Historic mansion’s condo hits the market

The Bonfils House

A piece of the Wood-Morris-Bonfils House has hit the market. Photos courtesy of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.

A turn-of-the-century Cap Hill mansion and former home to a newspaper heiress has hit the market again.

A 6,064-square-foot condo at 707 Washington St. includes most of the original Wood-Morris-Bonfils House. It was put up for sale for $1.59 million in January. It last sold in July 2015.

The white stucco mansion was built by a mining investor in the late 1900s and was most famously occupied by philanthropist Helen Bonfils after 1947. In the early 1980s, it became the Mexican consulate.

Developers divided it into three condominiums in 1985. The two units fronting Washington Street were later reunited and were listed by Wendy Fryer and Janet Kritzer of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty on Jan. 15.

“It’s a fabulous entertaining spot,” Fryer said. “The living room, it’s got six doors that open onto the veranda. This is for somebody who loves to entertain, but does not want to maintain it.”

The three-bedroom, six-bathroom unit, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, still has many of its original flourishes. Crescent-shaped moldings, some decorated with a cherub’s head, sit atop many interior and exterior doorways.

The condo's living room

The condo’s living room

But today the house is also part of a condominium association that maintains the exterior of the building, grounds and a shared in-ground pool.

And inside, the property has also been updated to include a three-floor elevator, eight heated parking spaces underground and kitchen furnishings from Denver-based William Ohs.

It last sold for $1.25 million in July, according to Denver property records.

The Wood-Morris-Bonfils House was designed and built between 1909 and 1911 for gold and silver magnate Guilford S. Wood. The design “brings a touch of Europe to Denver with its French Mediterranean styling,” Historic Denver wrote in its application to the National Register.

Around mid-century, it became the home of Helen Bonfils, owner of The Denver Post and a noted philanthropist whose ventures included the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

The original mansion was spun off into thirds in the mid-1980s, and 23 condominiums were built on an adjoining property to mimic the original mansion.

In its application for historic status, Historic Denver mused that while many of the mansion’s occupants have been public figures, their lives behind the doors at 707 Washington have been all but lost to history.

“It is curious that the families, whose names are household words, were yet so private as to make it difficult even now to reconstruct the lives they lived in this grand old mansion,” the application read.

The Bonfils House

A piece of the Wood-Morris-Bonfils House has hit the market. Photos courtesy of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.

A turn-of-the-century Cap Hill mansion and former home to a newspaper heiress has hit the market again.

A 6,064-square-foot condo at 707 Washington St. includes most of the original Wood-Morris-Bonfils House. It was put up for sale for $1.59 million in January. It last sold in July 2015.

The white stucco mansion was built by a mining investor in the late 1900s and was most famously occupied by philanthropist Helen Bonfils after 1947. In the early 1980s, it became the Mexican consulate.

Developers divided it into three condominiums in 1985. The two units fronting Washington Street were later reunited and were listed by Wendy Fryer and Janet Kritzer of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty on Jan. 15.

“It’s a fabulous entertaining spot,” Fryer said. “The living room, it’s got six doors that open onto the veranda. This is for somebody who loves to entertain, but does not want to maintain it.”

The three-bedroom, six-bathroom unit, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, still has many of its original flourishes. Crescent-shaped moldings, some decorated with a cherub’s head, sit atop many interior and exterior doorways.

The condo's living room

The condo’s living room

But today the house is also part of a condominium association that maintains the exterior of the building, grounds and a shared in-ground pool.

And inside, the property has also been updated to include a three-floor elevator, eight heated parking spaces underground and kitchen furnishings from Denver-based William Ohs.

It last sold for $1.25 million in July, according to Denver property records.

The Wood-Morris-Bonfils House was designed and built between 1909 and 1911 for gold and silver magnate Guilford S. Wood. The design “brings a touch of Europe to Denver with its French Mediterranean styling,” Historic Denver wrote in its application to the National Register.

Around mid-century, it became the home of Helen Bonfils, owner of The Denver Post and a noted philanthropist whose ventures included the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

The original mansion was spun off into thirds in the mid-1980s, and 23 condominiums were built on an adjoining property to mimic the original mansion.

In its application for historic status, Historic Denver mused that while many of the mansion’s occupants have been public figures, their lives behind the doors at 707 Washington have been all but lost to history.

“It is curious that the families, whose names are household words, were yet so private as to make it difficult even now to reconstruct the lives they lived in this grand old mansion,” the application read.

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2 responses to “Historic mansion’s condo hits the market”

  1. Seems like it might be a lovely place for wedding receptions or other in – town events .

  2. I spent the early years of my childhood running all over miss helens house. My aunt and uncle were her caretakers. When helen flew off to new york for her many performances on stage, we went to visit aunt becky and uncle sam at her house. I remember the maids quarters which is where the new condominiums are now. I also remember going in the basement where she kept all of her costumes for her many performnaces….I tried on many hats and scarves. My aunt told me that helen said she felt the safest when she was with them. So many fun memories of this house and good stories.

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