Did you know that the neighborhood of Curtis Park in Denver shares a special relationship with ADUs that stretches far back?

Historically, well-to-do home owners in Curtis Park traveled around Denver’s then unpaved street in carriages.  A special structure on the property known as a “carriage house” housed not only the carriage but the families horses and often the coffer as well.  The abundance of this precursor to modern-day ADU in Curtis Park has made the neighborhood a leading example of how neighbors can come together to realize an exciting new residential fabric in their city. The Curtis Park neighborhood has been one of the leading voices in pushing to allow for ADUs prior to the 2010 changes to the Denver Zoning Code, and they continue to find innovative ways to expand that opportunity.  Recently the neighborhood elected to adopt an overlay which eases some of the size restrictions regarding ADUs. With this embedded track record, the neighborhood is now home to a growing number of ADUs.

In acknowledgement, the folks behind re:Denver, a public forum exploring Denver’s new urban paradigm, organized an ADU home tour in the Curtis Park neighborhood this past month.

With so much pent-up interest in ADUs, a large group of Denver locals hit the streets to explore different types of ADUs in the Curtis Park neighborhood, ranging from a historic carriage house renovation to a newly constructed ADU to a conversion. The event brought awesome exposure to the ADU movement and really demonstrated how different individuals, organizations, and institutions are coming together to recognize and help realize the many benefits that ADUs can bring to the city of Denver.

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