On April 24, Denver City Council will vote on whether to approve or deny a landmark designation application for 1741 N. Gaylord St. at a public hearing.
On August 16, 2022, Community Planning and Development (CPD) received a Certificate of Demolition Eligibility (CDE) application for 1741 N. Gaylord St. The city’s landmark preservation staff review all demolition requests citywide, including for structures that are not already local landmarks or in historic districts. This requirement helps preserve Denver’s history by providing the community an opportunity to participate and protect buildings that have historic, architectural, geographic, or cultural significance.
Upon review of the structure, landmark staff determined that the structure met multiple criteria from the city’s landmark designation ordinance. Accordingly, the city publicly posted signs on the property as required by city ordinance to determine if there was public interest in preserving the structure.
“During the posting period, which was extended beyond the typical 60-day allowance, we held multiple stakeholder meetings,” said Kara Hahn, Landmark planning and regulatory supervisor. “At these meetings, community members who wanted to see the building preserved and the building’s current owner sought to find a compromise. They examined adaptive reuse and redevelopment options, as well as other preservation alternatives to designation such as moving the building or finding preservation-minded buyers.”
City staff supported these efforts by proposing multiple rezoning options and areas of flexibility in redevelopment potential, such as preserving the structure for multifamily uses or adding new units to the lot. However, no consensus was reached with the developer who owns the property, and three Denver residents prepared and submitted an owner-opposed designation application that was unanimously recommended for approval by the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission on March 7, 2023.
The structure at 1741 N. Gaylord St. has direct and substantial association with Edward Holmes Hurlbut and James and Edith Burger. Edward H. Hurlbut was a successful and innovative businessman who expanded his family grocery store into a local chain of grocery stores. James Burger was president of the Union Depot & Trade Co and later president of the Hamilton National Bank. He was elected to the Colorado Senate and authored (and passed) a bill establishing a workshop for the blind. Edith Burger became a founder of Children’s Hospital and served on the board for 19 years. The structure is a significant example of the work of Gove & Walsh, a prominent Denver architecture firm at the turn of the century, and embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of the Dutch Colonial Revival style of architecture. Gove & Walsh designed numerous commercial and civic buildings including the Sugar Building and the central portion of Denver Union Station.
Until the public hearing, the city will continue working toward alternative pathways that would both preserve the structure and allow for new development uses. View the designation application, staff report, and more at www.denvergov.org/landmark.
