DENVER — Robert and Rita Hill named the red brick house at 2145 South Adams Street "Ormleigh" when they bought it in 1967. It’s a historic name taken from land Rita’s family owned in Ireland - historic name to be worn by this historic building for a long time.
“This is our latest Denver landmark,” says Historic Denver’s Shannon Schaefer. “It’s an individual historic designation that protects the preservation and historic character of the home forever.”
A historic landmark has to meet two fall into two of three categories of importance: architecture, historical significance and geography.
The building’s current owners, along with Historic Denver worked diligently to make sure the legacy of the home’s previous owners stays intact. William and Alberta Iliff built the home in 1899. The family owned much of the land in the University Park area, Their contributions to the neighborhood played a significant part in the Historic Landmark designation given to the building March 19.
“In 1899 you had much more development in the inner city,” says Shannon standing in front of the former Iliff residence. “Here it was even more pastoral. When he started selling off more of his land more and more houses were being built. The University of Denver was growing, and more and more buildings being built on that campus.”
The Iliffs helped ensure that University Park developed along with the rest of the city at the turn of the twentieth century. Hardly into the twenty first, the current owners are making sure that this historic building will maintain its integrity.
Denver will continue to change, but Ormleigh will not.
“Because of the building boom, because of the development that is going on,” explains Shannon, “preserving a home that encases the stories of the people is important now more than ever.”
Listen to Schaefer's more detailed description of the home in the video above.
