Unusual place for a real estate sale

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DENVER – Twenty six years ago, Ken Durgin never thought he'd be selling prime real estate in one of Denver's most prestigious gated communities.

"Not on your life, I would have thought you were crazy and I would have told you," he said laughing.

Selling plots at Fairmount Cemetery wasn't exactly the job Durgin imagined for himself, but he admits it's one he's come to love, plus he's gotten a jump on his own eternal home.

"Everybody's quiet over here," he said of his neighbors in Block 150 of the cemetery.

Fairmount Cemetery, which spans nearly 300 acres along Alameda Avenue in east Denver, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area, dating back to 1890.

"The assumption has become that we are full or we are maintaining the history," said Durgin.

Not only is Fairmount not full, there's still plenty of room for the less-known living to stake their claim next to Colorado's most well-known names. For a hundred years, city leaders, dignitaries have picked Fairmount as their final home.

"Anybody who was anybody was moving in together," said Durgin.

Back when Durgin started working at Fairmount, there were roughly 1,200 burials a year, but now 20 years later, there are far fewer: 800 a year.

Durgin said it's because people are living longer and in Colorado 50 percent of the population is opting for cremation.

Now in charge of marketing, Durgin wants people to know there's still room at Fairmount.

"We're still developing for the future," he said.

The sale isn't an easy one.

"The first thing our mind thinks is not, 'Let's talk about what I'm going to do when I die,'" he said.

Durgin hasn't quite figured out the appropriate advertising either.

"Do you put a sign out that says Grand Opening? Then it sounds like your local grocery store, it's not the type of thing people would normally run to," he pointed out.

Perhaps he'll just have to rely on his sense of humor to lure people in. "Our little thing we say is that we'll be the last to let you down," he smiles.

For more information about Fairmount cemetery and special events go to www.fairmountcemetery.net.