Two years after commencing the task of surveying buildings for historical purposes in Denver neighborhoods, a Historic Denver project has looked at more than 4,000 homes and is ready to embark on yet another neighborhood.
The Discover Denver building and neighborhood survey began as and has since surveyed homes in parts of the Globeville, Cole, Park Hill and Berkeley neighborhoods to identify historical places in Denver.
Now, shedding the pilot project status, is tackling more neighborhoods around the city, wrapping up the entire Jefferson Park neighborhood and kicking off surveys in the Elyria-Swansea and finishing up in the Globeville neighborhood.
“It does provide a lot of information to both city planners and property owners to help make good decisions about planning and personal real estate decisions,” said Andrea Burns, spokeswoman for the city’s Community Planning and Development office.
Discover Denver is run by Historic Denver and a staff person is dedicated to the project, but a large contingent of volunteers are trained and responsible for surveying buildings and homes in the neighborhoods.
The project is funded by State Historical Fund grants from History Colorado.
Discover Denver director Beth Glandon said there are 31 volunteers, but the number ebbs and flows throughout the year. Volunteers are often retired architects and history enthusiasts. They are given a tablet with software to document buildings and take photos.
Volunteers can also engage homeowners or people in the community to get the stories of their homes.
“We try to do as much outreach in advance of being there so folks know that we’re coming,” Glandon said.
The , which lies north of Sports Authority Field, was the first neighborhood surveyed after the pilot project finished. The survey took about three months, starting in June. Glandon noted a few homes she enjoyed learning about, including one that used to be owned by the brewer of the old Zang Brewery, which was open until the mid 1930s.
Elyria-Swansea and Globeville — surrounding Interstate 70 east of I-25 — will also take about three months, according to Glandon, who added those neighborhoods were chosen because they were requested in previous neighborhood plans.
“They both have had neighborhood plans adopted,” Glandon said. “In both plans, they identify that a historic research survey should be done, so that made sense.”
Discover Denver also works with the city’s planning department, which provides part-time help. Kara Hahn, a senior planner with the Landmark Preservation Commission, assists with Discover Denver and said that the hope is to find historical significance in buildings, but not to give more buildings historical status.
She said the goal is to survey every neighborhood in the city, should the grant continue, and she hopes more people will be willing to share stories about their homes.
“I hope we can keep up that public engagement,” Hahn said. “That’s where we get the best stories.”
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or @joe_vacc
