Denver Neighborhoods - Historic Cheesman Park

Cheesman Park lies in the very heart of Denver. Surrounded by residential districts (Capitol Hill to the west, Congress Park to the east), close to downtown, and well situated for travel to the city's numerous attractions, one might never know that graves once dominated the landscape.

A gently sloping hill two miles from city center seemed the perfect place to lay out a burying ground: near enough for burials, far enough for comfort. So in 1859, William Larimer founded Mount Prospect Cemetery on this land. But he didn't own it. John J Walley, a cabinetmaker-turned-undertaker, thought he did, and indeed sold parts of it to others. And when yet another man, “Graveyard Johnny” Voight, filed a homestead claim in 1870, the US Land Office denied all claims, declaring it federal property.

Several owners, name changes, and controversies followed. But the most fundamental change lay in its use. Never the graceful 19th century rural cemetery that its founders had hoped, in 1890 the cemetery became a park. Even then, the transformation was slow, as money to fund the park could not be found. But when Mayor Speer put the naming rights up for sale to the most generous benefactor, William Cheesman’s widow secured the prize with a $100,000 donation. In 1912, the completed esplanade finalized Cheesman’s connection with the rest of the city park system.

In the early years, the most prestigious Denver neighborhood was downtown. By the 1880s, Capitol Hill held sway. But by the end of the century, prestige was conferred by the area around Cheesman Park – especially Humboldt Island and Morgan’s Addition.

Well known residents such as Harry H. Tammen and Frederick Bonfils, both founders of The Denver Post, lived here in Humboldt Island. The men were wealthy, though not well liked. In 1920, Bonfils kept private guards and machine guns on the balcony to ward off striking workers. And when a petition circulated in 1908 asking that Tammen not move in, he floated the idea of using the land to construct a barn for his circus elephants. Opposition vanished.

Wealth and controversy aside, Cheesman Park became a hub of social activity. In 1934, Denver Post owner Helen Bonfils began the sponsorship of free operas in the park for more than three decades. The nearby Denver Botanic Gardens, founded in 1958, has been similarly vibrant, attracting gardeners and tourists alike with their popular concerts and specialty gardens. Today the Denver Botanic Gardens is a popular spot for weddings and other social gatherings. And Cheesman Park itself has offered a treasured respite for many Denverites in the middle of the city – so much so that in the 1960s, the Cheesman Park Mountain View Ordinance was enacted to preserve the park’s spectacular vista.

Cheesman Park remains one of Denver’s truly central neighborhoods: in the middle of the action and often the controversy as well.

July 2008 Market Statistics

In metro Denver closed sales in July were 5,123 compared with 4,980 in July 2007, a 2.9% gain. The average selling price for the period was $262,224 compared to an average in July 2007 of $289,294, a percentage drop of 9.4. The median sale price for single-family homes was $229,200 compared with $255,000 in July 2007, for a drop of 10.1%. 969 condos and townhomes sold in July 2008, compared with 1,081 for the same period in 2007, a drop of 10.4%. Median prices for condos in July 2008 were $149,000 compared with $158,000 in July 2008, a drop of 5.7%. For single family houses, condos and townhomes the average number of days a house was on the market in July 2008 was 98, and in July 2007 was 95. The list to sale ratio was 97% in 2008 versus 98% in 2007. 25,673 houses are currently on the market and interest rates are still low. It’s a great time to buy in the Denver real estate market, but if you’re a seller you may want to wait till conditions improve.

Check out the current Market Conditions Report for further analysis.