avenue (with some work anticipated to start in the summer of 2019), and expanding the Capitol North Historic District.