What are homes like in Belcaro?
Belcaro is a Denver neighborhood east of South Steele Street that grew up around the Phipps estate in the 1930s. Its streets hold ranch homes on large lots, midcentury custom houses and newer rebuilds, and much of it is zoned for single unit homes on lots of at least 12,000 square feet. Washington Park lies to the west and Cherry Creek to the north.
Belcaro homes sit on some of the largest lots in central Denver, a pattern that goes back to the estate of Senator Lawrence C. Phipps and the streets laid out around it. This guide covers where Belcaro is, how it was built, the houses you will find, the zoning that governs rebuilds, and what to check when you buy or sell here. For current inventory and pricing, use the live numbers at the top of this page.
Where is Belcaro?
Belcaro is inside the City and County of Denver, in the southeast part of the city. Denver’s official statistical neighborhood called Belcaro runs from Cherry Creek south to East Mississippi Avenue, between South University Boulevard and South Colorado Boulevard. That city boundary also takes in Bonnie Brae, but most people treat the two as separate places, with South Steele Street as the dividing line. Bonnie Brae is the lower ground to the west; Belcaro is the higher ground to the east, running over to Colorado Boulevard.
The Cherry Creek Trail runs along the northern edge, and across the creek is the Cherry Creek neighborhood. Colorado Boulevard and University Boulevard are the main north and south roads at the edges, which keeps most through traffic off the interior streets.
How was Belcaro built?
The name comes from Belcaro, the house Lawrence C. Phipps built after his time in the United States Senate, where he represented Colorado from 1919 to 1931. The mansion at 3400 Belcaro Drive was built between 1931 and 1933 to a design by the Denver firm Fisher and Fisher in the Georgian and Classical Revival manner. It sits on about nine acres, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and was designated a Denver landmark in 1977. It remains a private residence.
According to local historical accounts, the Belcaro Park subdivision was laid out around the mansion in about 1936, with spruce and elm lined streets and large lots. Phipps developed much of the surrounding land. Many of the houses on these streets are brick ranches and midcentury designs rather than the 1920s Tudor revival cottages found next door in Bonnie Brae.
Several Belcaro houses from that period are now individual Denver landmarks. The city’s landmark records list 618 South Monroe Way, built in 1954 and designed by William Muchow; 602 South Harrison Lane, the Alan Golin Gass House, built in 1961 and designed by Gass; and the McCallin Kulish House at 510 South Garfield Street, built in 1956 and designed by Christian Zoetewey. All three were designated in 2023 or 2025.
What do Belcaro homes look like?
Much of Belcaro is made up of large brick ranch houses on large lots along tree lined streets. Mixed in are midcentury modern custom homes, several of them now city landmarks, and newer custom houses built where an older home once stood. Some original ranches have been updated and expanded; others have been replaced, so a single block can hold a house from the 1950s next to one finished in the last few years.
Because lot sizes and setbacks vary, two homes with similar interior space can sit on very different land. When you compare homes here, look at lot area and frontage as closely as you look at bedroom count and finishes.
What rules shape what you can build in Belcaro?
Zoning does more to shape Belcaro than any other single rule. Using the city’s official zoning map, the largest share of land east of Steele Street is zoned S-SU-I (Suburban, Single Unit, 12,000 square foot minimum zone lot), with blocks of S-SU-F (8,500 square foot minimum) and E-SU-Dx (6,000 square foot minimum). These are single unit districts, so the zoning anticipates one detached house per lot. Some parcels in the northern part of the city’s statistical neighborhood still carry older Former Chapter 59 zoning such as R-1 and R-X, which follow different standards. You can read what each district means on the Denver Zoning Code zone descriptions page.
Belcaro is not inside a Denver historic district, so most homes can be remodeled or replaced under zoning alone. The exceptions are the individually designated landmarks named above, where exterior changes go through the city’s landmark review. University Boulevard along the western edge is part of the designated University Boulevard Parkway. Before you plan a rebuild or a large addition, confirm the zone district, setbacks and height limits for the specific parcel with Denver Community Planning and Development.
| At a glance | Belcaro |
|---|---|
| City and county | City and County of Denver |
| Rough borders | South Steele Street to South Colorado Boulevard, Cherry Creek to East Mississippi Avenue |
| Main building years | 1930s through the 1960s, with newer rebuilds |
| Typical house styles | Brick ranch, midcentury modern, newer custom homes |
| Main zoning | S-SU-I and S-SU-F single unit districts, with E-SU-Dx toward Steele Street |
| Landmark | Phipps House (Belcaro), 3400 Belcaro Drive |
| Nearby open space | Cherry Creek Trail, Bonnie Brae Park, Washington Park |
Streets, parks and getting around
Inside Belcaro the streets are almost all residential; spruce and elm lined streets were part of the original Belcaro Park plan. The Cherry Creek Trail along the northern edge is a long paved path that connects toward downtown Denver. Bonnie Brae Park, the oval park at the center of Bonnie Brae, is a short walk west of Steele Street, and Washington Park is across University Boulevard.
What should you check when buying in Belcaro?
Most original Belcaro houses date from the 1930s through the 1960s, so the inspection list matters as much as the floor plan. We suggest these checks on any older home here:
- A camera scope of the sewer line from the house to the street, since older clay and cast iron lines and tree roots are common under mature lawns.
- A structural look at the foundation and any slab additions, especially where a ranch has been expanded in stages.
- The electrical panel and wiring in original sections of the house, and the age of the roof, boiler or furnace.
- A radon test, which applies to homes across Colorado regardless of age.
If you are buying with a rebuild in mind, check the zone district, lot area and frontage before you write an offer, and look up whether the house is a designated landmark. Block to block differences matter here: lots near Colorado Boulevard, lots on the curving estate streets and lots closer to Steele Street can carry different zoning and different setbacks.
What should you know when selling in Belcaro?
Buyers in Belcaro tend to compare land as much as houses. They ask about lot size, frontage, the zone district and whether the existing home is worth keeping or is likely to be replaced. We usually advise sellers to gather the survey, permit history for past additions, recent sewer and roof work, and any radon mitigation records before listing, so those questions have answers on the first showing.
Pricing works best against the right comparisons. A remodeled ranch on a standard lot and an original ranch on a larger estate lot are different products, and a sale on one street is not always a guide to the next. Nobody can promise where prices go, so we build a price from recent sales of similar homes on similar lots and adjust from there.
How does Belcaro compare with nearby neighborhoods?
Belcaro and Bonnie Brae share a city boundary but feel different on the ground: Bonnie Brae has smaller lots, more 1920s and 1930s Tudor revival cottages and a curving street plan from 1923, while Belcaro has larger lots and more ranch and midcentury homes. Washington Park lies west across University Boulevard, and Cherry Creek lies north across the creek and the trail. Each is a separate guide, and each has its own zoning and house types to compare against Belcaro’s. You can compare all of our guides on the neighborhoods page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Belcaro its own city?
No. Belcaro is a neighborhood inside the City and County of Denver. The city’s statistical neighborhood called Belcaro also includes Bonnie Brae, west of South Steele Street.
What is the Phipps Mansion?
It is Belcaro, the Georgian style house Senator Lawrence C. Phipps built at 3400 Belcaro Drive between 1931 and 1933. Designed by Fisher and Fisher, it is on the National Register and is a Denver landmark.
Is Belcaro a historic district?
No. Belcaro is not inside a Denver historic district, so most remodels and rebuilds are governed by zoning. A few individual houses, including the Phipps House and three midcentury homes designated in 2023 and 2025, are Denver landmarks with exterior review.
Can you build a new house on a Belcaro lot?
On most lots, yes, within the zone district’s rules. Much of Belcaro is zoned S-SU-I or S-SU-F, single unit districts with large minimum lots, so check setbacks, height and lot coverage for the exact parcel first.
If you own a home in Belcaro, you can request a home value estimate, or schedule a private consultation to talk through a purchase, a sale or a rebuild.
