A bill for an ordinance designating 2145 South Adams Street, the Ormleigh House, as a structure for preservation. Approves an individual Denver landmark designation for property located at 2145 South Adams Street in Council District 6. The Committee approved filing this bill at its meeting on 2-27-18.
11 eyes, one ni. Congratulations. One of three has passed. All right, we have another bill. Councilman Flynn, would you put 215 on the floor? Yes, Mr. President. I move the council. Bill. I'm sorry. Wrong page. Move the council bill to 15 series of 2018. Be placed upon final consideration and do pass. All right. Thank you, Councilman Flynn. It has been moved and seconded. Public hearing for Council Bill 215 is now open. We have the staff report. Karen, how are you? Are you having a good day? I am, yeah. Good. Yeah. Good evening. I'm Karen with Lane Preservation with Community Planning and Development. And this is for 2145 South Adams, known as Gormley for Landmark Designation Landmark Preservation, was established in 1967 to designate, preserve and protect important historic resources. Currently, there are 336 individual landmarks 53 historic districts, which make up about 4% of the buildings in the city and county of Denver. Landmarks applications can be submitted through a variety of means. This one is submitted by the property owner. Once something is designated as historic, it goes through landmark design review, but it is not required to have to be restored to a particular time or place. However, demolitions are highly discouraged. Landmark Preservation recently in 2014 and then in 2016, recently updated our design guidelines with the intent of providing an objective review process for people who come through the process and are designated as historic districts. If something is or a structure, if something is designated, it will go through design review for a variety of topics like fences or zone light amendments, solar panels, reroofing additions, or things for secondary structures with the intent of preserving the character. Defining features of the structure. But also the design guidelines are intended to allow both applicants and staff to process this with an objective processing. In 2017, about 80% of landmark designation or landmark design review applications were approved by staff. We had about 1600 design review applications of they fall into sort of three different categories. Quick reviews that are typically done in about one business day. Smaller projects that are about 10 to 15 business days. And larger projects that would go before the Landmark Preservation Commission. So depending on any changes that would be proposed to this particular building, it would either be administratively reviewed by staff or go to the commission for their review. If something is designated as a historic property such as this property, it would be eligible for the Colorado Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Tax Credits, which would mean that 20% of any part of the project could be claimed as a tax credit. So that would be of benefit to this particular property owner. The designation process that came in in January, it went before the Landmark Preservation Commission at a public hearing in February of 2018, and then it was passed forward by by Rudy. And first reading was last week. Landmark Preservation sent out owner notification letters notified the registered neighborhood organizations as well as other courtesy notifications, notified City Council and planning board, posted signage and then did a courtesy notification after the Landmark Preservation Commission to the property owner. This particular property is located in Council District six. It's in the University Park neighborhood on Adams between Evans and Warren. It's in an area of stability in Blueprint Denver. And the owner of this property is Rita Hill. She initiated this designation process, but was is unable to be here due to health. She has worked with the R.A. in historic Denver to shepherd this process through and to work on writing the designation application. This designation application is required to do two things per the landmark ordinance. Maintain its historic and physical integrity. Meet at least one criterion in two of the following categories history, architecture and geography. And relate to a historic context or theme. This particular property has excellent integrity. There are minimal alterations to the property. The carriage house was converted into a living space and so the carriage doors were slightly altered and a rear patio has been added in the 1990s. However, overall, it retains a very good integrity and all seven aspects of integrity. This particular property relates to the history, having a direct and substantial association with a person who had influence on society. The property was constructed in 1899 by William Seward Iliffe. He was a prominent Denver businessman. He was involved in railroads, irrigation and a variety of ventures throughout Denver in the state of Colorado. He is also very well known for being a benefactor of you in the I Left School of Theology bears his name. He was important in providing financial backing to the I Left School of Theology NDU and was also in leadership roles in both schools, and he became a developer and booster for the South Denver area. He platted the university addition and then was a developer and buyer and seller to help both support his own business as well as to support the university. He lived in the building from 1890 to 1946 until when he passed. The property also is significant for its architecture. It embodies embodies the distinguishing characteristic of the architectural type of the Denver Square. Constructed in 1890, its early transition from the Victorian era. And the designs that were a little fuzzier with Victorian to a little more stripped down and classical elements on this particular building. It's a very substantial square building. However, it's a there are two buildings and there a little offset on this property. Unlike the more typical Denver squares that you see in an urban environment, which is a smaller or slightly more narrow building. This has the quintessential hipped roof with the central dormer. It has broad over extending eaves, the wider windows, which are typical of a Denver square versus something like a Victorian. And then it has a full width porch that wraps a little bit, which is the full width porches typical of a Denver square, and it has very classical detailing and the dental moldings, the porch columns and the coining on the edges of the building. Landmark staffing. The LPC also found that this property is significant for its geography, for promoting an understanding and appreciation of the urban environment by means of distinctive physical characteristics and rarity, and found that it met it under both. This building is one of the oldest in the area. This particular photo is taken in about 1900 in the property at 2145, South Adams is actually just to the right and outside of the frame of this. But it does show about a year after this was constructed what it looked like in that particular area. And so there this is one of the oldest in the building, the oldest in the area. There are very minimal changes to this building in comparison to the other buildings that exist from this time period. And so it's a very rare building for the area, and it also reflects the distinctive physical characteristics of the time that it was built. It has a very pastoral setting. There are nine lots that go along with this particular designation application. And so it sort of it reflects sort of a residential enclave of when this I mean, this was constructed different from the urban downtown core. And it really right now is differentiated from the smaller lots that are there from later development as well as the recent infill that has occurred. And finally, in order to be a Denver landmark, a property must relate to a historic context or theme. This very strongly relates to the development and growth of South Denver. Specifically, I live platting of University Edition, his work and his family's work developing and selling in that particular area. And then, William, I left a role in the development of due and I left school of theology. Landmark staff in the Landmark Preservation Commission found that it maintained its historic and physical integrity, that it met the criteria under history, architecture and geography and related to a historic context or theme in Denver history. And the LPC voted unanimously to approve this and recommended it going forward. Can answer any questions. Great. Thank you, Carol. All right. We have six speakers. All right, Madam Secretary. Yes. We have six speakers. I'm going to call the first. I call all six of them. Any Levinsky, Rosemarie Stouffer, Janet Bardwell, Matt Wester, Edward Doty and Joyce Meyers. Please come up and any Levinsky, you're up first. All right. Good evening, members of council. I'm Andy Levinsky. I'm the executive director of Historic Denver, located at 1420 Ogden Street. We're a nonprofit organization founded in 1970 and supported by more than 800 current members. And it's our mission to enhance the city's unique identity through education, advocacy and stewardship on behalf of our local heritage and historic places. And we're thrilled to be here tonight in support of the individual landmark designation for 2145 South Adams, also known as the Isle of House or Armley. We have been aware of this property for many years. In fact, it was featured on a historic Denver House tour in the 1980s. But our recent involvement is the result of the dedication and passion of the home's owner, Mrs. Rita Hill. Mrs. Hill and her late husband, Robert, purchased the Iola family home in 1967. They were both Denver natives and had deep roots in the community, and they were seeking a permanent home for their growing family. The Hills raised their eight children on Adams Street, and it's only the second owners of the house. They were great stewards and maintained the home's integrity and special character over the decades. Mrs. Hill reached out to us last year and again over the summer to seek assistance in honoring and protecting her home of more than 50 years . I provided you with a transcription of an oral history interview with Mrs. Hill by email last week, and that interview was done late last summer, and I hope you enjoyed reading it because it's a great story with a lot of really interesting threads about how Denver has grown and changed. But because Mrs. Hill couldn't be here tonight for health reasons. I did want to paraphrase how she explained her desire to have her home designated in this way. Rita said, I have loved living here in University Park in my younger years. I didn't think that I was I don't think I was aware of history and historic designation. But my years of the historical society really opened up my eyes to that. I realized it was a responsibility that we do something with this house. I was worried about it being scraped and I feel a lot of responsibility for it. And it's land. It was really given to us in amazing ways and I would like to give it back in the same condition to ensure its preservation with the blessing of Mrs. Hill and the financial support of the University Park Community Council , our organization hired a consultant to research and write the nomination, and they did a beautiful job documenting the tremendous history of this House and its association, not just as a visual landmark of South Denver, but as a reminder of the Iliff family, a family that left a legacy in Denver through its support of the EU and the idea of school of theology. We are proud to be supporting this with Mrs. Hill and to have shepherded this designation through the landmark process. So on behalf of historic Denver and our Board of Trustees, as well as all of Denver's residents, I want to thank Mrs. Hill and her late husband and her children for this opportunity to hold on to an important piece of Denver history, a place that helps make Denver the Denver we all love. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about the application, and I hope you too appreciate the value this designation will bring to our community by voting and support this evening. Thanks for your consideration. All right. Thank you. All right, Rosemary Stovall. My name is Rosemary Stoffel and I live at 2275 South Monroe Street in University Park. I'm thrilled to be here today on behalf of University Park Community Council and myself to support this application under the very best of circumstances. A homeowner who took the steps to initiate the process, the recognition of one of the most important homes and properties in University Park. And finally, some good news for our neighborhood, which has seen an alarming loss of historic homes in recent years. The owner, Rita Hill, contacted neighborhood board members after reading about one of these homes being demolished. She wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen to the Hill family home, which they unoccupied since 1967. Rita's unable to be here tonight, but I know you're watching Rita. Hi, Rita. And hopefully by the end of the evening, you'll finally be getting that official Denver historic landmark plaque on your house. We immediately started working with historic Denver to get the process going, and our neighborhood board agreed to fund the research and completion of the application form. Here is an opportunity to preserve one of the very most recognizable homes in our neighborhood. Built in 1899 by William Seward. I live in Alberta. Blum Iliff. It as noted in the application, it is a familiar anchor in our neighborhood evoking the character of University Park in 1899 as a residential enclave. It sits on 33,000 square feet, which has nine lots pastoral site and is one of the oldest unaltered houses in our neighborhood. The ILA family history is entwined with the university with the development of the University Park. Do you and the city. And one of Rita's goals was to ensure that the Isla family's story is told again. The message I would most like to convey today is to express gratitude to Rita Hill and her family for being wonderful stewards of this home and property and for giving this tremendous gift to our neighborhood and to the city, in Rita's words . I feel a lot of responsibility for this house and land, as Annie has already said. I want to give it back in the same condition to ensure its preservation. I hope you agree and give this application your unanimous support. Before I end, before and I'd like to ask Carolyn here to please raise your hand. Carol is here in support of the application. And she and her husband, Don, have been very long time preservation advocates in our neighborhood and in the city. Their experience has been invaluable to those of us working in the trenches today. Rita's house is included in university walking tours book, which Don Edgar wrote in 1974. If any of you want some really good reading. Thank you. Thank you, Moustafa. All right, Janet Bardwell. Hello. I'm Janet Bardwell. I live at 2201 South Harrison Street in University Park. So I grew up in University Park. I live in my childhood home, and my great grandparents came to Denver before the house that is under consideration. So I dearly love this city. And I, over a year ago was riding my bike around the neighborhood and went down Adams Street and saw this house. And I got off my bike and I looked and like, I have never seen this before and I've never seen it in Denver where there's a house that's on its original land and just kind of this. People have used the word pastoral and it is quite a marvel in how it is positioned and still there. And so I went to the next University Park Community Council meeting and said, Do you guys know about this? This is really special. And then as everyone's described before me, the process went, but it is a very special place and our neighborhood has gone through profound transformation. So having this designated would be significant. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Miss Burwell. Matt Wester. Good evening. My name is Matt Webster. I live at. 2174 South Columbine. Thanks for entertaining us here at the end of a long, long day. And of all the decisions that you face, this is an easy one to me. Hit the. Pillow. Feel good about this? Two reasons. Number one, literally, this is an 89 year old woman who's. Passing away and this is her dying wish. Let this house stay. Let this history say. The second reason why is I think it sends the right message to this neighborhood at the right time regarding the importance of community and. Preservation, especially in the University Park area houses. There's a lot of houses. Houses have people. People are a community and community needs things like this. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Wester. Edward Doty. Thank you. Council President. Good evening. My name is Edward Duty and I'm a University Park resident as well. Live at 2131 South Combine. I would like to thank you in advance for your perspective. Support to designate the only property in our neighborhood as a historic landmark. Gormley is truly a neighborhood gem and deserving of such status. There is still much work to do to help us preserve more of our neighborhood and unique community. In the four years I have lived in University Park, I have witnessed the demolition of many structures of historic and architectural significance, including the 1898 Victorian home that was directly across the street from my house and moved to University Park for its connection to you, for its stately old homes, for its majestic and mature trees, and for the sense of community and shared history in our neighborhood. As an example, the previous owner of my house was Dr. Maurice Schubert, a Du Berkeley professor who lived to be 100 years old in the house. He was an avid, of all things ice skater and head as his ice ice skating partner. Candidly, Condoleezza Rice, when she was at the You Morris, was also one of the founders of the Denver Botanic Gardens, played a pivotal role and in the plans to beautify Buchtel Boulevard on the north edge of University Park in such are the threads of history that we cherish in our neighborhood. Our community currently feels like it's under siege by real estate developers seeking to turn the neighborhood into just another suburb of look alike homes. Among the first casualties are the beautiful tall trees cut down by the dozens, if not the hundreds, to make way for enlarged footprint foundations. As a banker, I understand the need for growth, but there can and should be more balance between development and preserving a great neighborhood such as University Park. My neighbors and I are here tonight to show our support for the formerly landmark designation and to let you know that we are organizing to do more to preserve the community we love. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Lastly, Joyce Meyers. Thank you. My name's Joyce Meyers. I live at 2180 South Adams Street, and I just wanted to say a few words. I have. The honor and privilege. Of living across the street from from this beautiful. Home. And that is why I bought the house that I live in. Who wouldn't want to live across the street from a park in this beautiful redstone mansion? You know? So I just want to thank. You for your consideration of making this a historic landmark. It is significant to the University Park neighborhood and to our community. Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Miss Myers. All right. We're done with our public comment and now into questions by members of council. Councilman Espinosa, I don't know if anybody can answer this, but hopefully you do, because my decision almost hinges on this. What is the name warmly mean? Where does it come from? What is that all about? I know it was on the house. I get that. But. Who stuck it up there and why. I think I can only partially so hopefully will still get your vote. Alberta Bloom Iliff, the first the wife of the first owner of the house, chose it all warmly. But we do not have a detailed explanation of why she chose it. Okay. I dare everybody on council to Google the word armley. There is nothing out there and it's so oddball of a name that you can actually still buy. Wormley dot com. It's available. All right. Once you finish those on your comments. Thanks. All right. Any other questions for members of the council? All right. Public order for 215 is now closed. Councilman Cashman, start us off with comments, please. Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank landmark staff. Kara, thank you for your good work on this. And I want to thank them this levinsky and historic Denver I really enjoyed. I'm so glad you did that. Oral history. You know, I have not had the pleasure of meeting Miss Hill, but I feel like I have. And I especially like the stories. I don't know how many of my colleagues read the entire history, but apparently her husband, Robert, wasn't crazy about the house and she sold him on it. And it sounds like he fell in love with it equally along the way. It is a great history and I want to thank Rosemary Stafford for her ongoing efforts at guiding historic preservation in the University Park area. I believe it was an article that Rosemary wrote about a property that was lost that stimulated Miss Hill's attention once again to getting this property designated. I also loved the fact that this was not a a grand palace where huge social gatherings were the focus. This was a place where kids lived, where a family was raised. And I mean, virtually one short of a ball team, you know, one short of a baseball team through the years. And I just have wonderful images of what I'm sure were wonderful holidays and lots of good times on that property. Nine lots. Nine lots in one of the. Many lovely neighborhoods in Denver, but I would dare say was still one of the loveliest and most historic. And I hope read I hope you're listening because it was from her. Interview. I want to give it back in the same way. To ensure its preservation that this is a gift to to the community. Unlike many that that I've seen before and I want to extend my personal appreciation for that gift. I mean, those who choose to to designate a historic property benefit from it in any number of ways, be it. The tax credits are available for renovations or maintenance and so on, but this will remain this large parcel in this gorgeous home will remain part of our community in perpetuity. And, you know, we've I know my my friend, Councilman Flynn, in his attention to history, I think it would be awfully hard to find a place that better meets that criteria with the Isle of Family that, you know, I knew of their name attached to to do you and the School of Theology long before I became aware of the existence of this home. I'm just thrilled to death that this has come before council and. Oh, excuse me. I shall spend some time Googling grimly and hope to come with a few more hints of what it what it might mean. But I will wholeheartedly support this and read. I hope you're having a good evening. I hope you're watching. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman Cashman. Councilman Espinosa. Yeah. I'm thinking that it just goes down in Denver law and we may never know. And but now it's there, preserved for future generations to question in the same way and also never know the. I keep telling myself that maybe it was one of my losses in my district that maybe was the trigger. And maybe I'll still. I feel better about having endured that. I just want it. Since you said that Rita was watching Rita. I just want to thank you. It's a wonderful house. You've been an incredible steward because we can tell it's self evident just looking at it. And so with its incredible history and your stewardship, it is here now for this act to make to make this act very easy. So thank you for voluntarily entering into this application and preserving this important piece of your neighborhood for your all generations to follow. So thank you. All right. Thank you, Councilman Espinosa. Councilman Nu. Thank you, Mr. President. I look forward to supporting this as well. And what a gorgeous home this is in this beautiful neighborhood. You know, University Park, it's is the thing that just just. Amazes me is we don't know the name of the architect. You know, it's such a beautiful, designed home. And, you know, you think of some prominent name would pop up immediately. Maybe you said name that's. On the house. We're trying to figure out maybe spelled backwards. Maybe that's his name. Or something or something. Unusual. Anyway, thank you for bringing this. Forward and. We look forward to supporting it. All right. Thanks. Thanks, Councilman. New Councilman Cashman, back up. Thank you, Mr. President. One one detail. I think one of the people I might have neglected to offer my thanks to the the Hill family, you know, the the the children. A piece of property like this comes up. Apparently, there there were not. While not having been privy to intimate conversations sounds like the the the offspring wholeheartedly wholeheartedly support this as well. And it's a gift from them, hopefully for years to come. They'll be able to drive by the family home and remember many, many good times there as well. We struggle with people with responsibility for pieces of property like this who chose nothing but pure profit over a sense of community responsibility and pride. So thanks again to the entire Hill family. Thank you. Anytime, Councilman Cashman. Anytime you want to talk about something in your district. Can I go. On? Yes, please. We do have Councilman s. Okay. I typed it in wrong. Okay, great. In closing, I'll just say Ms.. Rita Hill, how you doing? Are you watching right now? We so glad that this is getting done. Want to say hi to you? And I want to thank all you all for your advocacy. I appreciate it. And I want to say this because I think we live in such a black, white world of four against. But I do believe that revitalization and preservation can coexist. And this is another splendid area of town that's changing. There's all kinds of stuff, but I love that there's preservation going on in this area as well. And so I'm wholeheartedly supportive. And it's folks like you that make Denver great. So thank you for preserving your community. All right. And with that, Madam Secretary, Brokaw. Cashman can eat. LOPEZ All right, you. Ortega. SUSSMAN Black. Eye. Clark. Hi. Espinosa. Hi. Flynn, I. Herndon. Mr. President. I. I. Please close the voting. Announce results. 12 Eyes.