Neighborhood Spotlight: Wash Park
You simply cannot visit Denver without hearing about Wash Park. It sits just south of Downtown Denver and yet has access to all the city life things while still feeling safe, quieter, and beautiful. Wash Park is all of these things and it is also expensive. If you want a house that is habitable immediately, be prepared to start your budget at over $1,000,000.
The big attraction, of course, is the proximity to the excellent Washington Park, where you’ll find miles of biking trails, volleyball nets, two lakes, tennis and basketball courts, and loads of green space.
So what, besides the park, makes it awesome? Wash Park is a relatively quiet residential neighborhood with lots of single family homes and townhomes on offer, a Whole Foods Market, and the spectacular coffee shop Wash Perk (popular with students at nearby Denver University) in Wash Park East. It is close enough to bars and restaurants along the nearby stretches of South Broadway in Baker, the charming Historic South Gaylord and South Pearl street in Platt Park. The neighborhood’s prime location and high-scoring Steele Elementary School are also draws.
Speaking of schools: there are also excellent private school options in and around Wash Park like the acclaimed Waldorff School.
Demographics—Get to Know Your Neighbors
According to 5280, “The median age in Wash Park is 45.5 years old. It’s a highly educated community, with 80 percent of the adult (25 and older) population holding bachelor’s degrees or higher. When it comes to housing, 85 percent of filled units are owner-occupied. Families comprise 63 percent of neighborhood households. The average household income is $162,606, the second highest in Denver.”
Food & Drink
Washington Park’s food-and-drink offerings are concentrated along the aforementioned South Gaylord Street, where park-goers can replenish calories with scratch-baked pastries at Devil’s Food Bakery or coastal Mexican fare at Perdida (the camerones tacos with the honey sauce are delish!). Beyond that cluster, it’s worth checking out the fresh pasta at Restaurant Olivia. Campus Lounge is one of the neighborhood’s dive bars that has been around forever. Homegrown Tap & Dough is a good pizza spot that has a lively patio in the summer. There is also the family favorite ice cream shop that makes their ice cream in house: Bonnie Brae Ice Cream.
Shopping
Even though it’s only one-block long, Historic South Gaylord Street is home to its share of worthwhile shops. Among them: Silk Road (gifts), Sports Plus (new and used outdoor gear), Bottle Shop 33 (liquor), and W Boutique (women’s clothing). For those seeking to really do some retail damage, the stylish Cherry Creek North and Cherry Creek Shopping Center are just a couple of miles away. My favorite Restoration Hardware store is beautiful to just visit and walk through on a chilly winter day.
Houses
As mentioned before, houses in Wash Park are pricey and still tend to fly off the shelves. The average sales price in 2021 was over $1.2 million. One of my current favorite listings in Wash Park is this one at a cool $5,300,000 (Offered by Dawn Raymond • Kentwood Real Estate Cherry Creek):
The house sits right on the park and is tastefully done throughout. It’s truly a beautiful property.
There is so much to love about Wash Park and we are truly experts on this gem of a neighborhood. As always, please reach out to us with any questions about Denver neighborhoods, housing options in Wash Park, or how we can work together to get you into this beloved spot.