Mid-Century Neighborhoods
Harvey Park | Cliff May Homes in Denver
Rocky Mountain Cliff May Homes in Harvey Park
With the original model homes opening in November of 1954, construction of the Rocky Mountain Cliff May Homes continued through 1956, making the enclave of 170 homes in southwest Denver’s Harvey Park neighborhood 65 years old!
While virtually all other mass-produced mid-century modern homes in the Denver area were designed locally, the Cliff May Homes are unusual for having been designed elsewhere. The homes are based on a patented panelized pre-fabricated system designed by designer/builder Cliff May, and architect Chris Choate. Known as “Cliff May Homes,” which the was the national brand under which the homes were sold, local builders in markets across the country could be licensed to sell and erect Cliff May Homes in their territory. Here in Denver, that builder was D.C. Burns Realty and Trust. Run by Franklin Burns, D.C. Burns Realty and Trust was one of the oldest and most innovative firms in Denver, first gaining notoriety for developing affordable housing for veterans returning from World War II with their “Burns Better Built Bungalows,” being among the first builders in the city to offer FHA and VA financing, and later for taking risks on both their own pre-fabricated systems and the Cliff May Homes.
To build the homes, Burns excavated crawlspaces and built foundations and chimneys on each house site. The houses would then arrive on flat-bed trucks with many parts pre-built as panels and quickly erected onto the existing foundations. The system that May and Choate developed was designed as a flexible post-and-beam structure that was planned around a modular grid. Builders could make plan modifications, as long as they stayed within the confines of the grid, and homeowners could later make floor plan adjustments since there are no load-bearing walls inside the house. The smaller models, which were a simple center-hall plan, were designed for expansion, with soffits pre-built for future hallways that homeowners could extend to new additions. Larger models feature an L-shaped floor plan, with a private master-bedroom wing with or without an ensuite bathroom.
Unlike the competing homes in Krisana Park, which were all planned at 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1,200 square feet, Burns offered 7 different Cliff May Homes models, ranging from a 2-bedroom, 1 bath home with ~850 square feet, up to a 4-bedroom, 2 bath model at ~1,350 square feet. Burns also offered a choice between a detached 1-car carport or a detached ½-garage/½-carport oriented so that the carport side could also be used as a patio-port. Despite the greater range of options offered among the Cliff May Homes, the homes in Krisana Park sold much more briskly, and the neighborhood was completed much sooner. This could have been the result of the product offering . . . or could have been because Burns with competing against himself with similarly appointed contemporary homes less than a block away from his Cliff May Homes enclave.
Since the Cliff May Homes system was sold to builders around the country (mostly focused in the west), there are tracts of Cliff May prefabs of various sizes in several cities outside of Colorado. While the bulk of the houses were built in California, the tract in Harvey Park is the largest known tract outside of California. Other tracts can be found in Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Kansas, and more.
Do you own a Cliff May Home in Denver that you are looking to sell? I have sold more Denver Cliff May Homes in recent years than anyone else, and would love to help you. Learn more here.
Advertisements & Drawings
One of the first ads published in The Denver Post advertising the new Cliff May Homes being built in Denver’s Harvey Park. Models at Lowell Blvd & Harvard Ave were opened in November of 1954.
An illustration of a Cliff May prefab 3211 model, drawn by architect Chris Choate.
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Are you interested in buying or selling a mid-century modern home in Arvada’s Alta Vista or another Denver area neighborhood? As a real estate and design advisor for “Mid-Century Modernaires,” Adrian Kinney can help! Call, text, direct-message, or email Adrian today.
Mid-Century Homes in the Rocky Mountain Cliff May Homes
