Colorado group to place 600 chairs ahead of federal preservation vote

Colorado Preservation, Inc. will place 600 miniature chairs across Colorado.

The nonprofit says each chair represents the role communities and the public currently hold when federal agencies make decisions about historic places. Proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act would remove requirements for federal agencies to notify and consult many of those parties, including Tribal nations, state historic preservation offices, and local governments. The National Historic Preservation Act is 60 years old.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. Executive Director Jennifer Orrigo Charles said many Coloradans have never heard of Section 106. "We want people to discover these little chairs, wonder why they are there, and learn about something that could directly affect their communities," Orrigo Charles said. "The chairs may be small, but what is at stake is not."

The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 also contains provisions that affect Colorado's authority over its own preservation programs. The U.S. Senate vote on that act is slated for Nov. 9. Orrigo Charles said the proposals "would weaken public participation, diminish state and local influence, undermine Tribal consultation, and remove important opportunities to identify concerns and address negative effects before projects move forward."

Colorado Preservation, Inc. is securing permissions for chair locations. The public comment period on Section 106 is likely to open in November and will last 30 days. The group will hold a gathering at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds cultural area at Daniels Park to start the campaign. Daniels Park is a 1,000-square-mile Denver Mountain Park in Douglas County, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with historic ranch structures. Colorado Preservation, Inc. states the proposed Section 106 wording could exclude cultural landscapes, sacred places, and archaeology sites from consideration. Each chair will carry a number and direct finders to a website with information on the issue and how to act, and finders can log discoveries on a statewide map and social media with #youfoundaseat.

The U.S. Senate vote on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 is scheduled for Nov. 9.