5 Distinct Architectural Home Styles Found Around Denver
Recently at Frontgate Realty Group we helped our buyers close on a fantastic Denver mid-century modern home known as The Cohen House in the Wellshire neighborhood. It is a special property. Designed in the 1960s by architect Richard Crowther, it featured custom built furniture, a hidden floor safe and other one of a kind nuances.
The Cohen House made us think about how many different architectural styles can be found around Denver, especially in the more historic neighborhoods like Park Hill, Wash Park, Capitol Hill and Highlands. As such, we thought it would be fun to write a post about 5 of the distinct home styles you’ll encounter in the Denver housing market:
The Cohen House
Midcentury Modern
The Cohen House is famous for its midcentury modern design. This style started popping up in Denver in the 1950s when the city was in the midst of a post-WWII economic boom and developers were creating homes designed for the future with an emphasis on home entertaining.
Midcentury modern continued to be a popular style in the Mile High City through the late 1970s. The homes are known for their modern look with open floor plans, large glass paned windows, straight lines, and flat planes meant to integrate with natural surroundings. Today you’ll find these minimalist homes scattered around the city, but especially concentrated in east Denver neighborhoods like Cherry Creek, Harvey Park, Virginia Village, Park Hill, Arapahoe Acres and the southern suburbs of Littleton and Englewood.
A Denver Square
Denver Square
This is Denver’s most famous architectural style and was constructed between the 1890s and the 1930s. Like its moniker, Denver Square homes are cube shaped and each floor is divided into quarters. Denver Squares usually have at least two-stories and come with low-pitched roofs with overhangs that accentuate the boxy shape. They were also built with big front patios that run the length of the home. Neighborhoods with the most dense populations of Denver Squares include Park Hill, Cheeseman Park, Baker and Highlands.
A Victorian style home.
Victorian
Built between 1830 and 1910, when England’s Queen Victoria was ruling, the Victorian is popular in a number of Denver neighborhoods. These include Capitol Hill, Highlands, and Baker. Victorian homes have at least two floors, sometimes three and are recognizable for their decorative “gingerbread” trim, pitched roofs and large wrap-around porches. Most are also brightly painted.
A Bungalow style home.
The Bungalow
One of Denver’s most prolific home styles found in nearly all of Denver’s original neighborhoods from Wash Park to Whittier. Bungalows are low profile homes typically laid out on one story although you will find some with a second story dormer. Bungalows date back to the early 1900s, when they were popular because they were also budget friendly. Bungalows have open floor plans, large front porches (sometimes covered as pictured above) and wooden accents and trim.
A Tudor Revival style home. Photo Credit: Steve Martin/Flickr
Tudor Revival
Tudor style homes become a hot trendy in Denver in the 1920s. The style is reminiscent of a home pictured in a fairytale story book. They usually have steeply pitched roofs with gables, decorative half-timbering, elaborate chimneys and windows with diamond-shaped glass panels. Most of the Tudor homes in Denver are found on the east side of the city including the neighborhoods of Park Hill, Montclair, Belcaro, Hilltop and Whittier.