Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Welcome back to this weekly meeting of the community planning and housing committee with Denver City Council. Your community planning and housing committee starts now.

On air. You're just gonna keep on eyeing for the green. There it is. Online. Flight. Alright. Welcome to the community planning and housing committee on Cinco de Mayo, 05/05/2026. Wow. Everyone is arriving right on time. Even some of you guys are supposed to be remote

when you're here

in the flesh. At you. Everybody's here. Alright. So we'll start with introductions. I'm Sarah Farrity. I'm the chair of this committee and one of your city council members at large. And I'll start with councilor Lavides on my left because she's going to be ready.

Lavides with Lucky District 7.

Jamie Torres, muting my computer, and West Denver District 3. Chantel Lewis, District 3. Amanda Swire, District 5. I was looking for somebody else to be here. Good afternoon. Diana Romero, Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4.

Amazing. And it looks like we don't have anyone online because everyone came into the room, which I love. We actually have just a single action item today, which is a landmark designation at 3535 East 26th Ave. So while while Landmark is coming up to the table, we had a presentation scheduled from DHA, the housing authority, and we're gonna reset that for probably sometime in June. So look for that to come back soon. Alright. Take all the time you need. Don't feel rushed.

I was all prepared to be really short. I thought your next item was gonna be long.

I know. Thank you for taking that into account.

Yeah. So my name is Kara Hahn. I'm the Landmark Planning and Regulatory Supervisor, and we're here for 3535 East 26th Avenue Parkway for a landmark designation application. This project and property is coming forward as an owner supported designation. It's been brought forward by doctor Renee Cousins King, and this is in the Skyland neighborhood in Council District 9.

Here is the proposed boundary of the of the property. It is the historic parcel. As you can see, it's much larger than the other parcels around it, and we'll talk a little bit more about that. But it's with the lots that have been historically associated with it. As you know, the process for designation is community driven, and in this case, it came forward from the property owner.

In order for a designation to be eligible, it needs to meet the requirements of chapter 30, which is the landmark ordinance. The property needs to maintain integrity, be at least thirty years of age or older, meet at least three out of 10 criteria, and the Landmark Preservation Commission has to consider its historic context. For this particular application, the Landmark Preservation Commission forwarded it with finding that it meets four out of the 10 criteria, and we'll go over those four really briefly. So first, that it has a direct and a substantial association with the recognized persons or groups of persons. In this case, it's with two different families.

First, with Nora and Frank Harris. They're the ones that built the property in 1966. So Nora Harris worked for the American Woodman Association as a claims department manager, and so it had a lot of influence on the community and society. She was also on the board of directors for the Denver chapter of the NAACP, and both Nora and Frank were part of the cosmopolitan cosmopolitan club of Denver. Frank is Denver's first recognized black landscape designer.

He was self taught. He wouldn't have been allowed to probably be going through link going going through, like, a landscape architecture program. He was very highly regarded. He started out in the nineteen twenties just being a horticulturist and working in, like, grounds, and then he grew to be a really well respected business. He did commercial, institutional, and large private properties of very affluent members of Denver.

And so his role as the first recognized landscape architect or landscape designer and his work with Cosmopolitan Club makes both Nora and Frank significant members of the community. The second owners are Dorothy and Charles r Cousins, and so they are also really significant members of the community. Charles, while more visible in the business area, Dorothy was a partner in the process. Their daughter said much of the business success he attained would not have been possible without Dorothy's conscientious assistance. So wanting to make sure that even though her name wasn't on the businesses that she was a strong supporter of it, and it was successful because of her.

The businesses were a lot of, like, real estate businesses and Five Points. Here is a refurbished sign for the seven fifteen club that he was part of, and so this is now in the 5 Points Historic District, and the sign was just rehabbed within the last few years. Both Dorothy and Charles were really active in the civic realm, really proud sponsors of the Owl Club of Denver. They supported students at Emmanuel High School and Cole Junior High School, parts of the American Red Cross, Friends of the Denver Public Library, and the Church of the Holy Redeemer. Charles was also invited to serve on the commission for the Olympics in the nineteen seventies even though we ended up voting that down.

He was on on the board and invited to be on the board of that. And so both Dorothy and Charles are cousins, are exceptionally prominent members of the community. And so between both Nora and Frank and Dorothy and Charles, you have two different people who have been associated with this property and both had strong influence on society. The property also embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style. So this is a ranch style house, but it is a custom designed ranch style house.

It's a very high style version of ranch style, and you can see that in its it's one story long and horizontal, a low pitched roof with wide overhanging eaves. There's a really minimal front porch. You can see here particularly in these pictures, the large picture windows and the brick construction, as well as an attached garage, and internally, the open flow of living room, dining room, and kitchen looking out onto the backyard is a really key characteristic of the style. And so not only is it a ranch style, but it's a really high end ranch style property. The commission also found that it was the significant work of recognized architects and master builders.

So Frank Harris, as an accomplished horticulturist and landscape designer, falls within that, and he worked on the National Jewish Hospital, the Bonfisa State, Park Hill Golf Club, Colorado Women's College, plus a variety of others, but very, you know, well named and, you know, influential groups and organizations within the city and county of Denver. And then he designed this as his personal residence, and it's one that we know that has good integrity. So as his personal resident residence where he chose to live, this is a significant example of his work. And then the architect, William J. Borman, he's a recognized architect here in Denver and in Colorado.

He did work particularly he focused a lot of his work on ranches, but they were sometimes just like developments for neighborhoods. Like, a builder would come and he'd do, like, six spec houses or something for them, but he also was really well known for his custom design work. And he primarily worked in Welshire Country Club in Crestmore, primarily wealthy and and primarily white communities. It's this particular house is likely one of the first examples of his high style and custom work in the recently desegregated North City Park or Skyland neighborhood. So it's a significant example of working in that community.

And then finally, it's associated with social movements and patterns of growth or change in the community and the neighborhood. It's really a story of sort of civil rights and racial integration. The city was founded on systemic racism, and it can be really seen here in the red lining in the the residential security map through discriminatory zoning and covenants. You can see the blue arrow points to approximately where the house is currently located, and it was graded as a third grade area to live. And the civil rights movement through a lot of anti discrimination lawsuits particularly saw changes in housing and schools desegregation is really seen here in this neighborhood as you start to see the racial character evolve in the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties.

And then you start to see more prominent black families and communities moving in along the park. I don't know if you can see my mouse. Yeah. So kind of right along here, the golf course and down on the side. And Nora and Frank Harris were some of the first to move into the area.

They were one of the first black families to purchase lots. And as you can see here, they purchased approximately eight lots, which takes up about three or four sizes of houses on either side of it. It's still the largest lot along the golf course. And so for Nora and Frank Harris to be able to move in, purchase that much property, and then engage a really well respected architect and builder to build a high style custom designed house, One shows Nora and Frank's influence within the community, and also because they were one of the earliest black families to move into this area, it represents a pattern of change and growth in the neighborhood and reflects the evolution that you see happening further along and later in the nineteen sixties. So the LPC found that it met three of or four out of the 10 criteria for designation.

The other thing that people need to look at is integrity, and this is not structural integrity. It's historic integrity, which has seven different aspects of integrity, but really it's would prior residents recognize the property today? And so in this case, the integrity is excellent. There are very minimal changes to anything on the property. It's in the original location.

The feeling and the setting and association are really similar. It's still in a residential neighborhood, still directly across from the golf course, and you can see the workmanship and the design and the materials that are still really evident in the house. It's been, you know, lovingly taken care of and maintained, so it has excellent integrity. The Landmark Preservation Commission is also tasked with looking at the historic context, the development of why and how a building is in its place. This designation has an exceptional historic context.

It's very detailed on the development of the neighborhood, on the histories of the owners and their families, and the background on the architect and builder. And so this is a really good example of what a historic context should be and how it so closely ties with the criteria, and so the commission agreed with that. And then the period of significance or the time period for which our property is significant begins in 1958 with the date of the construction, and it continues through 1996, which is thirty years from now or thirty years ago, and we have a thirty year threshold. So even though the same families still own the property, it ends in 1996 at that thirty year mark. And we did not receive any written public comment, but at the LPC, there were five community members that spoke in favor as well as Historic Denver who spoke in favor, and they've been helping out some with this designation application.

So in summary, the Landmark Preservation Commission found that it was over 30 years of age, that it met at least three, it met four of the criteria, that it retains integrity, and they considered the historic context. So our recommendation is that it is forwarded to the full council for their review, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Great. Thank you so much. Usually, I would let the person who's districted in speak first, but council member Watson is not on the committee over here today. And I don't know that I have everyone anyone in the queue.

Right. Just one. Okay. Okay. You're good. I'm just curious who the five community members were that spoke.

Here you go.

Sorry. My paper got really wet on the way in. Yeah. It's the case. It was. It was. Sue Glassmacher from the the Curtis Park, Happy Haynes, John Duffenbaugh, John Hayden, and Victoria Scott. Okay. Sure. K. That's it. Thank

you. Councilor Osler? Thanks. No questions.

This is really straightforward and cut and dry and I think just really fantastic. So super excited about this. I'm I just love it when historic designation properties come through, especially when they're owner supported and applied for. So this is really great. It's such an important thing for the city of Denver to have to make sure that we're recognizing our history and also preserving it. So this is super cool. Thanks for doing all this work. I have council pro tem next. Thank you, madam chair. Same. I echo the same sentiment. It's so exciting to see that this is coming through. I know exactly where this house is. I've always wondered about it.

It's like, you know, when

you see houses and they show and it's just like, oh, I know this house. So just excited to hear more about the history and and to be able to have that recognized for for Denver. So thank you. I'm excited to see this.

Cool. I really have nothing substantive to add. Anybody else have a question or wanna get in? No. That'd be cool. Yeah. Thank you for this. It's really great. I I love when we just get a little history lesson in committee. So with that, it is an action item. I will get a motion in a second to move it to the floor. Moved by Lewis, seconded by Torres, thirded by everybody else at the same time. Thank you. We will see you back in council. Awesome. Thank you. Always good to see your face. And with that, we have nothing on consent. Nothing further on the agenda. Go back and reclaim some time. We're everybody's like, whoo.

This is amazing. Right. That was easy.