Harvey Park and Bear Valley

Pricing trends

Harvey Park and Bear Valley price below central Denver and roughly alongside neighboring Lakewood, with the mid-century modern homes commanding a premium over standard ranches of the same size. They are a frequent choice for buyers who want a larger lot and a garage without leaving the city.

Citywide figures for Denver. Source: Local Market Update, August 2026, REcolorado data compiled by the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. Neighborhood-level figures vary; ask me for comparables on any specific home. See all area tables.

About Harvey Park

Harvey Park and Bear Valley are the 1950s and 1960s neighborhoods in Denver's southwest corner, known among architecture fans for the Cliff May and Harvey Park mid-century modern ranches with their post-and-beam ceilings and walls of glass. The area has two lakes, Bear Creek's greenway, Loretto Heights' historic campus being redeveloped and the easiest access to the foothills of any Denver neighborhood.

Location

Harvey Park runs from Federal Boulevard west to Sheridan Boulevard between Jewell and Yale avenues, with Harvey Park South and Bear Valley continuing south to Hampden Avenue and Bear Creek. Lakewood is across Sheridan, Englewood and Sheridan are east, and Highway 285 puts the mountains twenty minutes away.

History and background

Harvey Park was farmland in the southwest corner of Denver until 1954, when developers began one of the largest subdivisions in the city's post-war expansion. The neighborhood is named for Harvey Park and its lake at the center, and it drew national attention for the Cliff May homes, a California architect's prefabricated mid-century modern ranches with post-and-beam ceilings and glass walls, built here in larger numbers than almost anywhere outside California.

Loretto Heights, the hilltop campus on the neighborhood's southern edge, predates the houses by sixty years. The Sisters of Loretto opened their academy there in 1891 and ran Loretto Heights College until 1988; the landmark administration building and its tower have been part of the view ever since, and the campus is now being redeveloped as a neighborhood of homes and public space.

Bear Valley, along Bear Creek to the south, was built out in the 1960s and 1970s as the last of Denver's southwest farmland was annexed, with Fort Logan National Cemetery, established on the old Army post in 1950, and the Bear Creek greenway marking its edges.

Housing and architecture

The streets hold 1950s brick ranches, the Cliff May and Hutchinson mid-century modern homes, and 1960s split-levels and two-stories on 60- to 80-foot lots, with Bear Valley's 1960s and 1970s subdivisions and some townhome communities along Hampden. Many homes have been updated while keeping their original lines, and the modern ranches draw a dedicated buyer pool.

Parks and recreation

Harvey Park with its lake and recreation center, Lake Garfield, Bear Creek Park and the Bear Creek Trail toward Lakewood and Morrison serve the area. Pinehurst Country Club is private; Fort Logan National Cemetery's grounds and the Loretto Heights park are nearby open space.

Dining, shopping and daily life

Shopping and dining are along Federal and Sheridan boulevards and at the Bear Valley center on Hampden, with Lakewood's Belmar district a short drive north. The Loretto Heights redevelopment is adding housing, a theater and community space on the former college campus, and groceries are at the King Soopers on Sheridan or the Safeway on Federal.