A house bordering Cheesman Park with a former basement speakeasy embellished with portraits from artist Herndon Davis has hit the marketplace for $2.5 million.
Kevin Brynestad and his spouse Valeriya Pauley bought the Tudor house on the 1900 block of E. eighth Avenue in 2013 for $900,000.
The four-bedroom, four-bath, 5,000-square-foot house faces Cheesman Park and is inside strolling distance of Cherry Creek’s outlets and eating places.
Brynstead was initially drawn to the 1936 house for its structure. The house, which has Spanish influences, is open and ethereal.
“We love Tudors. That’s what caught our eye initially,” Brynstead mentioned.
“However so many have tiny rooms and you’ll’t do a lot with them. This house has a large lounge and eating room. It’s useful and is a cool historic piece.”
The house options intricate ironwork, leaded and stained-glass home windows, hardwood flooring, and a Spanish tile roof. Fruit bushes and grapevines fill the yard.
However the house’s fascinating historical past additionally grew to become a draw.
Constructed for Denver historian and lawyer Fred Mazzulla, the house as soon as boasted a basement speakeasy. Legend says artist Herndon Davis painted portraits on the partitions to pay for his drinks.
Davis labored as an illustrator for New York, Washington, D.C., and Denver newspapers, together with JHB and the Rocky Mountain Information. He additionally painted a collection of murals for the Central Metropolis Opera Home and, on a whim, the Face on the Barroom Ground at Teller Home. The Denver Public Library Western Historical past Division homes a lot of Davis’s artwork.
“After we went to the basement and noticed the portrait room, I received it,” Brynstead mentioned. “It’s not till you step into the room and see it that you just perceive the historical past behind it.”
The portraits provide a enjoyable take a look at the state’s historical past, starting from former Colorado governors to Titanic survivor Molly Brown and notorious cannibal Alfred Packer.
Throughout the decade-plus he’s owned the house, Brynstead has labored to enlarge and modernize it whereas staying true to its character. The home nonetheless has its authentic wooden floors, mahogany doorways and a Spanish tile roof.
“It’s a superb instance of true craftsmanship,” he mentioned.
Brynstead, an funding banker who owns J&B Capital and may work at home, mentioned now that their youngsters are grown, he and his spouse are promoting the home to maneuver nearer to his father within the Vail Valley.
“It’s time for mountain dwelling,” he mentioned.
Itemizing agent Wendy Fryer with LIV Sotheby’s Worldwide Realty mentioned the house is in wonderful situation.
“Normally with properties from 1936, you’ll want to do work, however this can be a lovely Tudor with giant rooms and interval particulars like a wood-burning fire and leaded glass home windows.”
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