Hilltop’s Historic Landmark Homes – The Joshel House
The Joshel House at 220 S Dahlia Street is one of our neighborhood’s few designated historic landmark homes. Rumor has it that Lloyd and Suzanne Joshel moved into their newly built home on New Year’s Eve 1951. Lloyd was an executive at Rocky Flats and Suzanne a well-known patron of the arts. Suzanne knew how special the home was and worked with the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission and Historic Denver to preserve it. Landmark status was granted in 1995. Lloyd passed away in 1999 and Suzanne in 2009. Because they didn’t have any children, Suzanne’s large collection of art was all donated to various entities. In fact, the yellow sculpture that sits in Burns Park today was part of h
er collection and was originally part of their landscaped gardens at the home.
According to History Colorado, the Joshel House is likely the city’s best example of the International Style in a residential building. The International Style is known for a lack of ornamentation, a flat roof and emphasizes light vs color. It was popular from the 1930s through the 50’s. The home was designedby the Marlows, a husband and wife architecture team at the time whose work also included the Far View House at Mesa Verde. The Marlows influenced the selection of all of the furnishings, staying true to the overall design theme.
After Suzanne’s death, the home was purchased but those owners never moved in. One of the current owners became aware of the home during the landmark process, had always dreamt of owning it, but had missed the opportunity in the initial sale. However, he kept in touch with the new owners over the next 3+ years and eventually was able to purchase the property. At that time, the planning began!
Both of the current owners, Scott and Dominick, are avid historians and lovers of architecture and historic homes. They were committed to making sure the renovations were done as close as possible to the period and original design, down to every last detail. The wood details, the lines of the home and other elements are just wonderful!
The process took 1 year of planning and 2 more years of construction. The end result is truly special! In fact, the home willbe featured in Dwell magazine in the July/August issue. Check it out! We are lucky to have this special home and dedicated preservationists in our midst!
