Denver’s
Bonnie Brae neighborhood offers us a few rare glimpses of the 1930s Art Moderne
architectural style. Homes built in this style used classical elements in a streamlined
manner and gloried in curved corners, bands and panels of glass blocks, and horizontal
bands of highly polished materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, opaque color glass,
and glazed terra cotta. The International style of modern architecture can also be found
in this neighborhood, with its asymmetrical composition, smooth continuous wall surfaces,
and avoidance of applied decoration.
Bonnie Brae is another of
Denver’s highly desirable neighborhoods, thanks to its proximity to Washington Park
and Cherry Creek, as well as its own small district of quaint shops, ice cream parlors and
restaurants.
(Source - Denver, The
City Beautiful by Thomas J. Noel and Barbara S. Norgren)
Just south of Cherry
Creek, the lovely Belcaro neighborhood is bordered by Exposition Avenue, Colorado
Boulevard, Tennessee Avenue and Steele Street.
Five acres within this region are home to the grand and historic Phipps House at 3400
Belcaro Drive. Lawrence C. Phipps, treasurer of Carnegie Steel and a U.S. Senator, spent
$310,063 on the mansion in 1932, hiring Charles A. Platt and sons to design the spacious
33,123-square-foot, 54-room red brick Georgian mansion. Called “Belcaro” by
Phipps (Italian for “beautiful dear one”), the mansion was donated to the
University of Denver in 1964 and now serves as a museum and conference center.
Today, the Belcaro neighborhood features some of Denver’s most beautiful homes on
winding, tree-lined streets that are both quiet and elegant. Its proximity to Cherry
Creek, the Denver Country Club and downtown Denver make it one of the city’s most
desirable residential enclaves.
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