Wash Park Teardown Landmark Process: The $875 Delay Risk

In February 2025, Tony and Robin Kohake closed on a white farmhouse at 800 S. Franklin St., directly across from the park that gives the neighborhood its name. They paid $2.6 million for an 11,600-square-foot corner lot and a plan: tear down the aging structure and build a Tudor-style home with room for their four kids. The house had also been the subject of a demolition dispute four years earlier under a different owner. That earlier history became relevant again as the Kohakes pursued their own teardown plans.

This case highlights a consideration for buyers planning a scrape-and-rebuild in Wash Park: a landmark application can add time and cost to a teardown project. In this instance, BusinessDen reported that the application fee was $875, and residents other than the owner filed it.

How a landmark application can affect a teardown timeline

Denver's landmark preservation ordinance lets a resident apply to have someone else's house designated a city landmark, even over the owner's objection. The application fee is $875. Once filed, it triggers a mandatory mediation period between the applicant and the property owner. If that mediation does not resolve things, the case goes to a public hearing before Denver's Landmark Preservation Commission, which decides whether to forward the application to City Council for a final vote.

While all of that plays out, the clock is not free. The owner keeps paying the mortgage, the insurance, and in the Kohakes' case, the interest on money already spent moving the project forward. Denver has more than 300 individually landmarked properties and 52 historic districts. The same address has now been involved in two landmark-related disputes.

The timeline and reported costs

The timeline at 800 S. Franklin shows the sequence of events after a demolition permit was filed:

1. May 2025: the Kohakes apply to Denver for a demolition permit. The city writes a report and posts notice at the property.
2. Late June 2025: two neighborhood groups, 24 people between them, send letters to the city about potentially landmarking the house.
3. Summer 2025: a city-hired mediator sits down with the Kohakes and the neighbors. No resolution.
4. Late August 2025: three residents, Jody Debs, Stefanie Jacobs, and Susan Holbrook, file a formal landmark application, with help from the nonprofit Historic Denver.
5. September 16, 2025: the Landmark Preservation Commission holds a hearing. The vote splits 3-3. BusinessDen reported that the application needed five votes to advance to City Council. It fails.

By the time that vote happened, Tony Kohake told BusinessDen the family was paying $15,450 every month just to hold the property, on top of $50,000 already spent on architectural plans and $125,000 in accrued interest. The letters and petition reflected views on both sides. The commission received 55 letters supporting preservation against 100 opposing it, plus a petition against with 121 signatures. The application did not advance after months of proceedings.

As Tony Kohake told BusinessDen, "we are still a bit shocked individuals can landmark designate someone else's property against their consent."

An earlier demolition dispute at the same address

The earlier dispute is a reminder for buyers considering a teardown to review a property's permit history. In 2021, a previous owner applied for a demolition permit on the same house, which city records place at 1884. Neighbors moved toward landmarking it then too. A mediator brokered a deal: the owner withdrew his demolition application, the neighbors agreed not to file for landmark status, and the house stayed standing. The property sold in February 2025, for $2.6 million, to the Kohakes.

A similar process arose again when the Kohakes filed their own permit. A withdrawn application and an informal neighbor agreement do not necessarily show up anywhere a typical buyer or inspector would look.

Other Denver landmark-application cases

Two other Denver cases provide points of comparison. In South Park Hill, a family bought a home at 5013 E. Montview Blvd. with plans to build larger. Neighbors filed a landmark application there too, and the commission rejected it 6-0 in early 2024. The home was demolished and the new, larger house has since been finished. One of the people who lived through that fight, Mark Rinehart, later told the commission reviewing the Franklin application that his own case had been the weaker of the two, and his still lost.

More recently, in LoHi, buyers paid $831,300 for a house at 1805 W. 34th Ave. in April 2025. A group opposed to demolition sent a notice of intent to landmark the property, and, as BusinessDen reported in May 2026, the group had until June 8 to file a full application or the homeowners would be granted their demolition permit. That case was already in mediation as of this spring, a stage that had also occurred in the Kohakes' case.

What this means before you write an offer

If you are shopping Wash Park with any intention of scraping and rebuilding, the due diligence list gets longer than square footage and lot lines:

• Ask whether a demolition permit has ever been filed on the property, current or past owner, since that history is public record with the city even when it never became a formal landmark case.
• Ask what makes the house distinctive on paper: build year, architectural style, park frontage, or any notable former residents. Those are the same factors that gave neighbors a case at 800 S. Franklin.
• Build holding costs into your underwriting the way the Kohakes eventually had to, not just construction costs. A few months of mediation and hearings can add real money before a single wall comes down.
• Talk to your agent about permit timing before you waive any financing or inspection conditions tied to a fast close. A demolition permit sitting in city review is a different risk profile than one already issued.

What it means if you are selling

If you own an older home near the park with any of those same markers, age, style, prominent siting, it is worth knowing your listing sits differently than a standard resale. That is not a reason to avoid the market. Wash Park's neighborhood page still shows plenty of buyers who want the character intact, not just the lot. But being upfront with your agent about any prior demolition or preservation activity on the property, even informal, helps set realistic expectations for how quickly a buyer with rebuild plans can actually close.

FAQ

Will a past demolition permit or landmark dispute show up in a standard title report or inspection? Not reliably. These are city hearing and permit records, not automatically pulled into a typical title search or home inspection. The earlier dispute became relevant again when the Kohakes filed their demolition permit.

What happened at 800 S. Franklin? The house at 800 S. Franklin went through this twice under two different owners, once resolved informally in 2021, once decided by a commission vote in 2025.

Does landmark status hurt or help resale value? It depends on the buyer. There is no single right answer, which is why it is worth discussing against your specific goals rather than assuming either direction.

How would I find out if a home I am considering has this kind of history? Ask your agent to check the property's permit and hearing history with the city before you write terms, not after. A phone call can help you get started.

If you are weighing an older Wash Park property with rebuild potential, or you own one and want a clear-eyed read on how its history might shape a sale, Makin' Moves with Georgia has walked this ground before. Book a consultation and let's look at the specific address before you assume anything about the timeline.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.