Volume 54, Issue No. 6
A Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Publication
June 2015
Park Hill Realtors Agree: Demand High, No Slowdown In Sight
Denver Housing Prices Among Hightest in Nation Several Park Hill real estate agents agree with new reports indicating Denver’s very robust market is likely to stay that way. A mortgage broker sees heavy activity in refinancing, and a nonprofit agency director observes pressure on modest housing. “Low inventory still creates strong demand,” says Park Hill specialist Emily Roet. “The market is very robust, and there are more buyers than good listings.” Anastasia Williamson agrees, but says the market is out of whack. She and others say
many houses are selling with multiple offers above list price. “When there is high demand – due in part to people moving to Denver – and low inDave Felice terest rates, inventory goes down and prices go up,” says Bridget Walsh of Denver Welcome Home. “Park Hill values are pretty much in sync with the rest of Denver.” Kim Tighe of Cherry Creek Properties adds that many builders left in the economic downturn of 2008, and new housing wasn’t added. “In addition, people are reluctant to
City Matters
sell because they don’t have any place to go.” Recent reports confirm that housing prices in the Denver area, for both purchases and rentals, are still some of the highest in the nation. Bill Firmin, Senior Loan Officer of SWBC Mortgage, says most of his work is now in refinancing, with rates around four percent. “A lot of times offers are written for cash, and then a loan is placed before closing.” Firmin and others say bidding wars are precarious for buyers. “In a bidding war, only one person gets the house and ten or
May Storm Snaps Trees, Tests Patience
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Where the Tower Theatre Stood Tall
Instead of planting gardens of flowers and veggies, Park Hill residents spent Mother’s Day cleaning up after Winter Storm Venus, which dropped as much as 10 inches of heavy wet snow across the neighborhood. Ash and maple trees were the hardest hit, but plenty of other branches – and even entire trees – were snapped down during the May 9-10 storm. Above, Rick Stephens uses a chainsaw to help a friend clean up numerous damaged trees at 22nd and Ivanhoe. Photo by Cara DeGette
GPHC, Inc. Upcoming Events
Landmarks At 2200 Block of Kearney Street Helped Shape Park Hill By Phil Goodstein As Park Hill boomed after World War I, the demand for neighborhood retail increased. Neighbors, working with city hall and real estate investors, recognized this in 1926 when they agreed the 2200 block of Kearney Street was ideally posed for small stores, and got it zoned for that purpose. At this time, the land was near the far eastern edge of the neighborhood. Seeing a demand for their services, soon a number of groceries and pharmacies emerged near 22nd Avenue and Kearney Street. The early 1930s saw the addition of a couple of neoTudor apartment houses at 2221 and 2233 Kearney St. Filling stations were soon part of the mix at the corner of 23rd Avenue, including a body shop. Development continued following World War II. No attraction pulled more people to the block than the neighborhood cinema, the Tower Theatre at 2245 Kearney St. BMP Building Company developed it at the cost of $58,000 in 1949 as a one-story hall, lacking a basement and balcony.
The Tower Theater, in its heyday. Credit: Phil Goodstein collection
BMP was the name of the partnership of
June 13 Garden Walk Get Your Tickets Now
July 4 Parade
Register Your Float Today
Sept. 27 Home Tour & Street Fair Mark Your Calendar See Pages 12-13 For All The Details
continued on page 15 Denver’s Latest Failure To Communicate
Page 8
Meet Daeshaun Moore, Blockworker of the Month
Page 7
Inside This Issue
Page 2
June 2015
Matinees and Candy Land
Ray S. Briggs and Pat McGee. The former was close to the empire of Atlas Theatre Corporation, the operator of a wide variety of neighborhood cinemas around Colorado. The Art Neon Company, a firm owned by the head of Atlas Theatre, Charles U. Yaeger, put up the Tower’s sign, a modernistic tower. The Tower emphasized its high-quality color projector and white platinum screen. A Wurlitzer organ filled the auditorium with music. So infants would not disturb performances, there was a glassed room where parents could view the movies with their small children. Through the 1950s, the Tower was a second-run theater, showing films that had premiered a few weeks earlier downtown. Saturday afternoon children’s matinees were especially popular. Some attending them sneaked into the house along the side exits. Having done so, after the show they spent their 25 cents, the admission charge, across the street at Candy Land, 2206 Kearney St. Youngsters patronizing the store called its owner, Elmira Trauer, the “Candy Lady.” She seemingly appeared out of nowhere as soon
Ms. Boyer’s 1st Grade Restaurant Reviews
Next GPHC Meeting Thursday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m. 2823 Fairfax St., Denver
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