Harry Tammen was part owner of the Denver Post. He was an eccentric man. He owned a circus, and was a fan of sensational news. This home is a unique take on the Classic Revival architectural style. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William H Taft gave speeches on an interior balcony. It is part of the Humboldt Historic District.
This home was built for William Ellery Sweet, the governor of Colorado from 1922 to 1924. Sweet lost his campaign for re-election, in part because of his strident opposition to the Ku Klux Klan in an era when the Klan had significant political power. During his single term, this home was the official governor's residence. In 1933, Sweet joined President Roosevelt's administration as a public relations officer. The Sweet family lived in the house until 1962. Attorney Kent Miller acquired the home in 1984 and painstakingly restored the historic home. Today, the house serves an example of the Georgian Revival style and is located in the center of the Humboldt Historic District.
Overlooking Cheesman Park is the Thompson-Henry Mansion. It was built in 1905 for Alonzo Thompson. It is part of the Humboldt Street Historic District. It features the Georgian-Revival style by Baerresen Brothers Architects. This home was one of the first residences in Denver built with steel-beam construction. The first owner Alonzo Thompson was a character. He was heavily involved in spiritualism. According to legend he would perform séances in a secret room in the mansion. This home was also featured in the remake of the Shining.
Constructed in 1907, the Stoiber-Reed-Humphreys Mansion is the largest home in the Humboldt District. The mansion is an example of the Second Renaissance Revival architecture spread over 14,500 square feet, including a 2000-square-foot living room, eight bedrooms, nine baths, and a basement swimming pool and theater. This home was the butt of a neighborhood lawsuit, initiated by its first owner Lena Stoiber. Lena's flare with neighbor Egbert W. Reed resulted in a 12 ft wall being erected around the property.
Cheesman Park was established in 1907 on the site of Denver's first city burying ground, Mount Prospect Cemetery. Despite the fact that many of the burials were never removed and the park's speculative reputation as haunted, the Cheesman Park Pavilion is one of Denver's most photographed spots and a popular wedding venue and gathering space, offering views of the Rocky Mountains on one side and the Denver skyline on the other [2; 3; 4].
Denver Botanic Gardens' (DBG) York Street location is a 24-acre facility boasting approximately 50 distinctive gardens, including the 3-acre Mordecai Children's Garden. The grounds feature art as well as plants, including glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, which are incorporated within the landscape design. Themed tours such as Stories in Sculpture, Seasonal Discovery, Garden Guru, and Midsummer Nights are offered, as well as daily programming at the Children's Garden. Guests can learn about the DBG's horticultural and biodiversity research at the interactive Science Pyramid, learn about the Gardens' living collections and herbaria (natural history collections), or visit the Helen Fowler library, which holds 25,000 titles as well as an extensive collection of botanical prints.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
This short tour includes several historic homes within Humboldt Street Historic District before moving on to Cheesman Park and Denver Botanical Gardens.
