What are homes like in Hilltop?
Hilltop is an east Denver neighborhood of individually designed houses, most first built between the 1930s and the 1950s, with a large share rebuilt since the 1990s. Styles run from Tudor and Norman cottage to Mediterranean revival, Georgian and midcentury modern. Lots are larger than in most central Denver neighborhoods, and Cranmer Park with its 1941 sundial sits near the middle.
Hilltop homes sit on some of the highest ground in east Denver, on wide streets laid out for the car rather than the streetcar. This guide covers where Hilltop begins and ends, how it was built, the zoning and conservation rules that shape what can go on a lot, and what we suggest buyers and sellers watch for. For current listing activity, see the live numbers at the top of this page.
Where is Hilltop?
Hilltop is in the City and County of Denver. On the city’s official statistical neighborhood map, Colorado Boulevard forms the west edge, Sixth Avenue Parkway the north edge and Alameda Avenue the south edge. The east edge is irregular: it reaches Quebec Street between Sixth Avenue and about Third Avenue, then steps back west along Oneida Street and First Avenue toward Monaco Street Parkway. Across Colorado Boulevard to the west is the Cherry Creek neighborhood; Hale and Montclair lie north, Washington Virginia Vale south and Lowry Field east.
Local usage is narrower. 9News describes Hilltop as roughly one square mile between Colorado Boulevard and Holly Street, from Sixth Avenue to Alameda Avenue. The blocks from Holly Street east to Monaco Street Parkway are usually called Crestmoor, and we cover them in our Crestmoor Park guide. This page focuses on the blocks west of Holly.
How was Hilltop built?
Denver annexed the area in 1893, but building picked up mainly in the 1930s. Much of the land had been part of George W. Clayton’s farm, and Clayton gave the city the ground that became Cranmer Park in 1899, according to Graland Country Day School’s history of the park. In 1917 George Cranmer built an Italian Renaissance revival villa at 200 Cherry Street, designed by architect Jacques Benedict, when the area was still considered out in the country. Cranmer later served as Denver’s Manager of Parks and Improvements from 1935 to 1947.
Unlike tract subdivisions, Hilltop was filled in lot by lot with custom houses. Denver by Foot notes it was among the first Denver neighborhoods built at automobile scale, with wide streets and only a small commercial area. Denver assessor records show the largest group of original houses dating from the 1950s, followed by the 1930s and 1940s, with a steady wave of new construction from the 1990s on.
The homes: styles, sizes and lots
Historic Denver counts 22 architectural styles in Hilltop, including Tudor, English and Norman cottage, Mediterranean revival, Georgian, Regency and midcentury modern, per the 9News report above. Two story houses are the most common type in the assessor’s Hilltop records, with one story ranches and story and a half cottages mixed in. Since the 1990s many original houses have been demolished and replaced with larger homes.
Lots vary more than the street grid suggests. Most single family lots in the assessor’s Hilltop area fall between about 6,600 and 10,000 square feet, and lots facing Sixth Avenue Parkway tend to be larger, commonly 7,800 to 13,100 square feet. A few condominiums and rowhouses sit near the edges of the neighborhood, but detached houses make up nearly all of the housing.
Rules that shape what you can build
Most of Hilltop is zoned for single unit houses in Denver’s Urban Edge context. Under the Denver Zoning Code naming system, E-SU-D and E-SU-Dx require a minimum zone lot of 6,000 square feet and E-SU-G requires 9,000 square feet; the x marks special provisions written for that district.
A large block of E-SU-G land, roughly between Alameda Avenue and Fourth Avenue from the Colorado Boulevard side east to about Hudson Street, also carries the Hilltop Heritage Conservation Overlay, CO-1. Under Section 9.4.3.6 of the zoning code, a lot there may be split only if every new lot is at least 75 feet wide and 9,300 square feet, and flag lots are generally not allowed. If you are weighing a lot split, check the overlay first.
Two more rules matter for new houses. Denver’s mountain view ordinance for Cranmer Park caps building heights within a mapped area, measured from the mountain view indicator in the park. And Sixth Avenue Parkway, Clermont Street Parkway and Monaco Street Parkway are designated Denver landmark parkways, so work in the parkway itself goes through landmark review. Confirm any lot on the city’s zoning map before you draw plans.
Parks, parkways and getting around
Cranmer Park, at 4501 East First Avenue, covers about 24 acres and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986 as part of the Denver Park and Parkway System. Its quartzite sundial was installed in 1941, destroyed by vandals in 1965 and rebuilt in 1966; the terrace, sundial and drainage were restored in 2018, as Denverite reported. Robinson Park, on Third Avenue at Fairfax Street, occupies a former brickyard and was dedicated on July 4, 1941. D.C. Burns Park fills the triangle where Colorado Boulevard, Alameda Avenue and Leetsdale Drive meet, per the Hilltop neighborhood website’s park pages.
Sixth Avenue Parkway, designed by Saco R. DeBoer and built between 1909 and 1912, runs along the north edge. Colorado Boulevard is the main north and south road on the west side, and Graland Country Day School sits at 55 Clermont Street, across First Avenue from Cranmer Park. A small row of shops sits on Holly Street.
Buying in Hilltop
With houses ranging from the 1910s to this decade, two addresses a few doors apart can need very different inspections. For original houses we suggest a sewer line camera scope, a structural look at foundations and basements, and an electrician’s review of older wiring. Radon is a naturally occurring gas from uranium in the soil that can enter homes, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, so test regardless of age. Denver Water’s address lookup shows whether a property may still have a lead service line.
If you are buying to rebuild, confirm the zone district, whether the CO-1 overlay applies and whether the mountain view ordinance limits height on that block. Lot width matters as much as lot area for a new floor plan, so ask for a survey early.
Selling in Hilltop
Buyers here compare like with like: an original 1930s cottage, a 1950s ranch and a new two story house on the same street draw different buyers and different appraisals. We usually advise sellers to price against sales on comparable blocks and lot sizes, not against neighborhood averages that blend teardowns with new construction. For an original house, a current sewer scope and inspection report answer the first questions a rebuild buyer will ask. Nobody can promise where prices go, but clear facts about the lot help.
How Hilltop compares with nearby neighborhoods
| At a glance | Hilltop (west of Holly Street) | Crestmoor (Holly Street to Monaco) |
|---|---|---|
| City and county | Denver | Denver |
| Main building years | 1930s to 1950s, rebuilds since the 1990s | Mostly 1950s, rebuilds since 2000 |
| Typical house styles | Two story revival styles, cottages, ranches | Ranches, two story colonials, new custom houses |
| Main zone districts | E-SU-D, E-SU-Dx, E-SU-G with CO-1 overlay |
Mostly E-SU-G |
| Nearby parks | Cranmer, Robinson, D.C. Burns | Crestmoor Park |
East of Holly Street, Crestmoor homes lean toward 1950s ranches on wide lots around Crestmoor Park. West across Colorado Boulevard lies Cherry Creek, with its own guide. Our neighborhood guides cover the rest of central and south Denver.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the boundaries of Hilltop in Denver?
Denver’s official map uses Colorado Boulevard on the west, Sixth Avenue Parkway on the north and Alameda Avenue on the south, with an irregular east edge reaching Quebec Street. Many people use Holly Street as the east edge.
What is the Hilltop Heritage Conservation Overlay?
It is the conservation overlay labeled CO-1 on Denver’s zoning map. It limits lot splits in part of the neighborhood: each new lot must be at least 75 feet wide and 9,300 square feet, and flag lots are generally not allowed.
When was the Cranmer Park sundial built?
George Cranmer donated the original quartzite sundial in 1941. Vandals destroyed it in 1965, it was rebuilt in 1966, and the terrace and sundial were restored in 2018.
Can you build a new house on a Hilltop lot?
Yes, and many owners have since the 1990s. A new house must meet the zone district’s rules, the CO-1 overlay where it applies, and the Cranmer Park mountain view height limit within its mapped area.
If you own in Hilltop and want to know what your house and lot are worth today, request a home value estimate, or book a private consultation with us.
