Country Club

Many of Denver’s prominent historical figures, members of the economic, political and social elite, once called this area home. Many of the houses were designed by leading early 20th century Denver architects, such as: Fisher and Fisher, Benedict, Biscoe, Gove and Walsh, Huddart, Frewen, and Hoyt. The architectural styles range from Victorian, to Denver Squares, Gothic, Colonial, Mediterranean, and other Eclectic Revival styles. The greater Country Club neighborhood is bounded by East 6th Avenue to the north, Downing Street to the west, University to the east, and East 1st Avenue to the south.

Development first began in the area in 1880, with the Denver Gentlemen’s Driving Association. Several prominent men purchased land southeast of Denver to build a private horse racing and riding club, complete with a half mile racetrack, which used to be at East 4th Avenue and Corona Street. By 1888, they sold the land after they realized the area was prime real estate as wealthy Denver residents were looking to move outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Denver. After the Denver Country Club was built in 1902, the neighborhood that would also bear its name was developed, which occurred in four different stages over the course of nearly 30 years.

The first Country Club subdivision was Park Club Place, between 1905 to 1907, which is reflected in its predominant Victorian architecture. Many of these early homes still have hitching posts for horses out front. Next, the Country Club Place subdivision was developed, around 1906. This subdivision with its many Mediterranean style houses, had building requirements such as: no residence should cost less than $4,500, the land wouldn’t be used for any industrial enterprise, no liquor could be sold, no fence could be built over three feet in height. The Denver architecture firm of Fisher and Fisher, along with Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., helped to design this second subdivision, including its Mediterranean style gateways.

Between 1924 to 1927, the Country Club Annex was developed. In this subdivision you’ll primarily find large lot sizes, rectilinear homes, with many of the houses built in the Tudor style, reflecting the 20-year gap between the first two subdivisions. The last subdivision to break ground was Park Lane Square in 1926. Landscape architect Saco DeBoer was responsible for its circular pattern. The characteristics of this subdivision are large parcels inspired by country estates, with no sidewalks, no alleyways, and stately English gates mark its entrances. The Country Club neighborhood was designated a landmark district in 1990, although the western half of the neighborhood had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Overall, the greater Country Club neighborhood has many prime examples of what exclusive residential development looked like at the beginning of the 20th century.

This content was prepared by local non-profit Historic Denver, Inc., with excerpts from the organization’s Historic Denver Guides series and other research. Historic Denver was founded in 1970 and provides technical assistance to owners of historic properties, conducts research, advocates for preservation, and owns and operates District 10’s own Molly Brown House Museum at 1340 Pennsylvania. For more information, or to get answers to your historic home questions, visit www.historicdenver.org.