The Perrenoud- 836 17th Ave.

Uptown and Swallow Hill Historic District!

Hello Bloggers. Today's spotlight is on The Perrenoud, located at 836 E 17th Ave. Built 1901, it screams Neo-Classical Victorian apartment house- something you could find in New York or Boston. I fell in love with this building about 3 years ago, with a client. Units seem to be valued anywhere from $350,000 to $500,000.

These units are all very spacious units, ranging from 1-2 bedrooms up to 3-4 bedrooms- about 1200-2000 square feet. This building was built in 1901, supposedly by 3 sisters, from Switzerland. History is a little spotty on this landmark, but it is a beautiful building. The architecture is amazing, beyond anything else.

Enter the building, and notice the restored angel stained glass atrium skylight, four stories above the circular lobby. In bewilderment, you actually feel like you are in a museum. The handrails and tap of the floor is not unlike walking through a church.

This is a church of urban existence, enduring over 100 years of history. The vintage penny tile design, embedded in the floor is a welcoming of new and old, to all who enter this building. It states 1900's Queen Anne elegance.

As you walk through the lobby, you find that there are two ways to get to your second, third or fourth floor apartment. You can haul your goods up the several flights of stairs, or you can take the functional birdcage elevator, of 1901 vintage. It is fully functional and fully operational. What a work of art, seen in the lower right corner of this photo.------------------------------------------>

The Swallow Hill Historic District has been in existence since 1988. Quite a few of the buildings in this district are designed by Frank Edbrooke, a very well known Western Architect, with two of his major works being the Brown Palace Hotel, and The Oxford Hotel. His residence is one block away from the Perrenoud. I am a huge fan of the Swallow Hill Historic District!

Where does this fit into real estate? Apart from beauty and an appreciation of fine architecture and art, these types of buildings serve valuable purpose in urban planning. They create character, a 'buzz'; They attract people of similar interests into one area. These areas cause us to think about our mixes of old and new.

Buildings like the Perrenoud are well built and have kept their character over a long period of time. This brings us to sustainability: while these buildings may be expensive to maintain, and aren't 'green' certified buildings, they are absolutely functional and stand a test of time. Far beyond that, there is some nostalgia and elegance to these areas- Cheesman Park, Capitol Hill, Uptown, Swallow Hill, City Park.

Our connection to history must coincide with our functional needs to live, grow, and progress. But that connection to this history must keep a certain tradition, or at least the memory, thereof.

I believe that people move to areas like this for a variety of reasons- proximity to an urban center, ease of transit, and a diversity of people. There are economic opportunities to be had, and urban centers have traditionally been the starting hubs of small business and entrepreneurship. The connection of buildings like the Perrenoud and its surrounding area is necessary for our new-urbanization.

Thanks for reading!

Ed
Showcase Properties
303-875-4450

Addition, Correction!

Just so you know. There is a difference between Colfaxave.com and Colfaxavenue.com

While they function as parallel sites, they are different. Make this distinction. Also, the news about the Denver Detour, was taken from Colfaxavenue.com.

Colfaxave.com is the Business Improvement Entity for Colfax. Glad I caught that one!

ed

In interest of urban development and Generational Shifts

Good day!

Yesterday, I skipped the blog, in hopes of finding inspired material for today's blog. I came across some pretty good stuff.

Firstly, I found colfaxave.com, which seems to be another site about all things Colfax. I have learned that the former location of the Denver Detour Bar, will be the site of an 8,000 square foot retail and 99 unit housing collaborative- for chronically homeless people. My understanding is that it will address the ever-growing homeless population of Denver- to move to more stable housing. It will be under the name of The Renaissance Uptown Lofts, operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

My second topic has to do with generational shifts. I have been noticing a very interesting shift of homebuyers entering the market. In our last 20 years, we have seen mass production of things like cars, Starbucks Franchises, and Walmart-ization. These are all signs of a growing economy and a maturing set of businesses that seem to grow and continue to grow. But, we may be coming into an interesting shift in business.

It would seem to me that the Generation-X and Generation-Y are at a crossroads. These generations have been raised on technology and raised on mass consumption. However, now we are seeing a more personalized style of business- greater focus on the customized individual and a furthering away from mall-shopping home buying. These two generations (at least the latter halves) are the re-urbanization generations. They want customized service without the smarmy business card photos and the junk-mail mailers.

Take this as you may, but there is a lot of talk about how to reach the new homebuyer and seller. The key- networking and relationship building. It has nothing to do with email blasts and articles. It does have to do with Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist, LinkedIn, and a personalized email. No one wants to feel like they are a number, and in a community like re-urbanized Denver, it is possible to feel more community-oriented than in the suburbs. Lest we say that the suburbs offer larger house for less money, but urbanization offers proximity housing, with a real touch of community development. People also want to feel a part of something. Suburbia offers this, but your urban centers are the hubs for this.

I reserve the right to say I am wrong, but my opinion is that with the world embracing technologies that make business easier, there are people who embrace that, but actually prefer an easier way to do business. My opinion is also that the most recent cries of recession, foreclosures, and mass media programming, I hope to think that people are beginning to trust those people WHO THEY KNOW will do good business.

Sally Forth!

Ed
Showcase Properties
303-875-4450

1600 Colfax Ave- Update

Good day!

I have a bike race in the mountains, but I have to post something today. Here it is:

I called the Bordy Real Estate company, owner of 1600 E Colfax. I took a few pictures of the backside, and found out a few things.

This property is zoned as MS-1, which I will assume is mixed use. It is being LEASED, as is, and can be virtually anything. The stats, which may be subject to change: 6,000 square foot building, the agent gets about 3 calls a day on it. He is leasing it for $2,500 per month, which works out to be about $2.40 per square foot. It was formerly a flower shop, vacated about 4 years ago.

Thinking about opportunities, I see a couple of things going on here. Firstly, parking is going to be necessary. I do not know who owns this parking lot, or if it comes with the building, but this will be necessary for success. Secondly, it is going to need a boat-load of work- I would say anywhere from 50-100K in capital improvement- inside and out.

I see a Mexican Cantina here. It has a bunch of space, it would be grand for an outdoor patio on the lower floor and the upper floor. The top could be the residential unit, with deck. This would give the residential and commercial feel on Colfax.

I see a venue very similar to Mezcal, sitting at Colfax and Adams. This building is so unique! It was built in the early 1900's. I love the location, so I am going to do some entrepreneurial work and try to find someone to buy or lease the location!

Directly across the street is the First Bank- a completely newly-built banking hub. This lot sat completely vacant for at least 3-4 years, then they built a great new facility. It could also be a grocery-convenience store. But, whatever goes there, it must be ready for traffic passing by quickly.


That is all for the day. Keep your eyes out for any other business opportunities.

Ed
303-875-4450
Showcase Properties Unlimited

Eye at the Apex- 1600 E Colfax Ave.

With Colfax being redeveloped, the Apex has a great opportunity at the corner.

Formerly Fanny's Flowers, this property seems to be a great opportunity. It is vacant, and is a bit of an eyesore. I was thinking a bar/restaurant mix- just as a rooftop patio, or a mixed use building- maybe a small grocery store below, and a living unit above.

Doing a little work on one of my favorite websites- photoswest.org, I was able to find a picture of the property a few years back.

The date on the photo is 1989. I doubt that this photo was taken in 1989, especially seeing the vintage neon signs and the vintage car in the nearby parking lot.

However, I also have a photo of 1928 Denver, right at the Apex, courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection., right below.

This is re-urbanization! Colfax is a great artery through Denver (26.2 miles of it...). In searching public information of this property (The City and County of Denver allows a person to see chain of title on a given property), I was able to figure out that the property is assessed at a value of about $400,000- annual taxes on it are about $9100. My guess on the purchase of the building: $500,000.

I can only gather that there was a personal representative's deed, which probably means that the owner of Fanny's flower shop passed away and title was ceded to a close family member. I think I am actually going to ask to view this property and see what is going on inside of it.

The building itself was built 1903, which makes it a true Denver Landmark. Now, we have to get an owner or a tenant in there! It is 5000 square feet inside. I would imagine it is top and bottom. If mixed use was the option, there would be a bit of a zoning change battle. I see so much opportunity here! It has every bit of opportunity that the Lowenstein Theatre had, and Tattered Cover and Twist and Shout moved there! I like this property, a heckuva lot!

For ye who do not know the difference in Cheesman Park, Wyman's, and Uptown, there are 5 zip codes that peak my interest: 80203, 80205, 80206, 80209, and 80218. My favorite area, as you can guess is Wyman's Historic District- which is in Cheesman Park. Nevertheless, check out these zip codes and get an idea as to what is going on in real estate.

This does it for today! I am going to check out this property and get some ideas!

ed

On the beat!

One of my jobs is to be informed about a particular area. It matters, when you are selling real estate to know what is going on at a particular property.

I decided to do a little detective work on a property, which was an eyesore for at least 4 years. It had warning signs, asbestos signs, and all sorts of nastiness associated with a declining value property.

At the Apex, I found a property that fit in perfectly in my interest of urban renewal. Supposedly a 4 unit, victorian (neo-classical) style, with painted Ionic columns. I am not sure of what went down for this deal, but rest assured, public records tell me that it was purchased in May for about $540,000, by a holding company.







You can really tell that the workers inside were there to make the thing look great. Along the same lines as the urban renewal, you look for remodels and completely gutted homes as a sign of buying right.




I am going to see what I can do to contact these remodelers and try to get in on the deal- at least find out what is happening with this property. Here is a peek inside:







This post is a little picture heavy, but in concern with getting to downtown on time, I must be going. More on Monday!

ed

Cheesman spotlight-

Browsing my favorite free advertising medium (http://denver.craigslist.org), I decided to spotlight one really great property in Cheesman.

This property is on the market for almost $500,000. It is 4 Bed, 2.5 bath, remodel. This property appears to have been built in the 1890's. It is a Victorian home in Cheesman Park. It appears to have a great open floor plan, stainless appliances, and apparently, remodeled everything. View the ad here.

You are going to see more of these remodels, if you haven't seen them already.

Have a great day!