Residents Fight For Funeral Chapel To Be Saved From Demolition

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver is growing and for some neighborhoods that means big changes. In some cases, residents welcome the new development, while others say it comes at too big of a cost.

"I hate to see another piece of this Denver area and its storied history of this neighborhood going away," longtime Berkeley resident Larry Rasmussen said.

Born in Denver, Rasmussen has lived on 46th Avenue two blocks from Tennyson and the Olinger Moore Howard Funeral Chapel in Berkeley Park for most of his life.

"I used to swim in the lake when I was kid... when it was legal to do that," he laughed.

While the funeral chapel is near the West 46th Historic District, the building built in 1960 has no official historic designation and may soon be a thing of the past.

"I don't want to see it go," he said.

City documents show the owner applied for a demolition permit, and potential developers recently submitted a preliminary plan to build nearly 60 townhomes.

It's a scene that Rasmussen and his neighbor, Ed Augden, say has become all too familiar.

"My wife and I have lived in this neighborhood raised are children here, and we would like to keep it, like Larry is saying, at least maintain some of the character of this neighborhood," Augden said.

The idea of preserving the building is growing in the neighborhood and online. Rasmussen and Augden say even seeing a portion of the building saved would be a win.

"Just not that across the street," Rasmuseen said.

"The row housing," Augden finished.

The demolition permit process includes a review by the Landmark Office in Denver before it can be granted.

CBS4 reached out to the property owner for his thoughts on the response from his neighbors, he said he was not in a position to comment.