About the Community Center

The Nederland Community Center began life as a K-12 school around 1880. It was expanded by a WPA project in 1936 & 37, creating the gymnasium and the massive stone wall on the east side of the community room, and the classrooms for the high school along the eastern exposure. In the 1950's, the Nederland school became part of the Boulder Valley School District and the building was expanded. The cafeteria (now the community room) and southern classrooms of the west wing were added. The building remained a K-12 school until the Nederland High School was built in 1972. It remained an elementary school into the early 90's.

In 1997 the Town of Nederland reacquired the site from Boulder Valley School District and began using the building as a community center. During this time, it became home to the police station, the library, the teen center, a variety of local nonprofits - including Nederland Area Seniors, and the fledgling Backdoor Theatre, which began showing movies in the old school auditorium with the original wooden seats!

In March of 2003, the frame roof of the old gymnasium collapsed under seven feet of heavy spring snow. The long-planned remodel of the space became a sudden necessity. The renovated facility re-opened as a LEEDS certified building in fall of 2007, and began to find its new identity within the community. New uses were identified for old spaces, a fitness facility was incorporated, and improvements continued. The old elementary school kitchen was renovated in 2010 for the Nederland Area Seniors, who use the community room for their congregate meal site. The kitchen is also new rented out as a commissary kitchen.

In September 2013, the lower level of the Community Center was flooded. The weight room, lobby, concession, and officer areas were all renovated with a more functional layout. FEMA provided the much-needed full building generator to prevent future flooding, and support emergency operations during disasters.

The post-COVID Community Center currently houses many diverse activities. The Fitness Place and class offerings provide wellness opportunities for the Peak to Peak community, while the Backdoor Theatre provides a unique entertainment element for residents of all ages. Art at the Center showcases the work of local artists on the walls of the Center, and each show is opened with a reception. Nederland Area Seniors have resumed their congregate meals following the COVID closure, and entrepreneurs share the commissary kitchen for their various enterprises. Human service providers work tirelessly to provide supplemental food, clothing, and services for clientele and tend gardens to provide fresh vegetables. Many annual events have returned in 2021, and we hope that in-person Town meetings will return in 2022.

The Nederland Community Center (NCC) is a public facility dedicated to strengthening community and serving the greater Nederland area by providing local opportunities for recreation, fitness, education, human services, entertainment, cultural enrichment, and community meetings and gathering spaces.