Denver approves landmark status for Capitol Hill’s Stonehouse

Denver City Council passed, and Mayor Mike Johnston approved, an ordinance designating 740 N. Washington St. — the Stonehouse — as a Denver landmark. The designation covers the property and all improvements on it, with a period of significance from 1891 through 2005, the ordinance says.

Once the designation takes effect, many proposed exterior projects will be subject to Denver’s landmark design-review process. For work requiring a building, zoning, curb-cut or encroachment permit, the city’s design guidelines generally require review and approval before the related permit can be issued. Preservation staff or the Landmark Preservation Commission may handle the review, depending on the project. The ordinance says a building permit may be delayed or denied if the commission finds a proposal unacceptable under the guidelines and city code.

The designation does not bar all changes. The guidelines exclude interior remodels and exterior work that does not require a building or zoning permit from landmark design review. The ordinance cites the Stonehouse’s Queen Anne architecture and its connection to Capitol Hill’s development as reasons for the designation.

The ordinance records City Council passage on Oct. 19 and the mayor’s approval on Oct. 21. Under Denver’s charter, an ordinance takes effect after final passage and final publication unless it specifies another effective date; this ordinance does not. The available copy does not establish when final publication occurred.

The owners’ designation application lists preservation work completed from 2021 through 2025, including roof and masonry repairs, exterior painting and copper gutters. It does not identify a future renovation or redevelopment project. In an October interview, owner Joseph Massaquoi described the purchase as a long-term investment and said the couple hoped future owners would continue caring for the house, Denverite reported.