High on Highlands

Step back in time this weekend with the Jewels of Highlands historic house tour, featuring eleven northwest Denver homes ranging from classic Craftsman bungalows to twin stone “castles.” The emerald-green lawns and ruby-red brick walkways will prove that you’re not in Kansas anymore.

“I’ve always loved the architecture, the Victorian mansions, the tree-lined streets,” says Walter Keller, the tour’s organizer, who grew up in the neighborhood. “I’m an old-school north Denver kid. So it’s a thrill to actually open some of these great places to the public.”

A benefit for Academia Ana Marie Sandoval Dual Language Montessori, a Denver public school, the tour clusters the homes into three groups: the Potter Highlands, West Highlands and Stoneman’s Row. “Our crown jewel this year is the historic Woodbury House,” says Keller of the pink-and-purple Queen Anne Victorian at Perry Street and 29th Avenue. “But we also have a ‘diamond in the rough,’ a house that is totally under construction but bound to be fantastic.”

Swing by the Lumber Baron Inn for tickets and maps to the self-guided tour. It could be a mobile Mother’s Day treat. “Moms love this kind of thing,” promises Keller, the Lumber Baron’s owner and innkeeper. “And it’s a perfect way to walk off that big brunch you probably just ate.”

Noting that this is the seventh annual springtime tour, Keller says that people come from as far away as Kansas and Wyoming to check out the local gems. “We get a lot of people who are moving to Denver, or those who already live here but are thinking about moving up to the Highlands neighborhood,” he says. To that end, this year Keller has also organized a “shadow” tour of homes that are currently in the area.

“I just love it here,” says Keller. “This neighborhood has so much to offer; it’s nice to be able to share it.”