There is no shortage of great stories/photos that feature lavish, multi-million dollar homes. Just pick up a copy of Colorado Homes and Lifestyle and you will find a dozen top notch properties. But Denver has more to offer than stately manors, estates, and swanky lofts. Each neighborhood has its own character whether it’s the brick bungalows of Mayfair Park or the winding green belts of HIghlands Ranch. It isn’t hard to find beauty in all places, it’s just sometimes you have to look past the noise (and everything else) of Colfax, or the mind numbing aesthetics of the newer suburbs. I have a lot to say about suburbs and urban sprawl, but I will save that for another time. I will just say now that my view of the ‘burbs has softened after being in a couple of thousand tract houses from far east Aurora, to Lonetree, to Highlands Ranch. It is clear to me that it is not the houses that make a good neighborhood, it’s the people that live in them. You don’t see a lot of children playing in the streets of the really fancy areas, it would be pointless. Most of the kids in these areas have acres to roam in the back yard, not to mention every convenience inside the home. There is simply no need to play in the street. By contrast, there are some Saturdays where it is practically impossible to navigate the ‘burbs because of the neighborhood activity. My point is that there are trade-offs in life, you heard it hear first.
One of the first areas I explored when I moved to Denver was E 6th Ave, a wide avenue that runs east-west from Speer Blvd to Quebec Blvd. The area between Colorado Blvd and Quebec Blvd is wide and park-like, the grassy median separates the traffic, and has a jogging trail that courses through huge trees. The length of 6th from Speer Blvd to Colorado Blvd is one way traveling east out of downtown, and provides easy access to Cherry Creek Mall and the shops of Cherry Creek North. E 6th Ave is a very convenient way to get across town almost any time of day. The buildings along 6th Ave vary from very busy commercial to quiet residential.
This home is located on E 6th ave, between Colorado and Quebec. Constructed in the early 1900’s, remodeled in 1932, and again in 2007, this home has had many occupants. The current owner is a local builder and he was pleased to point out some of the unique features of the home. The crown moulding is original, formed with plaster on-site. Their workmanship has held up for over 100 years. The arches in the home provide a sense softness to the rooms not often found in homes of this age. The most recent remodel made major changes to the interior of the home. Many walls were ripped out, providing an open feeling that most people prefer, as opposed to the closed in, maze quality of the original layout. A large, bright bathroom was added to the master suite.
The outside of this home is extraordinary. There is a nice patio on the east side
, and the front door is elevated from street level, with stone stairs framed by massive brick pillars. The white window frames work perfectly with the light colored brick. You can bet it is just as beautiful under a blanket of fresh snow.
This home will never be in Architectural Digest, and most people don’t give it a second look as they speed by. But it is a special place, one of several hundred thousand that are all around us.
