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Internal Revenue Service Wins Chairman’s Award for Federal Achievement in Historic Preservation
Colorado Preservation Organizations Among Partners Honored for Saving Redstone Castle
WASHINGTON, DC—The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Chairman’s Award for Federal Achievement in Historic Preservation for its outstanding work in saving historic Redstone Castle in Redstone, Colorado.
Several years ago, Redstone Castle’s (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) existence was threatened. In 2003, the IRS seized the mansion from owners involved in an illegal investment scheme and planned to sell it to help recoup losses. The IRS realized, as it did its Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act, that simply selling the property might have adverse effects on its unique historic character. The IRS worked with consulting parties to develop a Memorandum of Agreement ensuring that when the property was transferred, it carried covenants to preserve its historic integrity. A private party purchased Redstone Castle with its conservation provisions for $4 million at an IRS-sponsored auction in 2005.
“Today we honor the IRS and its partners for saving Redstone Castle,” said ACHP Chairman John L. Nau, III. “This is an example of how federal agencies can share the many economic and educational benefits of historic preservation under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act and the President’s Preserve America Executive Order. We applaud the IRS undertaking that went the extra mile to preserve and ensure appropriate sustainable use of Redstone Castle.”
The award was presented to Mark Everson, IRS commissioner, and John Harrison, special agent, IRS criminal investigation division, at the ACHP’s fall business meeting today in Washington, D.C.
Partnership certificates were presented to the organizations involved with the IRS in creating the conservation provisions. They were received by Mark Rodman, executive director, Colorado Preservation Inc.; Paul Edmonson, general counsel, National Trust for Historic Preservation; Dan Corson, intergovernmental services director, Colorado Historical Society; and Darrell Munsell, Redstone Historical Society. The Pitkin County Commission also received a partnership commendation that will be conveyed at a later date in Colorado.