Baker Historic Neighborhood Association
hosts 2013 Home Tour
Sponsored by Historic Denver
The Baker Historic Neighborhood Association (BHNA) welcomes you to experience the elegant charm of the late 1800s - early 1900s. On June 1, 2013, the BHNA opens the doors to some of our treasured homes. You’ll visit century-old homes whose character and architectural detail remain very much alive. While you stroll from home to home you’ll imagine riding down the tree-line streets in horse and buggy - but look out for the bicycles and the occasional RTD bus. You may wish to stop and awe at the colorful Victorian facades, the bountiful flowers and mature landscapes that neighbors till fondly. Occasionally, you’ll need to make way for proud parents and infant in a baby stroller or the neighbors walking their four-legged family members.
Queen Anne architecture predominates the type of homes in the Baker Historic District. However, ours is an eclectic community. Included among our homes, churches, and schools are Denver Square, Dutch Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Italianate and a few new-fangled Craftsman Bungalows. Our homes bear unique ornamentation and front stoops for visiting with each other. Some of our more well-known edifices are the landmark Mayan Theater, the magnificent Gothic Fairmont (Elementary) School, the statuesque soaring ramparts of the First Avenue Presbyterian Church, the stone St. Peter & St. Mary Episcopalian Church topped with a Celtic-esque High Cross, the former First Free Methodist Church (1910) and the Venetian-inspired former Byers School (1902), the latter two buildings having been converted into residences.
The Baker Historic District offers a vibrant spectrum of urban life. The eastern border, South Broadway, hosts a wide array of Denver’s eclectic and exquisite restaurants and libation stops, from a bakery, hearty comfort food, bistro fare, Asian to high dining, one-of-a-kind shops, an ice cream shoppe with an ever-changing sort of flavors, coffee shops serving their own roasts, yoga and Pilates studios, tattoo artisans, the Mayan Theatre, and much more. Immediately to the neighborhood’s western border is Santa Fe Drive, where one can visit a farmers’ market, more shops, restaurants and art galleries in the Santa Fe Arts District. Outdoor enthusiasts relish the easy access to the Cherry Creek trail to the east and the South Platte River trail to the west.
Amidst all of this urban appeal, the visitor can glimpse the remnants of former farms displayed by renovated two-story barns and carriage houses updated to residences. The BHNA indeed has something for everyone. Within an easy walking distance, six (6) of our neighbors’ homes are participating in the 2013 Home Tour and sponsored by enthusiasts of the BHNA, as follows: 135 W. 1st Avenue/Sponsor: Day & Night Mechanical Solutions; 59 W. Archer Place/Sponsor Mile High Painters; 127 W. Archer Place/Turtle Creek Builders; 290 W. Ellsworth/Sponsor: Ed Shackelford Realtor, Your Living CO Properties; 150 W. Byers Place, Unit 4/Illegal Pete’s; 128 W. 4th Ave./Vivi Gloriod, Realtor, Cherry Creek Properties. The Tour also hosts a Silent Auction. Separately, the BHNA will hold its Annual Baker Bargain Bonanza. The First Avenue Presbyterian Church of Denver will participate in the Baker Bargain Bonanza will give tours of their spectacular church’s interior during the BHNA Home Tour hours. (120 W. 1st Ave., www1stavepres.org).
The Home Tour, on Saturday, June 1st, will commence at 11:00 a.m. and tickets may be purchased up until 3:00 p.m. However, the Homes of the Tour will close their doors shortly after 3:00 p.m., so gauge your visit such that you may visit all of the six (6) homes. Tickets may be purchased online through PayPal and credit card via the Home Tour’s website: www.bakerhometour.com or mail your check to the Baker Historic Neighborhood Association, P. O. Box 9171, Denver, CO 80209. Tickets go on sale on April 19, 2013. Students of the Lincoln Elementary and Fairmont Elementary Schools will also sell tickets for the Tour. Tickets purchased before May 17th are $8.00 for Baker Historic Neighborhood residents and $13.00 for non-residents of the neighborhood (the Tour Home are open to adults and children 12 years old or older). On and after May 17, tickets will be sold at $10.00 for BHNA residents and $15.00 for non-residents. On the day of the Tour, tickets purchased in advance must be picked up at the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Mary, 126 W. 2nd Ave., Denver, CO 80223 (www.stspeterandmary.org) (tickets cannot be purchased through the Church’s website). Tickets may be purchased on the day of the Tour (June 1, 2013), at the the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Mary . Limited parking will be available on the east side of the Church at the corner of W. Second St. and Acoma and at the parking lot located on the northeast corner of W. 1st Avenue and Acoma St. (Dr. William Weimer, Dentist’s office).
The BHNA is a non-profit organization. Net proceeds will contribute to the support of both Baker Historic District schools and to the BHNA for preservation efforts for the neighborhood.
