2020 Neighborhood & Home

The William G. Fisher Home in Denver’s capitol hill

This three-story Neoclassical Revival style mansion was built for William Garrett and Mary Frances Fisher in 1896. Prior to his death in 1897, Fisher played an important role in Denver's commercial history through his association with the Daniels and Fisher Department Store. Designed by the Denver architectural firm of Frank E. Edbrooke (who also designed Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel), the walls of the flat roofed residence are of polished stone, with carved stone panels embellishing the third level. The south facade is dominated by a central two-story semicircular portico that is topped by a balustraded third floor balcony, and two carved stone lions guard the entry. Circa 1900, a one-story wing on the north was constructed for Fisher's widow, providing space for a ballroom and an art gallery.

After the Fisher family moved out, the mansion served as a number of different businesses, before being purchased and restored to the beautiful property it is today. Architect David O. Tryba rehabilitated the house in 1999 for use as his office.

Read more about the renovation here: https://www.trybaarchitects.com/portfolio/architects_studio_at_fisher_mansion

denver’s capitol hill neighborhood

The neighborhood was originally the home of Denver's elite who constructed elaborate mansions. As the economy of Denver slumped after the Silver Crash of 1893, construction in Capitol Hill concentrated on apartments. Three buildings still in existence are examples of the architecture of this time: The Colonnade, Alta Court (currently an office building), and the Hamilton. This cultural and demographic shift, from single-family mansions toward boarding houses and rental property for the transient middle class, marked a shift toward the present multi-family dominance of the neighborhood.

Capitol Hill remained a solid middle-class neighborhood until after World War II, when middle-class families left Capitol Hill. The demographics of people left behind were transients and renters.

Another watershed in the history of Capitol hill was the completion of Interstate 70. No longer did incoming tourists drive down East Colfax Avenue on their way into downtown. The tourist dollar was effectively wiped out as a revenue source for East Colfax after this decade. So began another downward spiral. With no tourists to spend money along East Colfax the businesses suffered, as did the demand to go to Capitol Hill.

The affordability, urban character and eclectic architecture made the area appealing to young bohemians, artists, musicians (Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were former neighborhood residents) which has led to a gradual gentrification that reached its height during the 2000s. The rents in the neighborhood have increased significantly over the past decade, and many of the cheap apartments in the area have been converted into more expensive condominiums. Nonetheless the neighborhood has an older housing stock which lacks off-street parking, contributing to a relative affordability compared to other central neighborhoods.

Currently many portions of East Colfax Avenue are undergoing redevelopment to make them denser and more pedestrian-friendly. Despite these redevelopment efforts, a brief stroll along Colfax Avenue through the Capitol Hill neighborhood will provide a glimpse of its history.

In 2012 the state history museum of Colorado, the History Colorado Center, was opened next to the new Colorado State Judiciary building.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill,_Denver

Click here to see photos and the 2020 Virtual Holiday Tour.