For Bill Hopping, chairman of Littleton’s Historic Preservation Board, defining exactly what constitutes Old Littleton can be tricky.
It’s a far easier task for anyone who strolls along Old Littleton’s Main Street or takes part in annual events like this month’s Wild on Littleton, held June 14.
Old Littleton or Old Town Littleton, loosely described as Littleton’s downtown shopping district and the antique homes around it, is simply a throwback to another era. A carefully preserved one, as well.
New developers must jump through a series of legal hoops before they can change the appearance of the downtown facade.
Hopping said the neighborhood’s culture evolved from one based on agriculture to its current state, but it took decades to get there. The arrival of companies such as Marathon Oil in the 1950s helped push the evolution along.
“There are still people today who were here prior to that period of time. That’s represented well by Main Street and the historic areas,” Hopping said. “It’s one unifying factor for all of Littleton, that historic area. . . . It’s one of the best-preserved original Western main streets.”
Even casual shoppers in Old Littleton can see one holdover from the past. Shops and restaurants tend to stay closed on Sundays.
“That’s an interesting hanger-on from the agricultural days,” he said.
Old area belies housing crisis
Andrea Mimnaugh, a Littleton historic-preservation planner, said a recent project that gained plenty of public attention was a planned restaurant on Main Street. The project eventually gained approval and could be built as soon as the early fall. The community and the developer didn’t see eye to eye on the changes necessary for the restaurant, formerly a gas station dating to the 1930s.
A more unifying change happened a few years ago. The former Arapahoe County Courthouse, an empty landmark as recently as the 1990s, was spared the wrecking ball and now stands as a refurbished landmark overlooking Old Littleton.
Randy Willis, a real estate agent with Metro Brokers, said the Main Street strip provides something for both adults and families. Casual dining spots such as Abe’s Cafe offer kid-friendly fare, while adults tend to go to the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant housed in a former library.
Such conveniences are at least part of the reason residents are drawn to the area.
The nearby homes “hold their prices more than other areas,” Willis said.
Brian Lee Burke, a broker from Kenna and Co., said the older homes near Main Street are highly sought after by homebuyers, even in the current marketplace.
“People are trying to get more conveniences. They want to walk to things,” Burke said, adding that the area’s subculture is also a big draw.
“It’s a bunch of people trying to get that small-town type of life,” he said.
David Simonson, a broker associate with Re/Max’s Simonson Team in Highlands Ranch, said Old Littleton represents a housing pocket immune to current market woes.
Old Littleton homes stay on the market roughly a month less than the average Denver home, Simonson said. Families looking for a house in this small area will have to pay at least $275,000, Simonson said.
“I have clients just waiting for a simple two-, three-bedroom bungalow with no basement,” he said.
Richard Harris, executive director of the Town Hall Arts Center on Littleton’s Main Street, said the neighborhood dictates the kind of shows put on by his arts group.
“We put on what they want to see,” said Harris, who works in a building that once served as a community firehouse. That usually means six musical productions per year of Broadway standards.
“We survey (area residents) every year. They like the big-name, warhorse musicals like ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Cabaret’ — nothing experimental, nothing educational,” he said.
Deb Chromik, 44, has been an Old Littleton resident for five years and relishes the area’s community feel.
“There’s a huge investment in watching over each other and making sure we contribute to, and participate in, local activities,” Chromik said.
“The community is really a sanctuary,” she continued, extolling the diversity in her neighborhood. “We have the community in common. It’s stronger than the differences we have. I love that part.”
All about Old Littleton
Where it is: Bounded by West Belleview Avenue on the north, West Caley Avenue on the south, South Broadway on the east and South Santa Fe Drive on the west.
Average home price per square foot, 2008: $168 (58 homes sold in past six months)
Source: Kenna and Co. real estate
Main attractions: Town Hall Arts Center, the refurbished Littleton Municipal Courthouse, walkable amenities, boutique shopping, light-rail access.
Schools: Arapahoe Community College
Shopping: Numerous restaurants dot Main Street and surrounding roadways, including Abe’s Cafe, the Melting Pot and Old Glory Antiques.
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, the site of the Melting Pot restaurant was incorrectly described.
