The “Conservative Contemporary” is a modernist custom home that was featured in the 1962 Parade of Homes, designed by Edgar McMechen and built by Duke B. Shepherd.
On this day, 62 years ago, the 1962 Parade of Homes kicked off for a 2 week run in Lakewood’s Green Mountain Estates, showcasing 13 homes that represented “everything that’s new in ’62!” Through the 8 years prior that the Denver area Parade of Homes had taken place, organizers (mainly the local home builder’s association) experimented with different scales and formats of this significant merchandising event for the local homebuilding industry. The showcase format, which was used for the 1962 parade, focused on a single new neighborhood, with a handful of houses built on a single street by participating builders.
The showcase format helped to promote local home builders, suppliers, manufacturers, and the neighborhood itself, bringing exposure to thousands of visitors over just a couple of weeks. The parade in Green Mountain Estates featured a variety of homes, from modernist and experimental homes by local architects, to more traditional offerings as well. The homes were generally larger than what would have been typical in the 1950s, reflecting the overall market trend in the 1960s. Unique to the Green Mountain Estates neighborhood is how the homes were built to respond to the steep terrain of the site. As was typical in the construction of homes through most of Green Mountain Estates, the homes on the uphill side of the street were different than homes on the downhill side, with the intent of offering the best views for everyone. Most of the uphill side homes were built as a “raised ranch” design, which put the living area above the street, usually over a garage or carport, while the homes on the downhill side were built as a single story with a walkout basement. This allowed the homes on the uphill side to enjoy the distant city views over the roofs of the homes across the street.
These previews were published for each of the 13 homes with descriptions of their design:
The 1962 Parade of Homes also featured a couple of demonstration homes. One was the HBA Materials Showcase home, which was built to promote materials, finishes, fixtures, appliances, and more from a long list of vendors. The other was the Brick Idea Home, which demonstrated a veriety of brick finishes, colors, uses, and installations throughout the home, indoors and outdoors.
A present-day photo of the “Brick Idea Home,” designed by the office of architect Richard Crowther. Notice the variety of brick colors, styles, and installations across the front of the house - the variety of brick installation continues indoors. The asian-inspired details added to the beam ends came later.
The Parade of Homes continues as an annual event today - and last year represented 70 years since the parade started in 1953. I wrote an article about the start of the parade for Modern In Denver Magazine in 2023 to celebrate that milestone.
The “Butterfly” is a modernist custom home that was featured in the 1962 Parade of Homes, designed by Lory Ice and built by Tri-L Construction.
The “Largo” is a raised ranch featured in the 1962 Parade of Homes, built by Largo Homes
A visit to the 900 block of South Cole Drive in Lakewood finds most of these homes looking much as they did in 1962, at least from the outside anyway - after 62 years, it is a testament to how well these homes were designed and built at the time. I recommend heading over there and taking a walk and imagine the homes bing visited by thousands of people interested in seeing what was new in ‘62!
View my videos of how all 13 homes in the 1962 Parade of Homes look today on Instagram!