THE ROMEO BLOCK, Highland neighborhood, Denver:  

The 15,000 square foot historic landmark was constructed in 1889 as a commercial storefront building with a rooming house upstairs on the second floor. It became part of the central commercial district in the bustling Town of Highland located across the South Platte River from Denver.

By the time the Great Depression rolled around in the 1930’s, the property was run down and in disrepair. The dramatic finial spire above its graceful onion turret had been destroyed by lightning and the businesses which occupied the street level storefronts were gone.

Later, in the 1950’s it was used by a plumbing contractor for storage. The beautiful brick façade with its fancy metal oriel windows and trim was covered with stucco. And the leaking roof caused the three story rear wall to settle and bow as this forgotten treasure awaited the wrecking ball so commonly used during the ‘urban renewal’ tendencies of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The Romeo Block was lucky! We discovered that the fancy metal detail, original multi paned windows and most of the trim throughout the façade was still present under the stucco. The complete façade with all its intricate decoration was uncovered, restored and remains in place today. The property is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Romeo Block was reborn as 14 loft style condominiums which were designed to fit the original storefronts and rooms upstairs. We were recognized by multiple historic groups and received several awards for the restoration.

For more, see the Romeo Block Slideshow.

See all the featured historic preservation projects by Peak 1 Enterprises.