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Washington Park, Denver, Colorado

Washington Park is Denver's front yard: a 165 acre park of two lakes, flower gardens and a 2.6 mile loop, ringed by brick bungalows and Denver Squares, with Old South Gaylord Street as its small town main street, south of downtown.

Iconic / Best Overall Angle: Park-side classic Denver Price band: Premium Data checked October 31, 2026
Smith Lake and the 1913 Boat House in Washington Park, Denver, seen from the lakeside path
Smith Lake and the 1913 Boat House in Washington Park, Denver. Photo by Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

At a Glance

Affordability 2/10 Median sale price, Washington Park$2,174,391Redfin, three months ending September 2026, up 35.9 percent year over year, on 42 homes sold Average apartment rent, one bedroom, Washington Park$1,685 per monthZumper rent research, October 31, 2026, on 17 rentals Median sale price, last 12 months, Washington Park$1,638,000Homes.com Home Trends, last 12 months, up 2 percent year over year, on 173 sales; a longer window than the Redfin figure above, so the two levels are different windows, not a contradiction Median rent, all types, Washington Park$2,970 per monthZumper rent research, rolling 30 day basis, October 31, 2026, on only 10 rentals, with limited data flagged; the same page also calls $2,970 the average rent, so the headline rent here is the one bedroom apartment average, not this all type figure Average apartment rent, all apartments, Washington Park$1,785 per monthZumper rent research, October 31, 2026, on 41 rentals Median sale price, single family, Washington Park$2,012,500Homes.com Home Trends, last 12 months Median list price, Washington Park$1,750,000Homes.com Home Trends, last 12 months The most expensive address on this site so far, priced for the park itself, with a rental market too thin to lean on.
Walkability 7/10 Walk Score, 1040 South Gaylord Street, Denver70 out of 100Walk Score, October 31, 2026, Very Walkable Transit Score, 1040 South Gaylord Street, Denver42 out of 100Walk Score, October 31, 2026, Some Transit Bike Score, 1040 South Gaylord Street, Denver72 out of 100Walk Score, October 31, 2026, Very Bikeable Gaylord Street walks well and bikes well, but transit is only some, so the car stays in the plan for much of the grid.
Housing Variety 7/10 Housing stock, Washington Park6,282 housing units, 44.3% detached single family, 27.4% in buildings of 50 or more units; most houses in the historic core are brick built between 1900 and 1940, alongside Denver Squares, Craftsman bungalows, condos and contemporary infillPoint2Homes Census based demographics, 2019 to 2023 American Community Survey, page last updated September 2025 Brick bungalows and Denver Squares beside condos and new builds, so a buyer can enter through a condo or pay the top for a house, without leaving the park's orbit.
Daily Life 9/10 The park itself is the daily routine, with the loop, the lakes, the gardens and the recreation center, and Old South Gaylord Street and nearby South Pearl Street do the shopping, dining and farmers market work. Daily life here is outdoors first, and the neighborhood's calendar runs on the park.
Commute 7/10 Taxi to Lower Downtown (LoDo)4.6 miles, 9 minutes, $18 to $22Rome2Rio, October 31, 2026 Bus to Lower Downtown (LoDo)Line 0 bus, 40 minutesRome2Rio, October 31, 2026 Tram to Lower Downtown (LoDo)47 minutesRome2Rio, October 31, 2026 Drive to Denver International Airport25.9 miles, 36 minutesRome2Rio, October 31, 2026 Transit to Denver International AirportLine 12 bus and train, 1 hour 16 minutesRome2Rio, October 31, 2026 Downtown is a ten minute taxi, not a long commute, but the bus and tram take four to five times as long, so this is a driving neighborhood with a transit option, not a transit neighborhood.

Colorado cost notes. Colorado taxes income at one flat rate of 4.4 percent for 2026, with no brackets, subject to any later temporary TABOR reduction published before the 2027 filing season. Property tax in Denver County carries a median effective rate of 0.48 percent (Ownwell, October 2026, tax year 2026), against 0.50 percent statewide, which puts a buyer at the $2,174,391 Redfin median at roughly $10,440 a year before exemptions, and a buyer at the $1,638,000 Homes.com 12 month median at roughly $7,860 a year; a separate baseline mill levy illustration gives about 0.54 percent, so the Ownwell median of actual bills is the comparable figure used here. Sales tax in Denver totals 9.15 percent for 2026, 2.9 percent state plus 5.15 percent City and County of Denver plus 1.00 percent Regional Transportation District plus 0.10 percent Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, with no separate Denver County add on.

Map of Washington Park in context, with a pin on the neighborhood, downtown Denver to the north, Cherry Creek to the southeast, and Interstate 25 to the east
Washington Park in context, pin on the neighborhood, with downtown Denver to the north, Cherry Creek to the southeast, and Interstate 25 to the east. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS user community.

The Story

Washington Park began as water before it became a park. Work on the ditch later called Smith's Ditch, or City Ditch, began in 1860, and its completion in May 1867 filled a buffalo wallow depression to create Smith's Lake, originally a reservoir. In 1886, James A. Fleming, Avery Gallup and Rufus Clark planned the town of South Denver, incorporated on August 14, 1886, and streetcar service reached East Washington Park in 1889. By 1897 the city was moving toward a park south of Smith's Lake, choosing the name Washington, and in 1899 German born landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze designed the park around a large meadow, the lake and formal floral gardens, on about 160 acres.

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The park is long and rectangular, a mile by a quarter mile and 165 acres, bounded by Virginia Avenue, Downing Street, Louisiana Avenue and Franklin Street. A second lake, Grasmere, was built south of Smith's Lake in 1906. City planner George Kessler added new roads, pathways and plantings in 1908, the Olmsted Brothers shaped rolling Evergreen Hill and the Lily Pond in 1912, and Denver architect Jules Jacques Benois Benedict designed the pavilion and boathouse south of Smith Lake in 1913. Denver's first bathing beach had opened on Smith Lake's north shore in 1911, with 200 swimmers on opening day. S. R. DeBoer added the Perennial Garden in 1918 and the Martha Washington Garden, a replica of Martha Washington's garden at Mount Vernon, in 1926.

The house that best tells the neighborhood's rescue instinct stands at 715 South Franklin Street. Journalist Eugene Field lived at 315 West Colfax Avenue in 1881 to 1883 while editing the Denver Tribune, and is best remembered for Wynken, Blynken and Nod. When his Colfax cottage was threatened in the 1920s, Margaret Molly Brown raised money, purchased it in 1927 and donated it to the city, and on June 15, 1930 it was moved to Washington Park, where it served as the Eugene Field branch library for over 40 years. Beside it stands Mabel Landrum Torrey's marble Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue, commissioned in 1918 and installed the next year.

Around the park, brick houses built mostly between 1900 and 1940 filled in, and the population rose 75 percent between 1920 and 1930. Old South Gaylord Street, zoned for business in 1925, grew from a 1920s block of grocers, meat markets, bakeries and creameries into the shopping street it still is. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1986, residents founded Progress and Preservation Together in 1999 after pop tops and scrapings threatened small historic houses, and in 2012 the American Planning Association named Washington Park one of America's Great Public Spaces.

Historic postcard view of Washington Park, Denver, circa 1952
Washington Park, Denver, in a historic postcard view, circa 1952. Photo by Denver News Co., Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Timeline

  • 1860: Construction begins on Smith's Ditch, later City Ditch, on the South Platte River (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • May 1867: Smith's Ditch completed, filling a buffalo wallow depression to create Smith's Lake, originally planned as a reservoir (Clio; Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • August 14, 1886: Town of South Denver incorporated, planned by James A. Fleming, Avery Gallup and Rufus Clark (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1889: Streetcar service reaches East Washington Park (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1897: Definite steps toward a park on land south of Smith's Lake; the name Washington is chosen (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1899: Reinhard Schuetze designs Washington Park; assembled land about 160 acres (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association; Clio).
  • 1904: Park construction and grading under way; The Cultural Landscape Foundation gives 1904 as the completion date (The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Denver Public Library preservation plan).
  • 1906: Grasmere Lake, originally South Lake, built south of Smith's Lake and surrounded with willows (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association; Clio).
  • 1907: Washington Park Place platted by the Park Place Land Company (Leonard Leonard).
  • 1908: George Kessler integrates new roads, pathways and planting schemes (The Cultural Landscape Foundation).
  • 1911: Denver's first bathing beach opens on Smith Lake's north shore; 200 swimmers on opening day (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1912: Olmsted Brothers work on Evergreen Hill and the Lily Pond; F. W. Ameter bridges over City Ditch installed (The Cultural Landscape Foundation).
  • 1913: J. J. B. Benedict's pavilion and boathouse completed south of Smith Lake (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association; American Planning Association).
  • 1918: Perennial Garden added by S. R. DeBoer; Mayor Speer commissions Torrey's Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue (The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1919: Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue installed (Clio).
  • 1925: South Gaylord Street zoned for business; Washington Park D and R Theater opens at 1028 South Gaylord Street (Leonard Leonard; Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 1926: Martha Washington, or Mount Vernon, Garden added by DeBoer (The Cultural Landscape Foundation).
  • 1927: Molly Brown purchases Eugene Field's Colfax cottage (Colorado Virtual Library).
  • June 15, 1930: Eugene Field House moved to Washington Park (Denver Public Library preservation plan; Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • September 17, 1986: Park added to the National Register of Historic Places (National Park Service).
  • 1999: Progress and Preservation Together founded by East Washington Park residents (Washington Park East Neighborhood Association).
  • 2012: American Planning Association names Washington Park a Great Public Space in America (American Planning Association).

What It Actually Feels Like

Washington Park feels like a neighborhood built around a daily loop. Mornings start on the 2.6 mile path around the park, with runners, dog walkers and cyclists already out, and coffee on Old South Gaylord Street after. Afternoons drift to Smith Lake, where paddleboats go out from the boathouse in summer, or to the flower gardens, the largest formal beds in Denver's park system, and the great meadow fills with volleyball, soccer and picnics. Evenings belong to Gaylord's restaurants or to South Pearl Street, in neighboring Platt Park, with its farmers market and festivals. The park is the social center in a way few Denver neighborhoods can match, and it draws visitors from across the city, so a quiet weekday loop and a crowded summer weekend are both the same place. The tradeoff is the one the whole report keeps returning to: the park is free, the houses around it are among Denver's priciest, and the small brick houses that made the neighborhood are under steady pressure from pop tops and scrapes.

The Eugene Field House at 715 South Franklin Street in Washington Park, Denver
The Eugene Field House at 715 South Franklin Street in Washington Park, moved here in 1930 after Molly Brown bought it. Photo by Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • The park is the amenity: 165 acres, two lakes, a 2.6 mile loop, two of Denver's largest flower gardens, ten tennis courts, a lawn bowling green and the city's busiest recreation center, all inside the neighborhood.
  • Old South Gaylord Street is a real main street in converted late 19th century houses, with South Pearl Street's shops and farmers market nearby in Platt Park.
  • Downtown is close: 4.6 miles to Lower Downtown by taxi in 9 minutes (Rome2Rio, October 31, 2026), with a 40 minute bus and a 47 minute tram as the transit alternatives.
  • The stock is historic and listed: most houses are brick built between 1900 and 1940, the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and the American Planning Association named it a Great Public Space in 2012.
  • Daily life runs outdoors year round: the loop, the lakes, the gardens and the Cherry Creek Trail from the park's northeast corner, which connects toward downtown.

Cons

  • The price is the barrier: a median sale price of $2,174,391 (Redfin, three months ending September 2026, up 35.9 percent, on 42 sales) against a Denver metro median closed price of $575,000 in September 2026 (REcolorado), so Wash Park costs roughly four times the metro median; the longer Homes.com window puts the median at $1,638,000 over the last 12 months, still roughly three times the metro median.
  • The rental market is thin and expensive at the top: Zumper's Washington Park page is based on only 10 rentals for its all type median and flags limited data, with a median rent of $2,970 a month across all types (Zumper, October 31, 2026).
  • Walkability is uneven by address: the Gaylord and Pearl corridors walk well, but much of the residential grid is car dependent, and transit scores vary sharply by exact location, so a car free life needs a careful address check.
  • The stock is old: brick houses from 1900 to 1940, and the 1999 founding of Progress and Preservation Together, after pop tops and scrapings threatened small historic houses, is still the neighborhood's live argument.
  • The airport is a drive: 25.9 miles to Denver International Airport, 36 minutes by car, or 1 hour 16 minutes by bus and train (Rome2Rio, October 31, 2026).

Housing in Detail

Entry: the Park Lane condo, where a 1971 condo at 460 S Marion Pkwy #553, 1,272 square feet, listed at $825,000 on October 31, 2026, 6 days on Redfin. Redfin's table lists 2 baths while its detail describes two three quarter baths, so no bath count is printed on this card. Mid: the 1926 bungalow, where a home at 569 S Race St, 2,950 square feet, listed at $1,645,000 on October 31, 2026, 15 days on Redfin. Redfin's table lists 3 beds and 3.5 baths while its detail lists 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, so no bed or bath count is printed on this card. Top: the new build, where a 2026 home at 420 S Humboldt St, 6 bed and 5 bath, listed at $2,974,500 on October 31, 2026, 21 days on Redfin. Redfin's summary table gives no usable square foot figure for this home, so none is printed on this card. The shape underneath: 6,282 housing units (Point2Homes Census based, 2019 to 2023 American Community Survey), 44.3 percent detached single family, 27.4 percent in buildings of 50 or more units, in a neighborhood where brick bungalows, Denver Squares, condos and contemporary infill share the blocks around the park.

Daily Life

Washington Park itself does most of the daily work: the 2.6 mile loop, Smith Lake and Grasmere Lake, the Perennial Garden and the Martha Washington Garden, ten tennis courts, a lawn bowling green, playgrounds, picnic areas and the recreation center with an indoor pool. Old South Gaylord Street, four blocks west of the park, carries the neighborhood shops and restaurants in converted late 19th century houses, and South Pearl Street in neighboring Platt Park adds more dining, shops and a farmers market. The Cherry Creek Trail is reachable from the park's northeast corner and runs toward downtown. Light rail serves the south end of the neighborhood at Louisiana and Pearl Station and at University of Denver Station, with Broadway Station serving West Washington Park, and South High School sits at the park's south end.

Best For / Think Twice If

Best for: families and runners who want a park centered daily life, with a main street, a loop and a lake within walking distance; buyers who value historic brick houses over new construction; people who work downtown or remotely and want Lower Downtown 4.6 miles away without living in it.

Think twice if: the $2,174,391 median strains the plan, because the verified market on October 31, 2026 ran from an $825,000 condo to a $2,974,500 new build, with the 1926 bungalow in between at $1,645,000; you need car free daily transit everywhere in the neighborhood, because the bus to Lower Downtown takes 40 minutes and the tram 47 minutes against a 9 minute taxi; you want a new build at a moderate price, because new construction here is priced at the top of the market; you want quiet, because the park draws more than one million visitors a year (American Planning Association, 2012).

Top Properties Right Now

$825,000

460 S Marion Pkwy #553, Denver

Condo, built 1971, 2 bed, 1,272 square feet

The entry card, a reimagined 2 bed residence at Park Lane, half a block from Washington Park, with exposed concrete beams, reclaimed barnwood and a Bulthaup media wall, 6 days on Redfin. Redfin's table lists 2 baths while its detail describes two three quarter baths, so no bath count is printed here.

Listing verified on Redfin, October 31, 2026. View on Redfin

$1,645,000

569 S Race St, Denver

Single-family house, built 1926, 2,950 square feet

The mid card, a beautifully updated 1920s bungalow moments from Washington Park and Gaylord Street shops and restaurants, 15 days on Redfin. Redfin's table lists 3 beds and 3.5 baths while its detail lists 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, so no bed or bath count is printed here.

Listing verified on Redfin, October 31, 2026. View on Redfin

$2,974,500

420 S Humboldt St, Denver

Single-family house, new construction built 2026, 6 bed, 5 bath

The top card, a modern transitional new build in Washington Park with alabaster stucco, Winterhaven brick, wide plank floors and European triple pane windows, 21 days on Redfin. Redfin's summary table gives no usable square foot figure for this home, so none is printed here.

Listing verified on Redfin, October 31, 2026. View on Redfin

Nearby Alternatives

  • Platt Park: immediately west and south, the South Pearl Street neighborhood, at a Homes.com median sale price of $875,000, down 7 percent year over year, last 12 months.
  • Congress Park: northeast, the older east side neighborhood around Congress Park itself, at a Homes.com median sale price of $862,000, down 4 percent year over year, last 12 months.
  • Cherry Creek: north, the shopping and condo district, at a Homes.com median sale price of $1,306,540, down 11 percent year over year, last 12 months.

Sources

Data as of the dates shown above. Refresh due within 90 days for listings and 6 months for market data.

  • Redfin, Washington Park, Denver housing market, three months ending September 2026: median sale price $2,174,391, up 35.9 percent year over year, 42 homes sold: redfin.com
  • Homes.com, Washington Park, Denver Home Trends, last 12 months: median sale price $1,638,000, up 2 percent year over year, 173 sales, median single family sale price $2,012,500, median list price $1,750,000, 59 days on market: homes.com
  • Zumper, Washington Park, Denver rent research, October 31, 2026: average one bedroom apartment rent $1,685 per month on 17 rentals, average apartment rent $1,785 on 41 rentals, median rent $2,970 across all types on 10 rentals with limited data flagged, one bedroom all types average $1,600 on 20 rentals: zumper.com
  • Walk Score, 1040 South Gaylord Street, Denver, October 31, 2026: Walk Score 70, Transit Score 42, Bike Score 72: walkscore.com
  • Point2Homes, Washington Park, Denver demographics, Census based, 2019 to 2023 American Community Survey, page last updated September 2025: 6,282 housing units, 44.3 percent detached single family, 27.4 percent in buildings of 50 or more units, median household income $126,502: point2homes.com
  • Rome2Rio, Washington Park to Lower Downtown Historic District, October 31, 2026: taxi 4.6 miles, 9 minutes, $18 to $22, Line 0 bus 40 minutes, tram 47 minutes: rome2rio.com
  • Rome2Rio, Washington Park to Denver International Airport, October 31, 2026: drive 25.9 miles, 36 minutes, Line 12 bus and train 1 hour 16 minutes: rome2rio.com
  • REcolorado, Denver metro, September 2026: median closed price $575,000.
  • Ownwell, Denver County property tax trends, October 2026: median effective rate 0.48 percent, statewide 0.50 percent: ownwell.com
  • Colorado income tax flat rate 4.4 percent for 2026; Denver combined sales tax 9.15 percent for 2026, 2.9 percent state plus 5.15 percent City and County of Denver plus 1.00 percent Regional Transportation District plus 0.10 percent Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
  • Washington Park East Neighborhood Association, Our History: ditch construction 1860, Smith's Lake 1867, South Denver incorporated August 14, 1886, streetcar service 1889, park steps 1897, Schuetze design 1899, Grasmere Lake 1906, bathing beach 1911, boathouse 1913, Field House move June 15, 1930, Progress and Preservation Together 1999: wpena.org
  • The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Washington Park, Denver: designed 1899, completed 1904, Kessler 1908, Olmsted Brothers 1910s, Perennial Garden 1918, Martha Washington Garden 1926: tclf.org
  • American Planning Association, Great Places 2012, Washington Park, Denver: park named a Great Public Space in 2012, more than one million visitors a year: planning.org
  • Denver Public Library, Washington Park Cultural Landscape Assessment and Preservation Plan, June 2003: grading began 1904, Field House move June 15, 1930: denverlibrary.org
  • Colorado Virtual Library, Eugene Field in Colorado: Field at 315 West Colfax Avenue 1881 to 1883, Molly Brown purchase 1927: coloradovirtuallibrary.org
  • Clio, Washington Park: Smith's Ditch completed May 1867, Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue installed 1919: theclio.com
  • Homes.com, Platt Park, Congress Park and Cherry Creek Home Trends, last 12 months: median sale prices $875,000, $862,000 and $1,306,540: homes.com
  • Listings verified October 31, 2026: 460 S Marion Pkwy #553, 569 S Race St and 420 S Humboldt St, all on Redfin.
  • Jeffrey Beall, Smith Lake and the 1913 Boat House, Washington Park, Denver (hero photograph), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0: commons.wikimedia.org
  • Denver News Co., Washington Park, Denver postcard, circa 1952 (story photograph), Wikimedia Commons, public domain: commons.wikimedia.org
  • Jeffrey Beall, Eugene Field House, 715 South Franklin Street, Denver (photograph), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0: commons.wikimedia.org
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