Historic Denver home for sale was once a speakeasy

DENVER (KDVR) — Cheesman Park is home to several parts of history, including Denver’s first cemetery. While there are plenty of tales within the park itself, the houses surrounding the area tell a story too.

Built in 1936, one house on East 8^th Avenue was once home to an amateur Denver historian, Fred Mazzulla, who spent decades collecting historical artifacts from the state, according to LIV Sotheby’s International Realty. Thousands of pieces from his collection remain at Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.

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While Mazzulla left behind photographs, negatives and postcards for years to come, he also left a 3,983 square-foot property filled with Denver history, right next to Denver Botanic Gardens.

The house is going for $2,475,000 with four bedrooms and baths. But one of the most notable parts of the house is in the basement.

The basement was once a speakeasy, serving guests such as American artist Herndon Davis, known for his newspaper illustrations. Davis worked in New York, Washington D.C. and Denver, including The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News.

As legend goes, according to the realtor, Davis couldn’t pay for his drinks at the speakeasy, so he paid in artwork instead.

While much of Davis’ art is housed in the collection or the Denver Public Library Western History Department, this home has Davis’ portraits painted onto the basement walls.

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