Boulder dates its formal beginnings to the establishment of the Boulder Town Company in early 1859.  The evolution of the commercial area reflects the changing economic basis of the community since its founding.  Through the early years, mining played an important role as Boulder served as a supply and staging center for activities in the foothills and mountains to the west.  As mining declined, area agricultural development prompted the building of grain elevators and other agriculture-related businesses.  The 1876 founding and continued growth of the University of Colorado contributed much to the steady development of the commercial area.  The district contains a variety of architectural styles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Queen Anne, Italianate, Romanesque and Classical Revivals, and even Art Deco are characteristic designs of the period.