"What's the difference between West Washington Park and East Washington Park?", this is a question that I am often asked when showing homes in the Historic Neighborhoods of Denver. The question is most often asked by people relocating to Denver. Many people are interested in Washington Park, but aren't quite sure what "West Washington Park" is all about. Let's go over a little bit of history.
Since the turn of the last century, there has been a "difference" between East and West Washington Park. Initially, the homes in West Washington Park were more eclectic than on the East side of the park. The east side of the park has always been considered more prestigious, and home values reflected that. West Washington Park was often considered more "blue collar". There has always been a mixture of architecture in West Washington Park. You can find large and small Victorian homes, duplexes and smaller more modest bungalows.
Back when agriculture and farming were often predominant career choices in Denver, families had large parcels of land. They built a large farmhouse for their family and went about the day to day business of planting and tending to their farms and livestock. As time went on, bits and sections of land were sold off from these farms. Reasons for these sales were numerous. Perhaps taxes needed to be paid and land was sold to raise the money. Maybe the family was offered a "great deal" that was so financially rewarding that they just couldn't turn it down. Realistically, families would sell off land on the outskirts of their farms. As time went on, more land was sold, and eventually only the original farmhouse remained. This is an easy explanation as to why you may have a large, gracious old Victorian home standing next to a smaller home that was obviously built 50+ years later. This was an occurrence that happened throughout all of the Historic Neighborhoods of Denver, and is not just West Washington Park phenomenon. 
As I mentioned earlier, many Denver residents considered West Washington Park, more of a "blue collar" neighborhood. This was due to the availability of blue collar jobs at the Gates Rubber factory on Broadway and Mississippi, on the western edge of West Washington Park. Along with Gates Rubber, there was also another large employer, the Samsonite factory in the same general area. Montgomery Wards also had a large presence in West Washington Park with their location at Broadway and Alameda. For those that have been in Denver for a while, you may remember the demolition of the Gates Rubber plant a couple of years ago. Prior to that, the Montgomery Wards Building bordering West Washington Park was imploded on Valentine's Day in 1993. Today, an Albertson's Grocery Store and Walmart sits on the 
approximate site.
By no means was West Washington Park considered exclusively blue collar. William Clayton (who was the Mayor of Denver from 1868-1869) and his brother George owned a large parcel of land in West Washington Park, that they called Bryn Mawr. The eastern part of Bryn Mawr eventually was incorporated into the park that today is known as Washington Park. In 1920, Burt Rhodes, who was a member of the famous Gates Rubber family built a Mediterranean style villa at 500 So Ogden St. Today, that home is obscurred from view, protected by a huge wall and mature landscaping.
Recently, it was announced that West Washington Park 
has enjoyed an increase in home prices over the last year. Unfortunately, East Washington Park did not enjoy the same rate of appreciation.
In short, if you are looking for a Historic Home of Denver in Historic West Washington Park, or any other Historic Neighborhood, call me, I would love to set up an area tour for you!
(demolition of the Montgomery Wards building)
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