The 39th Annual Park Hill Home Tour: Eight Homes, Rich History

Descriptions by Emily Boyle and Liz Rutledge • Photos by SaraElise Photography • Renderings by Marc Applebaum

Editor’s note: This year’s Park Hill Home Tour includes eight homes, from Dutch Colonial to Georgian Colonial to Spanish Mediterranean Mission to French Country and Classic Tudor styles.Ticket pricing and other information about the Sept. 10 Home Tour and Street Fair can be found by clicking here.

The Organizers

2017 Home Tour & Street Fair  Committee Members

Home Tour Organizer: Lana Cordes
Street Fair Organizer: Rob Barber
Logistics: Lisa Clark
Sponsorship & Advertising: Justin Petaccio
Volunteer Coordinator: Amelia Arku
Sustainability: Tracey MacDermott
Retail Ticketing: Veronica D’Annibale

1600 Niagara St.

Constructed in 1925, this two-story Dutch Colonial Revival-style house has a rich and diverse history. Its first owner was an employee of the Pullman Car Company, manufacturer of the Pullman sleeping car. Still owned by the same family during World War II, they took in boarders—military personnel training at nearby Lowry Air Force Base.

In 1997, Daniel and Cheryl Solko purchased the house. Although the Solkos have spent the past 20 years making updates to accommodate their modern family of four, the house maintains much of its 1920s charm. The oak floors and some light fixtures are original. The family room was a 1970s addition, and more recently redone. The master bedroom is now a master suite, with a white subway tile and glass mosaic tile bath making that space feel bright, and larger than its actual size. The Solkos also added a second-floor hall bathroom in a classic design. The kitchen features open-front cabinets, large-format floor tile with a rustic stone look, and stainless steel appliances.

Because it is situated on a corner lot with tall trees, the house has a bit of distance between it and neighboring homes. Eastern, Southern, and Western exposure allows for an abundance of natural light. The home’s location is east of Monaco Parkway, in one of Park Hill’s quieter nooks, giving this city dwelling a country vibe.

6401 E. 17th Ave. Pkwy.

With more than 6,000 square feet of living space, this stunning 1939 Tudor is one of Park Hill’s grandest homes. Few dwellings in the neighborhood offer the unique combination of six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a study, a recreation room, a wine cellar, and a three-car garage. However, homeowners Scott and Nicole Delmoro and their four children use every square inch of the house.

Since purchasing the home in 2005, the Delmoros have made a number of enhancements. Most recently (winter/spring 2017), they updated and expanded their kitchen, creating an open-kitchen-family room ideal for family gatherings and casual entertaining.  The kitchen includes an island with seating, a butler’s pantry, a built-in bench and dining table, commercial-grade appliances, granite and quartz countertops, and an iconic farmhouse sink. The adjoining family room features a gas fireplace with a craftsman-style mantle that matches the box beamed ceiling spanning the length of the family room and kitchen. French doors off the family room open to a circular flagstone patio and oversized, beautifully landscaped lot.

For more formal entertaining, the Delmoros use their dining room, where they recently added a wine bar. Light fixtures in the dining room and throughout the home are not just practical sources of light. Every pendant, sconce, and chandelier was carefully selected for the style and function of each room and makes a design statement.

Renovations to the second floor of the home include the addition of a master bedroom and bathroom above the family room, a space that was previously a flat-roof balcony. The staircase is framed by an ornate wrought-iron banister that is original to the house and has been replicated in some of the renovated areas of the home.

The Delmoro’s have spared no expense in updating their home, every corner of which offers surprises and delights.

1744 Jasmine St.

Wine lovers Reid and Meaghan Elliott bought this warm and welcoming 1927 Spanish Mediterranean Mission-style home in 2001. At the time, it was officially a 1,017 square-foot dwelling with two bedrooms and one bathroom.

In 2008, they added the second floor, added 10 feet of space across the back of the first floor and remodeled the entire house. They removed the driveway and tore down the single car garage, refreshed all of the landscaping and added a two-car garage. Then, five years ago, they added a wine cellar in the basement.

Surrounded by beautiful, tall trees, Meaghan and Reid live in the now 3,000 square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom home with sons Grant, 11, and Blake, 9, and their dog, Olive. The Elliotts love their outdoor spaces. They especially love the front original porch and the back patio with the new pergola.  This past year, the Elliotts renovated the space where there was once a driveway to be a side patio, adding a lovely garden and a hot tub.  All exterior wrought-iron doors are original including the front, side, and back French doors.

Another favorite is the wine cellar they added in the basement.  They also very much enjoy the original fireplace in the study. As you tour the home, be on the lookout for photos from the previous owners from the 1940’s as well as before-and-after renovation photos.

5701 Montview Blvd.

This house has always been a communal work-in-progress, with several families expanding it through the years. It was built in 1939 as a two-story, four-bedroom, four-bathroom, Monterey-style house.

One family added a large family room, and another added a sunroom, which has been used as a game room, a workroom, and an exercise room.  Because of its many large windows, the Biancos use it in winter for their more delicate potted plants.

The kitchen on the west side of the house was originally small and narrow.  One set of owners doubled its size and installed a row of windows, making the kitchen a sunny and cheerful place to cook.

The Biancos installed a Viking range and shrunk the center island to make room for a table and chairs. One owner expanded the master bathroom via a cantilevered addition over the driveway; it now has room for a modern bath and shower. The addition of a few skylights in the family room and a bay window in the living room finished the renovations for now.

The house sits on a large lot, and one of the Biancos’ delights has been the opportunity to have a big garden. The front yard has both sun and shade gardens, while the back yard has two prominent patios and a secluded small patio, which provides a private spot for reading and relaxing.

There are benches scattered throughout the gardens where people can sit and enjoy the flowers.

1650 Monaco Pkwy.

Visitors to this stately home, built in 1924 in the Georgian Colonial style, will appreciate every detail, from its Craftsman-style interior to its large and beautifully landscaped yard. During their 18 years in the house, owners Dirk Turner and Kate Hakala have taken great care to preserve many of the home’s original details, including its quarter-sewn oak floors and (unpainted) trim, built-in bookshelves, and a main-floor fireplace—the artistic legacy of Ernest Batchelder. Batchelder, a leader in the American Arts and Crafts movement, created the tiles in the fireplace surround. By the 1920s, his distinctive handcrafted art tiles, which were typically neutral in color and occasionally included motifs featuring animals, birds, flowers, and rosettes, were coveted by architects and builders across the country. Today, these tiles are rare and command high prices.

In an effort to stay true to the era in which their home was designed and built, Dirk and Kate have added wallpaper borders and friezes produced by Bradbury & Bradbury, a California company that specializes in reproducing historic patterns from the 19th and 20th centuries. They’ve also furnished the house with an eclectic mix of antiques, including a cabinet designed at the turn of the century to hold dental instruments (Kate is a dentist). Other unique features include hand-painted murals on walls and ceilings in their dining room and second-floor recreation room.

Aside from an addition in the 1930s that included a sunroom and second-floor bedroom, the home has had few significant renovations. Nonetheless, Dirk and Kate have made a number of improvements, including installing a wrought-iron fence around the perimeter of their large corner lot, replacing the home’s Spanish-tile roof, and remodeling one the home’s bathrooms.

6100 E. 17th Ave. Pkwy.

Since relocating to this 1926 one-story Tudor in 2011, Hal and Kelly Writer have made a number of updates while, at the same time, preserving their favorite design features. In their living room, the focal point is a fireplace tiled with the handcrafted art tiles of Ernest Batchelder, whose single-fire process and unique designs first became popular in the 1920s. In the Writer home, the fireplace surround includes several tiles adorned with one of the artist’s more rare motifs, a Dutchman. The fireplace divides a sitting area and what feels like a sunroom, although it is used as an office. Three of the four walls of the office consist almost entirely of windows, while the fourth contains floor-to-ceiling built-in shelving, where the family keeps its favorite books and record albums.

Designed with a diverse mix of art and mid-century modern furnishings, the living room is one of the home’s best features and reflects the personalities and interests of its owners. On one wall, Hal and Kelly pay homage to their favorite neighborhood park with a strikingly beautiful photo of City Park’s Ferril Lake on a snowy day. The couple exchanged wedding vows in the park.

The kitchen, which was renovated in 2014, is an open layout and includes a breakfast bar and stools, as well as commercial-grade appliances. Just steps from the kitchen is the Writer’s outdoor living space, which is just as spectacular is their indoor space. In 2013, they added a patio and an expansive pergola. Surrounded by the rich colors and beauty of their large, landscaped lot, the patio is the ideal spot for summertime entertaining.

A finished basement features dark-stained faux wood floors offset by pale yellow walls and white wood trim and ceiling. The space, which was renovated earlier this spring, includes a flat-screen TV and a ping-pong table, making it a favorite hangout for their teenage children.

1744 Ivanhoe St.

Owners Patti Kacerguis and John Suter bought this French Country style home in 2014 when it was newly built.  The 4,528 square foot home consists of five bedrooms and two full, one three-quarter, and one half bathrooms.

The builder custom designed and built this French style home, which incorporates modern living while maintaining European character and charm. The open floor plan includes custom details including beamed ceilings and finishes that give the feeling of a French château.

In the gourmet kitchen with a large island, there is a butler’s pantry with a wine refrigerator, two ovens, a walk in pantry, and a mudroom.  The builder also incorporated an Internet kitchen with Smart Home technology.

The large bedrooms include a master suite with a five-piece bath and a walk-in closet.  And, the house has three other walk-in closets. On the main floor, the study has a library attached. The stunningly finished basement boasts nine-foot ceilings, two large bedrooms with egress windows, and  walk-in closets as well as a gorgeous bathroom, custom brick arches, wine cellar, and trayed ceilings with wood timbers.

Outside, the home has professional landscaping and a spacious three-car garage. Since moving in three years ago, Patti and John have enjoyed decorating and landscaping their home.

6330 Montview Blvd.

With its curvy entrance walk and majestic, turret-like chimney, this red brick home invites curiosity and intrigue. Nan Young and Brian Kelly live in this Tudor home with their two daughters. They purchased the 1933 five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom 4,900 square-foot home in 2009.

Of interest is the built-in china hutch in the breakfast room, which has original copper reliefs as well as a painting on leather (if you look hard you can find the home’s architect’s name over the door of the little cottage in the painting). Also in the breakfast room, look for the excellent original built-in phone nook.

The family has done no major renovations. However, in an effort to renovate in the period of the house, they restored the original woodwork and light fixtures in the living room. Additionally, they upgraded the entire basement and gutted and remodeled one of the original bathrooms. The bathroom they renovated was done in the style of the house with art deco tiles imported from Germany. Their favorite features include the original wrought iron, built-ins, light fixtures and woodwork.

Brian and Nan also love the two original art-deco bathrooms on the second floor.

The former owner gave logic and grace in adding a family room, expanding the kitchen and adding a new garage.