Denver Neighborhoods - Historic Country Club

With their recurrent horse racing up and down 14th Avenue becoming a civic menace, the Gentlemen's Driving Association purchased land in 1880 for a racecourse at Corona and 4th. Their “driving park for pleasure driving and speed” offered matinees two days a week, along with gala parties and extravagant clubhouse amenities. The club went bankrupt by 1882, but when the reorganized club repurchased the property for half its assessed value the next year, the newspapers suspected Denver's robber barons had pulled off an underhanded deal.

More plebeian amusement was soon available just west of Driving Park. When the waters of Cherry Creek were diverted in 1897, a small lake formed and Chutes Park opened. In addition to their water slides, scenic railway, vaudeville shows, casino, bicycle races, and fireworks, who could miss the weddings performed in a lion’s den or Professor Barnes’s rather unique herd of diving elks? As one reporter noted, “the elks seemed to enjoy the performance as much as [the spectators]. They trot contentedly to the top of the almost perpendicular runway, and, at a given signal, jump head foremost into a tank of water 60 feet below.” A spectacle indeed.

Amidst this pageantry, in 1902 a group of dedicated golfers bought the 240 acres of the old John Reithmann property to provide an exclusive country club. First came the nine-hole golf course and tennis courts, but residential units were built soon thereafter. Noting the location of both Denver and Madrid on the 40th parallel, early plans called for the creation of a “Spanish suburb.” Arched entryways, courtyards, loggias, wrought iron, peaked tile roofs, and lots of stucco still evoke this original design.

Residences were intentionally expensive. Covenants for Country Club, Driving Park, and Park Lane all specified minimum costs for homes. Large lots and deep setbacks all attested to an area of wealth, and Denver’s elite flocked to this gated community. The fact that both Mayor Speer and his cronies lived in the area and could order major reconstruction of Cherry Creek Drive (later Speer Boulevard) surely helped.

Unlike other neighborhoods which experienced decline and rebirth, Country Club remained elite and well-protected throughout the twentieth century. As such, its homes and spirit have been preserved. In 1990, the Denver Landmarks Commission approved the entire neighborhood for historic designation, making Country Club the largest neighborhood yet to attain historic status. So despite the loss of many turn-of-the-century amusements, the opulence and historic character of the neighborhood is poised to persevere well into the future.

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.