You cannot last for more than a century without regular maintenance and the occasional makeover, and Pike’s Park is proof.
A big red brick farmhouse in south Denver’s Rosedale neighborhood, the residence is showing off its latest nip and tuck – courtesy of 25 interior designers and a slew of suppliers participating in the 30th annual Junior Symphony Guild Showhouse.
While brushing on fresh coats of paint, piling beds with sumptuous linens and decking the windows in silken draperies, the designers took care to update the old gal yet respect her original Victorian charms. The fir floors, bird’s-eye maple pocket doors, built-in bookcases and fireplaces gleam after a good cleaning.
The guild, which presents the annual show-house to raise money for its children’s music education programs, chose the theme “American Heritage, Colorado Style” as a nod to the home’s history, says Linda Zinn, president of the group.
Pike’s Park was built in 1891 by Daniel and Lucinda Pike. They were like many other couples following the streetcar lines away from downtown saloons in search of something more bucolic than early Denver life had to offer. Surrounding the farmhouse on more than 4 acres were fruit trees, a garden, stable, carriage house and tennis courts.
Daniel Pike was the nephew of explorer Zebulon Pike, for whom one of Colorado’s most famous mountains is named. Pikes Peak also inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful,” and words from the song have been stenciled on the walls in the living room. A mural of Pikes Peak covers the wall on the central staircase while aspen trees are painted on a staircase leading from the kitchen to the basement.
Many of the show-house designers bought into the heritage theme, packing rooms with furnishings, books, plants and bric-a-brac emblematic of the Victorian era. In a guest bedroom, designer Kerri McGuire played with a peacock motif in a metal chair and throw, while dressing the bed in a striped silk half-canopy and red toile and silk linens.
Getting the house to this point has been a labor of love, sweat and money. Pike’s Park was occupied by a number of families through the years and was split up into five apartments when the owner went off to war in the 1940s. Marlin J. and Marlene Dorhout bought it in 1985, gradually returning it to its former glory. They had their work cut out for them, rewiring, updating the plumbing, installing a new furnace and roof, and updating the kitchen.
The show-house project has added a lot of special features to the house, from fancy bathroom fixtures and tilework to elaborate painting and kitchen appliances.
Pike’s Park is for sale, with the Dorhouts asking $1.235 million for the main house and $450,000 for four adjoining lots. Marlin Dorhout says the house isn’t practical for the couple at this stage in their life, but now that she’s in such tip-top shape, they’re “a little apprehensive” about letting her go.
