Bosler House

Bosler House

The Bosler House is an 1875 Victorian in the Highland Park neighborhood of North Denver. Built before Colorado was a state, the house is landmarked by both National and Denver Landmark Commissions. It was the first of the grand houses in the neighborhood, and was built near a lake. Ambrose Bosler made his living by cutting ice and furnishing it to Denver homes and businesses. The house was later owned by a banker, then for many years was owned by a naturopathic doctor who lived in the house and created a sanitorium behind it. He believed that the secrets to good health were good nutrition, exercise and a healthy environment. His views were not fashionable at the time!

In recent years the house fell into disrepair and the owner started to raise the roof to create a third floor space. He received a cease and desist order from the Denver Landmarks Commission and in protest, he stopped work on the house, leaving the roof open to the elements. Six years of rain and snow entered and the house was literally rotting from the inside out. The neighbors became more and more outraged, and started a Facebook page “Save the Bosler House”. This became the fulcrum for pressuring the city to act. The city began to fine the owner $1000/day. By 2017 the fine had grown to $500,000, the city appointed a receiver and the house went up for sale.

The receiver was an attorney who had worked closely with Historic Denver for years, and he was determined to find the proper owner for the house. I will never forget the first day when I went into the house with my clients, Steve and Jan Davis, and their architect, Jon Hindleman. We waded through about a foot of snow, inched through a gate in a chainlink fence and shivered as the attorney struggled with the padlock.

The interior of the house was in utter shambles. The previous owner had stripped it of 95% of the original woodwork and doors, and the second floor was nearing collapse. It was cluttered with debris and freezing cold. One at a time we could hug the wall to go up the stairs to the second floor, then could go no further.

To be honest, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could proceed to save the house. Imagine my surprise the next morning when Steve called and said “I want to buy that house!”. After three years of research, construction, and unbelievable hard work and determination the house was finished. Steve and Jan have been honored by Historic Denver and History Colorado and they have earned the gratitude and respect of the entire North Denver neighborhood.

Here are links to two blogs about the house, written by a friend and neighbor. Great photos and narrative. Enjoy!

http://buildingbluebird.com/bosler-house-exterior/

http://buildingbluebird.com/bosler-house-interior/