The idea of Colorado Springs as a beautiful residential city located at the foot of a spectacular Rocky Mountain – Pikes Peak – came into existence on July 27th, 1869. On that day, William Jackson Palmer, previously a general in the Union Army during the Civil War, camped in a spectacular red rock area at the foot of 14,000+ foot-high Pikes Peak. The red rocks were named the Garden of the Gods. General Palmer was a railroad builder. He had come to the Garden of the Gods while discovering and surveying a new railroad route from Kansas City, Kan., to Denver, 70-miles to the north. General Palmer described the area, which had glorious views of Pikes Peak, as “enticing.”  He believed it could be developed as a “famous resort.”  He noted in a letter that “the scenery is even finer south of Denver than north of it.” At that moment, General Palmer decided to found a new city at the foot of Pikes Peak just to the east of the Garden of the Gods. The city was to be named Colorado Springs. The scenic mountain had inspired the new city. In a letter written in 1871, Palmer described his main idea for his new city. “My theory for this place,” General Palmer wrote, “is that it should be made the most attractive place for homes in the West.” It thus is clear that William Jackson Palmer wanted his new city to include fine residential areas. General Palmer drove the first stake in the ground at the corner of Pikes Peak Avenue and Cascade Avenue to officially found Colorado Springs on July 31, 1871. Of course, General Palmer wanted his new city to be a financial success. But it is clear that he wanted Colorado Springs to be more than just a place to make money. He wanted it to be a city with fine newspapers, museums, theaters, schools and colleges, and all the other amenities that one would now say constitute “a high quality of life.” Today there is another thing that connects Pikes Peak to the city of Colorado Springs. The city maintains and operates the paved highway to the summit of Pikes Peak. The highway is a major tourist attraction for the city. At present, the highest buildings in downtown Colorado Springs are 12 or so stories high. There is, however, a proposal to build a much higher building – 27 stories – which would introduce very tall buildings into the skyline of Colorado Springs and thereby detract greatly from the view of Pikes Peak from our city and its environs. The point of retelling this famous story here is that General Palmer was inspired by Pikes Peak to found the city of Colorado Springs. It would be regrettable if super-tall buildings were built in Colorado Springs that block and mar the view of Pikes Peak, the mountain that first inspired the building of our city. We do not need the space for the business offices or residential apartments that will be built in the top portions of super-high buildings. These business offices and residential apartments planned for tall buildings can easily be accommodated in an increased number of low-rise buildings located elsewhere throughout our city. The inspiration here for Colorado Springs should be Washington D.C., our nation’s capital. Very tall skyscraper-type office buildings and apartment buildings are not permitted in Washington, D.C. The many offices and apartments needed for our nation’s capital are housed in a large number of low-rise buildings subject to height limitation laws. Many of these low-rise buildings line the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. What is the reward for limiting building heights in our nation’s capital? The Capitol building (built on Capitol Hill), the tall Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial stand out when viewing the city skyline from a distance. None of these great architectural symbols of our nation are hidden behind or are visually dominated by adjoining skyscrapers. Let us create the same situation in Colorado Springs. Let us not have our beautiful view of Pikes Peak encroached upon or hidden away behind a haphazard cluster of super-tall office and apartment buildings. Keep in mind that one of the most important characteristics of Pikes Peak is that it “stands alone.” There are no other 14,000+ feet-high mountains nearby to share or detract from its importance. That is one of the reasons, of course, for why Pikes Peak became so famous. As we all know, early gold seekers painted “Pikes Peak or bust!” on their covered wagons because of the mountain’s characteristic of standing all alone and being visible from a great distance. My writing colleague, Tom Cronin, does not share this view of wanting to limit the height of buildings in Colorado Springs. He believes relatively few people would be cut off from the view of Pikes Peak if skyscrapers were built downtown. Cronin believes it is wrong to limit or slow down the future economic development of our city. I, however, believe the opportunity is now to protect the greatest asset of the city of Colorado Springs – the view of Pikes Peak. The Colorado Springs City Council should vote to place height limits on new buildings in Colorado Springs on the ballot so that the voters in our city can vote to preserve our unspoiled view of “the Peak.” The skyline of our city is important. It is a shared value. Citizens continue to ask to have a vote on this topic and to be heard. Let’s shape our skyline together with direct input from the public. Bob Loevy is a retired professor of political science at Colorado College and a former member of the city Planning Commission and the city Open Space Committee. ...read more read less