2014 Home Tour

The 2014 Home Tour raised $48,000 and sold approximately 1500 Home Tour tickets and had over 100 Street Fair vendors & food trucks with about 4,000 Street Fair attendees.

Sketches by Marc Applebaum.
Photos by Sara Elise Photography.
Text by Emily Boyle, Liz Rutledge & Laura Hudgins.
Editing by Lauren Still.

2351 Grape St – Modern New Build

Sponsored By: Rager Design Works & Denver Energy Challenge

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
This contemporary two-story house, conceived by architect and homeowner Rob Rager, showcases Rager’s style of designing to enhance the quality of the living experience for its inhabitants – both people and pets.Most striking is

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Photo by Sara Elise Photograpy

the diversity and distinctiveness of materials used. Concrete pillars, exposed steel beams, galvanized steel roofing and siding, and EcoClad maple veneer rainscreen panels create a mixture of color and texture on the exterior. The concrete pillars are also fully visible through two stories in the home’s interior, adding aesthetic interest. Teak-stained roof overhangs create shade around the house, while large, irregular shaped windows and skylights provide varying light and views of surrounding trees and sky.Although the home is distinctly modern, Rager paid homage to Park Hill traditions with a gable roof, inviting front and back porches, a detached garage, and shady backyard living space. The house has the same footprint as the 1926 bungalow that he and his wife lived in for 12 years before structural issues convinced them to build again on the same site. While the new home has more than twice the square footage of the original house, it has the same functional orientation on the main floor as the bungalow: two guest bedrooms (one is currently a media room) and a bathroom, but a vastly more open living/ dining area and kitchen. Enhancements to the layout include spacious closets behind sliding barn doors, gas fireplaces surrounded by stacked quartz, professional-grade

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

appliances, a whole-house audio system, and a second floor laundry room.An open staircase of solid maple treads on a steel structure, with thin, vertical stainless-steel cables suspended between custom-welded steel railings is a focal point. Originating in the basement, the stairs ascend to the second floor, emptying out into a cozy library nook with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. From this space, a slightly angled hallway buffers the children’s two bedrooms from the parents’. Toward the front of the house, the hallway segues into a playroom where a small window a few inches off the floor provides both kids and pets with a bird’s-eye view of the front yard and street.

2334 Grape St – Modern One Story with GeoThermal

Sponsored By: Mather Architectural Design LLC

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
Architecture emulates nature at this unique home. A butterfly roof, rustic cedar siding, walnut and cork flooring, quartz countertops, and an abundance of natural lighting integrate this home with its environment through organic design.Homeowners Wendy and Brent Mather combined their architectural expertise (Wendy owns Mather Architectural Design. Brent is Design Director at Gensler) with their personal preferences to create a space where sunlight, organization, function and aesthetics contribute to the beauty and practicality of the home.The most striking exterior feature is the butterfly roof. Because the roof gables slope inward, they open the exterior seams of the house, creating high ceilings, and allowing for higher placement of windows and inclusion of light shelves, or soffits, beneath the windows, reflecting sunlight off the ceiling. The inward sloping roof gables channel rainwater off the house into a rock basin at the front of the house,

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

creating a waterfall effect and adding an element of interest to the landscaping. Solar panels are fixed to the roof, but aren’t visible from street level.Strategically oriented to maximize light and energy from the sun, the 3,500 sq. ft. home remains well lit and comfortable year round. Rooms used most during daylight hours, like the home office, are located in areas that receive the most natural light, while bedrooms are located in low light areas. Other green features include geothermal heating, a heat recovery ventilator, 50% more insulation in the walls and roof than most new homes, high-performance fiberglass windows, and an induction cook top.High ceilings, “floating” walnut cabinets in the bathrooms and kitchen, open shelving, and furniture designed and built by Brent add to the design. Accordion sliding doors in the living room open into the backyard and give the sensation of being in a spa resort, as do the meditation room and the sauna located in the basement.

2315 Monaco Parkway – Two Story Renovated Tudor

Sponsored By: Gerretson Realty Inc

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
This home was featured on the 1980 Tour, but a year-long, full remodel by homeowner, John Wyszynski, and architect, Ann Cuthbertson, has produced an even more stunning version of this 1942 Tudor, originally built by renowned Denver contractor and Russian immigrant, Harry M. Bitman.

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

With its 21st century transformation, Wyszynski and Cuthbertson opened the home’s floor plan, improved room-to-room flow, and created more inviting, sun-filled living spaces.With 2,704 square feet of living space, this renovation was no small task. The goal was to design in a manner complimentary to the home’s many unique original features. They infused modern-day elements like custom, contemporary pear wood kitchen cabinets, and limestone

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

kitchen floor tiles with original design features like Philippine ribbon mahogany wood trim, and an ornate limestone fireplace in the living room. Wyszynski also preserved the hammered pewter hardware and fixtures, leaded glass windows, and art deco-style bathrooms, where colorful, glossy wall tiles, geometric floor patterns, and sleek, polished chrome fixtures add whimsy.The crown jewel of the makeover is the kitchen. Wyszynski’s passion for cooking and entertaining inspired his design and appliance choices for this room. These include a Blue Star range with 6-burner stovetop, warming drawer, two dish washers, a built-in glass-front beverage cooler, and a prep sink with LED faucet. A granite-topped island seating six allows guests ample room to anticipate and enjoy masterful meals. French doors off the kitchen lead to a comfortable patio looking out onto Wyszynski’s beautifully landscaped backyard. An updated powder room off the kitchen features a granite-topped vanity and above-counter vessel sink, pendant lighting, and basket weave tile to fit the style of the original house.

2540 Holly St – Smiley Campus, 1930’s Historic Landmark Building

Sponsored By: Anastasia Williamson – Kentwood City Properties & Leah Johnson – Megastar Financial Corp

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
In recognition of its significance in Park Hill over the last 86 years, the Smiley Building has earned a well-deserved spot on this year’s Tour. Smiley has a new and expanded role in Park Hill as the new home of McAuliffe International School. It also is home to Venture Prep, a charter high school.Architect George H. Williamson,(designer of Teller Elementary and

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

the Daniel & Fisher Tower), employed classic elements of the Tudor Revival-style, including red brick and light terracotta ornamentation, shaped and crenelated parapets, octagonal crenelated towers with cupolas, finials, and green and white glazed terracotta roofs. Oak finish throughout the corridors as well as decorations of the Tudor rose, shield and banners add to the Tudor effect.Smiley opened in 1928, and initially served only 350 students. At its peak, however (after the addition of wings on the building’s north and south sides) it served 1,600 students. The school was named in honor of William H. Smiley, PhD., Superintendent of DPS from 1912-1915. A bust of Dr. Smiley featured in the school’s front hall reportedly brings good luck if the nose on the sculpture is rubbed.In 1929, the Denver Municipal Airport began operating at 8100 E. 32nd Ave. (now MLK Blvd). The school was little affected by airport traffic noise until 1959 when the commercial jet era began. Tragically, a passenger jet crashed on landing in 1961. Smiley’s north

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

gym was used as a temporary morgue for the 18 people killed.In 1948, Mayor Quigg Newton advocated for Park Hill residents to allow African Americans to move into a new subdivision at 35th and Dahlia. As the neighborhood became racially diverse, so did the Smiley student body. That diversity was furthered when a U.S. Supreme Court case in the 70s, Keyes v. School Dist. No. 1, formally desegregated Park Hill schools.Smiley is a place where history was not only taught, but made. The Tour celebrates the past and future of this historical landmark.

2050 Grape St – Renovated 1890’s Farmhouse

Sponsored By: Gerwin Group – Kentwood Cherry Creek

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
Like many of the homes and buildings in this historic neighborhood, the Leary residence has an interesting past. Believed to have been the living quarters of farmhands at the City Park Dairy (located at what is now CityPark Golf Course) in the late 1800s, the two-story house offers glimpses of the simple comforts that awaited farmhands at the end of their workday. Today, this 2,550-square-foot brick home still offers this century-old charm, yet blends it with contemporary style. A gabled rooftop, white picket fence, front porch and coach house hint at what the property may have looked like after it was constructed in 1896, while an expansion in 2006 increased the living space by an 1,200 feet in the form of a second-floor master bedroom and an open-plan kitchen and adjoining living room.Another notable update to the home includes moving a staircase that leads from the foyer to the second floor a few feet further from the front door. This resulted in a spacious and welcoming foyer. Directly through the foyer is a reading nook with floor-to-ceiling, built-in bookshelves and a window seat. This area adjoins the dining room, where a 1920s Italian hand-carved wood dining table adds formality to a room featuring exposed brick walls. Also leading

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

from the foyer is a living room with a gas fireplace and large picture window that, in the summer months, offers pleasing views of perennial flowerbeds.In the winter, the fireplace is this room’s centerpiece. Framed by an ornate maple mantle with built-in mirror and surrounded by decorative ceramic tile, the fireplace is both beautiful and practical.The property’s carriage house and surrounding yard are also noteworthy. The half-acre lot includes flower and vegetable gardens accented by rustic split rail fences, towering shade trees, a children’s playhouse, and a remodeled coach house that offers private and comfortable living accommodations for overnight visitors.

1932 Hudson St – Two Story Brick

Sponsored By: Cherry Creek Properties LLC – Renee Burger-McMichael, Nina Kuhl, Steve LaPorta, Roberta Locke, Jane McLaughlin, John Neu, Kathleen Ruby, Kim Tighe, Ann Torgerson

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Sketch by Marc Applebaum
In 1999, when the Homiaks purchased this 1925 two-story brick house, many of its best features were hidden beneath wallpaper, cigarette-stained paint, and wall-to-wall carpeting. Their ability to see the home’s potential convinced them it was a risk worth taking. Fifteen years after renovating the entire house, and many projects later, they have modernized while respecting the character and scale of the original home.An addition off the back opened up the kitchen for better traffic flow, added a breakfast nook, and created a lodge-like family room with vaulted ceiling, exposed rafters, skylights, and a gas fireplace surrounded by tumbled marble. The original one-car garage is now a study. A powder room was added near the original back door. A Unico air conditioning system, with flexible, small ducts routed through existing ceilings, floors and wall cavities, cools the house during summer’s hottest

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Photo by Sara Elise Photography

days without compromising the design or architectural integrity of this 89-year old home. Look for small holes in the ceilings and walls for the subtle signs of this great feature.A second-floor master bedroom is another cozy retreat, also with a fireplace, vaulted ceiling and exposed rafters. A balcony off the bedroom offers a comfortable place to enjoy the daily news, a cup of coffee, and views of a small, but lush and private backyard. A shower was tucked into the guestroom and the sole bathroom on the upper floor shrunk to add a master bath.Other nice surprises throughout this house include antique lighting found locally and online, stained-glass windows from a London flea market, family pieces, and many unique pieces of furniture salvaged from yard sales and second-hand stores and restored.