Welcome to the Cliff May Homes in Harvey Park. This collection of 170 mid-century modern homes has a unique and historically significant story and has become a treasured part of Denver's mid-century modern housing choices.
What are Cliff May Homes?
The Cliff May Homes are a pre-fabricated, modular, post-and-beam housing product designed in California by Cliff May and Chris Choate, and built under license in Denver by Burns Construction. The original model village of three homes at Harvard Avenue and Lowell Boulevard in Harvey Park was opened in November of 1954, and construction of all 170 homes continued through 1956. I have found two additional Cliff May prefabs outside of Harvey Park in recent years, one in Denver’s Ruby Hill neighborhood, and another in Denver’s Cherry Hills Vista neighborhood.
How They Were Built
The homes were manufactured as a panelized system and arrived flat-packed on a flatbed truck. When the homes arrived, foundations were already poured, joists and sub-floor installed, and chimneys built - workers only needed to tilt up the panels on the foundation and nail them in place. With the panels up, beams were placed on top, and construction of the roof could begin. Cliff May boasted that he could put up an enclosed house in a single day, with interior finish taking an additional couple of weeks after that; we don't know how quickly the homes actually went up in practice. Read a more detailed article that I wrote about the construction of the Cliff May Homes in the Winter 2015 issue of Modern In Denver Magazine, “Absolutely Pre-Fabulous: Flat-Packed Housing in Harvey Park.”
The Design
D.C. Burns Realty & Trust offered 7 models in Harvey Park, ranging from a modest 2-bedroom, 1 bath starter home, up to an L-shaped 4-bedroom, 2 bath model. All of the homes are built on a ~5' module, and were designed to be expanded in the future (the vision is that homeowners would have used panels sold by Cliff May Homes to expand their homes, but the company didn't last long enough to fulfill that vision). From the street, it is hard to make out which homes are the smallest, and which are the largest, and this is by design. The homes are also meant to be style agnostic, meaning that they are not trying to be a particular style - but are meant to fade into the background while your own artwork and furnishings bring the style to the home.
Post and Beam Construction
In addition to expandability, flexibility is a key component of the Cliff May Homes design - post and beam construction allows for dramatic floor plan changes, without concerns of whether a wall is "load bearing" - just be sure not to touch the posts supporting the beams. This system also allows for walls of class, and clerestory windows (that Cliff May called "glass gables") that make the roof appear to float over the walls, and allowing for vaulted ceilings that make the homes feel larger than they are.
Deep roof overhangs (roughly 30" deep), protect the windows and wood siding from sunlight and rain/snow, and most of the homes still feature their original wood siding in good condition.
Click Here to see a map of all of the Cliff May prefabs that I have found across the country!
Buy, sell, design and preserve with me . . .
Are you interested in buying or selling a mid-century modern home in Denver's Rocky Mountain Cliff May Homes/Harvey Park or another Denver area neighborhood? As a real estate and design advisor for “Mid-Century Modernaires,” I would love to help you. Call, text, or email me today!
Denver’s Cliff May Homes In the Media
- “New Homes Stress Indoor-Outdoor Living,” The Rocky Mountain News, November 19, 1954, 8.
- “Peace Resides in Home and Fenced Yard,” The Denver Post, September 9, 1955, 48.
- Atom Stevens, “Cliff May + Harvey Park,” Modern In Denver Magazine, no. 8 (Summer 2010): 38-47
- Atom Stevens, “All In The Family,” Modern In Denver Magazine, no. 31 (Winter 2015): 122-131
- Atom Stevens, “Absolutely Pre-Fabulous,” Modern In Denver Magazine, no. 31 (Winter 2015): 132-139
- Atom Stevens, “Absolutely Pre-Fabulous,” Modern In Denver (blog), January 27, 2016.
- Buffy Gilfoil, “Denver’s Cliff May Enclave,” Buffy Gilfoil (blog), January 25, 2021.
- Elizabeth Ellis, “May, Their Way,” Modern In Denver Magazine, no. 51 (Winter 2020): 126-133
I Can Help . . .
When updating or restoring a Cliff May Home, less is more - the design is simple and elegant, and it is easy to take things too far, potentially decreasing the value of your unique home. I have been studying the design and construction of Denver's Cliff May Homes for over 15 years, I own a Cliff May Home, and I am happy to educate you or your architect/designer/contractor on the rights and wrongs of working with a Cliff May Home. I also have a library of information that I can share with you to give you a primer on your special home. Feel free to call or email anytime with your questions, or to setup an appointment.
Cliff May Homes For Sale
Images and words on this page, except for real estate listing information from the MLS (see copyright information below), and select historic artifacts, are copyright ©2025 Atom Stevens, and may not be reproduced without written permission from the author. All rights reserved.