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Capitol Hill mansion designated as historical landmark

By February 7, 2022 | updated 4 years ago

capitol hill mansion
A historic mansion located at 555 E. 8th Ave. in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver, Colo.
Photo courtesy of Denver Community Planning and Development

A historic mansion in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood was designated as the city’s newest landmark Monday following an unanimous City Council vote.

The mansion at 555 E. Eighth Ave. will now be preserved and protected from demolition and significant change. The mansion was built in 1898 and is the oldest surviving structure on the block between Eighth and Ninth avenues and Pearl and Pennsylvania streets.

“The property is an established and familiar feature of the Capitol Hill neighborhood,” said Kara Hahn with Denver Community Planning and Development. “It represents over 120 years of Capitol Hill history and evolution.”

The roughly 12,000-square-foot property is surrounded mostly by tall, multiunit buildings that replaced the houses that formerly occupied the block. The mansion is also adjacent to three other designated landmarks, including the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion.

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The mansion adds to Denver’s other 353 individual landmarks and 57 historic districts. That amounts to around 7,200 designated sites citywide.

On Monday, the council also unanimously advanced a proposal to rezone the mansion to allow for residential use, saying the owner intends to use the mansion as multi-family housing and office space. The property’s previous zoning only allowed it to be used as office space.

“This is a great example of how our historic structures can be adapted to meet contemporary, current community needs,” said Annie Levinsky, executive director of Historic Denver. “We see this home now positioned to be a multi-family dwelling complex and have the flexibility to change again over time. We’re really pleased to see that happening.”

Hahn said the mansion is eligible for historic landmark designation because of its age, its distinctive visible characteristics of the Classical Revival Style and its connection to local historic figures, the Charles Nelson and Elizabeth Arms Hart family and the family of Emma Fellows and Peter McCourt.

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The Hart family built the mansion and lived there until 1909. The family was well known among the community for its philanthropy and involvement in the medical profession.

Stephen Hart, who was born while his family lived in the mansion and went on to serve in the state legislature, was Colorado’s first state historic preservation officer and co-founded one of the state’s largest and most influential law firms, Holland & Hart. History Colorado named its Stephen H. Hart Research Center after him.

The Harts later sold the mansion to the McCourt family, who lived there until 1915. Emma McCourt was a businesswoman and socialite who helped impoverished Denverites. Her husband, Peter, managed the Tabor Grand Opera House and helped develop the performing arts community in Denver.

“I love this building,” said 76-year-old M. Karen Christiansen, the current owner of the mansion. Christiansen, who lives in the mountains, said she plans to make the mansion her primary residence after the rezoning. “I hope to care for it for many years,” she said. 

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