Wheat Ridge – The future of the Olinger mansion – a landmark for 92 years at Wadsworth Boulevard and West 29th Avenue – lies somewhere between the developers and the Wheat Ridge Historical Society.
Developers’ initial plans called for tearing down the white-painted brick house with a red-tile roof to make way for a commercial development that they say fits with the city’s 2020 revitalization plan.
Historical society members want to save not only the mansion but also the white stucco pergola laced with roses, a barn, a well house and a farmhouse, saying the whole site is a landmark.
The mayor and City Council want a compromise and expect to hear a solution Feb. 27.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that something will be worked out,” said Jerry DiTullio, who was elected mayor in November at about the same time the controversy began heating up.
The property owners and historical society are discussing the situation.
Residents have submitted petitions in support of preservation. The City Council and Planning Commission have delayed decisions. The brouhaha is the talk of the town of about 30,000.
“Nothing is a done deal,” said Meredith Reckert, the city’s senior planner. “There are copious meetings.”
The situation, she added, “has become very political.”
DHE Wadsworth LLC and ASM Casa LLC bought the property last year and want to rezone the 4.6 acres from residential to commercial to allow a restaurant and an office complex.
“We feel very strongly that we want to try to make this a good solution for everybody and not a bad one,” one of the owners, Andy Miller, said last week. “We realize we’re part of the community. While it’s become very complicated, we’re very committed to finding a solution that helps everybody.”
The historical society applied for a historical landmark designation for the whole property, an action the owners oppose.
“We want to protect our heritage,” said society vice president Claudia Worth. “This is a landmark and is a jewel of our city.”
The structures could not be changed or torn down without City Council approval if landmark status is granted. Until that issue is resolved, the rezoning can’t move forward.
Home to members of the Olinger mortuary family, the mansion was built in 1914 by George and Margaret Olinger, who started Olinger Mortuaries in 1901. After George died in 1954 and Margaret died in 1968, the family ceased to live in the mansion, but it was used as a mortuary. The mansion has been empty for years.
One of the Olingers’ most famous funeral clients was William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who died in 1917.
Olinger was involved in developing the Bonnie Brae, Olinger Gardens and Indian Hills neighborhoods. He also founded Crown Hill Cemetery in 1907 and provided the first mass transit in Wheat Ridge, a street-car line started in 1910 that led into the cemetery.
For George and Margaret Olinger’s granddaughter Valerie Horan, the mansion was where she and her three sisters played. Her wedding reception was held there in 1955.
“There was a wonderful room right smack in the middle of the house, with a glass dome with all this light that came from above, and all the walls were bookshelves from floor to ceiling,” Horan recalled.
Horan, now 72, would like to see the mansion and arbor preserved.
Her grandfather, whom the four girls called Gaba, loved books, Horan said, adding, “I would be thrilled if the mansion could be a library.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
