Denver City Council saves City Park West mansion

A 121-year-old mansion in City Park West will stay intact despite its owner's intention to demolish it.

Driving the news: The Denver City Council on Monday voted unanimously to designate the mansion at 1741 Gaylord St. as a city landmark, making it virtually impossible to destroy.

• The property is also known as the Hurlbut House.

Why it matters: Landmark status is given to properties with historical, architectural or cultural significance to the city.

• Monday's decision is only the second time in city history that the council has made something a landmark against the owner's wishes.
• It last happened in 2014, when the council bestowed the designation on the former Beth-Eden Baptist Church in the West Highland neighborhood.

What they're saying: "The stark reality here is a house of this age is already difficult enough to remodel...adding landmark status to that merely makes it more expensive and more difficult to achieve," Adam Wilmot, who spoke on behalf of the owners, told the council on Monday.

The other side: Property owner Mike Mathieson last year filed an application to potentially demolish the property and build a 37-unit apartment complex in its place.

• His application triggered a study from the city's planning office to determine whether the mansion was historically significant. The office found it was eligible.
• Since Mathieson sought to demolish the property, he did not file a separate landmark application.

• However, city law allows members of the public to file one, and three did in February.

Between the lines: Historic Denver, a local preservation nonprofit, supported the designation, calling the home "one of the largest turn-of-the-century mansions still standing" in the City Park West neighborhood.

• It said it's a unique example of the Dutch Colonial Revival style.

Of note: East High School, the Brown Palace Hotel, and Union Station — whose architects also designed the Hurlbut House — are among the more than 350 individual buildings designated landmarks in the city.