Humboldt Street Historic District Walking Tour
Description
This short tour includes several historic homes within Humboldt Street Historic District which is located near Cheesman Park and Denver Botanical Gardens.
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. The conflict with neighbor Egbert W. Reed resulted in a twelve foot wall being erected around the property.
Construction of this historic home began in 1908 when Harry Tammen, part owner of the Denver Post, commissioned architect Edwin Moormanthe to design this Classic Revival estate. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William H Taft both gave speeches on an interior balcony. The home 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.
This historic estate was built in 1905 for Alonzo Thompson and is part of the Humboldt Street Historic District. The home is located next to Cheesman Park and features the Georgian-Revival style in a design 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 heavily involved in spiritualism which blended aspects of faith with a belief in a thin veil between the living and dead and a degree of ceremony. According to legend, Thompson would perform séances in a secret room in the mansion. In more recent years, the home's connection to cultural history and local lore was further cemented when the house was featured in the remake of the Shining.