Photos: Tour architect S.R. DeBoer's historic property -- yours for just $1.5 million!

Landscape architect Saco Rienk DeBoer was the first man to bring zoning to the city of Denver, and he constructed his own studio property so everything would drain into the city ditch. Today, that space, located at 515 East Iliff Avenue, went on sale for $1.5 million, a steep price...

By Elyse Mitchell

September 7, 2012

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Landscape architect Saco Rienk DeBoer was the first man to bring zoning to the city of Denver, and he constructed his own studio property so everything would drain into the city ditch. Today, that space, located at 515 East Iliff Avenue, went on sale for $1.5 million, a steep price that could buy you a property designed by the same man credited for the Denver Botanic Gardens, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Cheesman Park esplanade. Continue reading for more photos of the historic site. Getting to this stage was not without controversy, however. After DeBoer's death in 1974, his heirs targeted the property with plans to tear it down. But because its neighbors -- and the general public -- were so enamored with it, that plan went over poorly. The community rallied and saved DeBoer's property by guaranteeing it historic landmark status.Today, regulations prevent significant changes in its future.

Down in the basement, Essence Homes project coordinator Kimberly Blad explains, "You can tell the house is old, because no longer in construction do they build wood angled this way. It costs way too much. The boards are crisscrossed for the support of the house."

Today, most elements of the household remain original -- "even the hand-painted ceiling," painted by John Edward Thompson, Blad says. "The ceiling is worth more than the building."

Continue for more photos. Continue for more photos. Continue for more photos.

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