Talk Of The Neighborhood October 2023
Compiled by Cara DeGette, Editor, GPHN
Neighborhood Harvest Gathering Is Oct. 12
The Eastside Growers Collective of Northeast Park Hill is hosting its first annual Neighborhood Harvest Gathering on Thursday, Oct. 12. The family-oriented program will include live music, a farmers market, artisan vendors, tours of the garden tour and a free taco bar. A new mural will be unveiled along with a short documentary about raised spiral gardens. The Harvest Gathering is at 33rd and Elm Street from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Contact Charolette for additional information at 720-331-0272.
Celebrate Fall Fest At Axum Park On Oct. 15
The second annual Park Hill Community Fall Festival is on tap for Sunday, Oct. 15 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The free, family-friendly event is at City of Axum Park, at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Birch Street and features free food, face painting, bubbles, games and more. If you are interested in joining the EWAP movement (Exercise With A Purpose) and becoming a blockworker who delivers the Greater Park Hill News, connects with neighbors, and promotes overall healthier community, come on by. The Fall Fest is presented by Greater Park Hill Community, Inc, and sponsored by District 8 Councilwoman Shontel Lewis, Be Well and the AMP-athy Project. For more information call 303-388-0918.
Renaissance Revival On Montview: To Preserve Or Not To Preserve?
For 90 years the grand old Renaissance Revival-style home has dominated the northeast corner of Montview Boulevard and Elm Street. Now surrounded by the all-too-familiar fence of doom — suggesting imminent demolition — the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission has identified the house as qualified to preserve as a landmark.
In the wake of the commission’s findings and report, dated Sept. 12, three Park Hill residents — Amy Harris, Bernadette Kelly and Tracey MacDermott — have filed a notice of intent to potentially pursue protected designation for the home. All three are board members of the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. registered neighborhood organization. The filing kicks in an automatic extension of the deadline from Oct. 5, when a demolition order was likely to be issued if no action was taken. The process now requires a facilitated meeting between the city, the three signers and the property owner, which is listed as the Rinehart Living Trust.
The Landmark Preservation Commission identifies numerous criteria that determine whether structures or districts qualify for protected status. In the case of 5013 E. Montview Blvd., the commission’s report paints a colorful tapestry detailing the rich history of the old home, which was constructed in 1933.
The first occupants were Christine and Harry Huffman. Described as “an important figure in the history of Denver,” Huffman was a pharmacist-turned-theater owner, who built the Aladdin Theater on East Colfax; he owned several others, including the Bluebird. (The couple later designed, built and moved to the famous and opulent Shangri-La house in the Hilltop neighborhood.)
A later resident of 5013 E. Montview Blvd. was Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Hawley, a prominent community leader in the 40s and 50s who played an active role with the Denver Symphony Orchestra.
The home is also a significant example of the work of a recognized architect or master builder — D.M. Sugg, a notable builder in Denver. It embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural type — in this case a simplified Italian Renaissance Revival Style.
The commission determined the home fits well with the other homes on Montview, and its integrity is intact. Finally, the report described the house, in a prominent location and with notable physical characteristics, as an established and familiar feature of the neighborhood. “Located on a large corner lot, it is and has been an established and familiar building along East Montview Boulevard for almost nine decades.”
Says Harris: “Maybe we won’t be able to save this house, but we can at least take a stance on historic preservation and educate folks about the significance of the homes in our neighborhood.”
Check back next month for developments on this story.