Active $2,195,000
201 S Lafayette St
Denver, CO 80209 · Washington Park
Listed by Compass · Geoffry Kaatz · MLS# 2325592
Washington Park
Two lakes, the biggest meadow in the city, and blocks of brick that have held their value for a century.
Pricing trends
Washington Park is one of Denver's most sought-after addresses, and prices reflect it: the homes here sit at the top of the city's range, well above the citywide medians shown below. Demand is steady in every season because people buy here for the long term. Teardowns and additions keep adding new product at the high end, while original bungalows remain the entry point.
| Denver, August 2026 | Median price | Homes sold | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family | $635,000−5.6% vs August 2025 | 483 | 38average days | 1,874 |
| Townhome / condo | $360,000−10.0% vs August 2025 | 213 | 65average days | 2,002 |
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 Wash Park
Washington Park is the neighborhood people picture when they imagine living in Denver: a 165-acre Victorian park with two lakes and a three-mile loop, ringed by early-1900s brick homes on quiet, tree-lined streets, with Old South Gaylord and South Pearl a short walk away. It is the part of the city I know best, and it is where I walk my own dog. If you want a home you can keep for decades in a place that does not go out of style, this is the list to start with.
Location
Wash Park sits in south-central Denver between Downing and Franklin streets, with Louisiana Avenue on the park's south edge. Downtown is about three miles north by Downing or Washington Street, Cherry Creek is ten minutes east, and the I-25 and Broadway light rail station is on the west side of the neighborhood.
History and background
Where it sits. Washington Park, simply known as Wash Park, sits in south-central Denver and is centered on the 165-acre park that gives the neighborhood its name, roughly between Downing Street and Franklin Street, with Louisiana Avenue along the park's south edge.
The park began as an irrigation project. In the 1860's a ditch from the South Platte River filled a natural low spot called Smith's Lake, and after the area joined Denver in the 1890's the city turned it into a proper park, laid out in the grand Victorian manner by Reinhard Schuetze.
Smith Lake went to work early, supplying ice, and in 1911 it opened Denver's first bathing beach. Swimming ended in 1957 over pollution and health worries, and the beach also carries a painful history of segregation, including a 1932 incident when Black residents tried to use it. The Boathouse and Pavilion, designed by architect Jules Jacques Benedict, went up in 1913, and the cottage of poet Eugene Field was moved into the park around 1930.
Most of the homes around the park were built between 1900 and 1940, and in 2012 the American Planning Association named Washington Park one of its Great Public Spaces.
Why people like it. People like Washington Park for its two lakes, the largest meadow in Denver's park system, formal flower gardens, a three-mile paved loop and the historic boathouse, all within the city.
Fun fact. A 1.25-mile open section of the original 1860's irrigation ditch still runs through the park, and the Denver Public Library calls it Denver's "oldest working thing."
Sources and caveats for this history
Housing and architecture
Most homes around the park went up between 1900 and 1940: Arts and Crafts bungalows, Denver Squares (the local name for the American Foursquare), and Tudor Revivals with steep gables and half-timbering, nearly all in brick. The western blocks hold some of the oldest houses, including a few late-1800s brick homes. Many bungalows have been enlarged with a second story that keeps the original facade, and a growing number of lots have been rebuilt with custom homes, so a single block can mix a 1912 bungalow with a new build. East Wash Park, toward University Boulevard, runs larger and newer.
Parks and recreation
The park itself is the draw: Smith Lake and Grasmere Lake, the Great Meadow built between 1901 and 1907, formal flower gardens, the 1913 Boathouse by Jules Jacques Benedict, a recreation center with an indoor pool, tennis courts and the paved loop that fills with runners and cyclists at every hour. A 1.25-mile open stretch of the 1860s irrigation ditch still runs through the park. The Cherry Creek Trail is a few blocks east for longer rides.
Dining, shopping and daily life
Old South Gaylord Street, between Mississippi and Tennessee avenues, is the neighborhood's hundred-year-old shopping block of restaurants, coffee and boutiques. Old South Pearl Street, a few blocks west, adds a farmers market in summer, restaurants and small shops. Everyday errands run along South Broadway and University Boulevard, and the Denver Country Club and Cherry Creek North are minutes away.
Available now
Nest Team homes in Wash Park
Active Listings shown are listed by Compass and were imported from Compass on October 12, 2026; they do not update automatically. Source: RECOLORADO as distributed by MLS GRID. Listing information and disclosures
Nearby
Other nearby communities
Northeast Denver Park Hill Tree-lined parkways, a hundred years of architecture, and a neighborhood that organizes itself. 
Northeast Denver Capitol Hill and Cheesman Park Denver's densest, oldest and most walkable neighborhood, with mansions, condos and a marble pavilion in the park. 
Southwest Denver Baker and the Santa Fe Arts District Denver's largest collection of middle-class Queen Annes, a mile from the Capitol, with South Broadway at the door. 
Southeast Denver Cherry Creek The shopping district, the creek trail, and the most expensive condominiums and townhomes in Denver. 
Southeast Denver Cory-Merrill A school-centered neighborhood of 1940s brick homes and new two-stories between Wash Park and Colorado Boulevard. 
Southeast Denver Country Club and Belcaro Gated parkways, 1920s mansions and the estate lots of Belcaro and Bonnie Brae. Let’s talk about Wash Park
Tell me what you are looking for in Wash Park
Share your timing and what matters most, and I will come back with homes, comparables and an honest read on the market.
Geoffry Kaatz
Real Estate Consultant and Licensed Realtor
303-517-9671
geoffry.kaatz@compass.com
200 Columbine St, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80206