Welcome to East Washington Park

Colorado urban living doesn’t get more classic than Washington Park (aka Wash Park).

Over 160 acres, two flower gardens, two lakes, one pond, 10 tennis courts, a croquet field, two playgrounds, one 2.6-mile path for runners, inline skaters, bikers and strollers and hundreds of human and dog weekend revelers on wide fields characterize the heart of this neighborhood: the 100-plus-year-old Washington Park.

The lovely park, which stretches eight long north-south blocks by four smaller west-east blocks, roughly bisects the neighborhood. Single-family homes predominate on both the west and east sides of the park. However, those west of the park are smaller on smaller lots and have more rentals; homes on the east are larger on larger lots and have more owner-occupied housing. You can see this reflected in the street grid on the map.

Lifestyle Attributes + Real Estate Data

  • Schools: Many homes in the Washington Park neighborhood feed Steele Elementary School, which has a great reputation. It has a GreatSchools rating of 8. Other schools in the area’s attendance zone have lower GreatSchools ratings, however; Merrill Middle School and South High School both have ratings of 5.
  • Walk Score: 63
  • Transit Score: 37 (but this varies widely depending where you are in the neighborhood).
  • Average Sold Price: $1,618,289
  • Days in MLS: 27
  • Average Price Per Total Square Foot: $464
  • Top Sale in last year: 850 S Franklin St, Denver, CO: $4,375,000. Sold on 3/5/21.

Stats: 12 months history through September 2021. (10/1/20 – 9/30/21)

Buying in Washington Park

Buyers have to be blazing fast as Wash Park homes are in high demand. Frenzy is a good word to describe the atmosphere. Even for homes in the higher price points (~$1.8 million) on the east side of the park near charming Gaylord Street are going fast.

A recent client, Anna Adams, provides a window into the competitive landscape here. The home she ended up buying started showing at 9 a.m. on a Friday. By 5:30 p.m. it had eight! offers. It was listed for $625,000 and Anna won the home with a $695,000 all-cash offer with a three-week close. Read more of her story here.

Selling in Washington Park

Selling in Washington Park is simple in this hot market. List it, and get ready for a showdown. Of course, sellers should give their home a fresh coat of paint and fix any glaring eyesores, but the current market is clearly on their side.

If you’re interested in learning about the selling process or getting a good estimate for your home value, reach out!

Additional Details

Washington Park offers iconic Colorado urban living — dense neighborhoods with many single-family homes anchored by a world-class park where residents, friends and visitors flock for games of volleyball, picnics and grilling, drinking, kickball, Spikeball and lounging. If you want to get a vibe of Denver culture in one glance, visit Washington Park on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Runner in Washington Park. Credit: rgrant1776/Instagram

This popularity has its drawbacks for residents — parking can be a pain, and streets around the park are filled with people on the weekend making their way to the oasis.

As one of Denver’s largest parks, Washington Park lives large in the area imagination. Most visitors associate Denver living with the Washington Park area and many homebuyers start their journey here. Easy accessibility to plentiful jobs in downtown and the Denver Tech Center is a perk: it’s biking distance of downtown (four miles with no hills or highways in between) and a short car commute on nearby I-25 south to the tech center.

When out-of-town buyers call me, many say they want to start their search in Wash Park. It’s a great neighborhood, but we often expand their search to find something that fits perfect for them.

Who lives here

Given its more urban character and smaller lots, Wash Park homes are more affordable than many other Denver neighborhoods. Many young professional families have their starter homes in the neighborhood before building equity and moving up.

Even the dogs are cool in Washington Park. Credit: Drew Carpenter/Facebook.