After 15 years that saw Lowry morph from air base to new urban community, you can be there today when the golden spike is set in Lowry’s vast park system: the opening of the Great Lawn, to become one of the largest parks in Denver.

The track team from Bishop Machebeuf High School gets a preview workout on The Great Lawn, adjacent to their campus, prior to today’s opening.

The Great Lawn and its adjoining parkland are close to being Denver’s largest park (that honor rests with City Park, 330 acres). By 2010, the park you’ll see today will be linked to the an even larger parcel forming the northern end of the Great Lawn, with trail links into pretty neighborhoods along Sixth Avenue and Crescent Park. Meanwhile, the south end of the Great Lawn, close to its centerpiece amphitheater, is across from Lowry Sports Park with Jackie Robinson Field…and beyond that, 200-acre Common Grounds golf course. Soon, you’ll be able to walk or ride two miles from north to south, through 800 acres, without bumping into a building.

“This has been a dream of mine to get this completed,” Tom Markham, Lowry Redevelopment Executive Director, told me as we stood atop the amphitheater. Behind us, in the direction of the new golf course, are new neighborhoods by David Weekley, McStain, Harvard Communities, Standard Pacific and Colorado Community Land Trust, that will have the Great Lawn as a link to the attractions on the west side of Lowry, including Lowry Town Center with its restaurants and shops. Eight Lowry builders have special open houses today…desserts, special incentives, and at some, certificates for a bucket-of-balls on the driving range.

You can also visit open houses west of the park…Hangar Lofts near Wings over the Rockies, Jaydyn Court, and Luce (Italian “Loochay”), opening its model today at Lowry Town Center. “With its park system, Lowry is the perfect example of a new urban lifestyle where you can work, live, shop, dine and play, without getting into your car,” says Cate Dobson with Luce, who with other builders will have booths today on The Great Lawn, where you can get directions and hear about special incentives.

To reach the opening, picnic and other events, take Lowry Boulevard east from Quebec, 0.7 mile to the second roundabout, and watch for parking in EastPark. Prices start from the low $100s in East Park, lofts and patio homes from the $4s…and customs to $1 million.
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IF YOU GO….
WHERE: Grand opening of The Great Lawn at Lowry, Denver’s newest park and one of the largest; free Frisbees, $3 barbecue lunch, band Opie Gone Bad, kids’ bounce-house, builder open houses with free desserts & incentives. Take Lowry Blvd east from Quebec 0.7 mi. to 2nd traffic circle (Yosemite Way), follow signs.

PRICE: From low $100s to $1 million
WHEN: Today, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., ceremony 11 a.m., band until 2
WEB: Lowry.org

Montclair neighborhood just west of Lowry has lots going for it, including good access to Lowry’s Town Center, lower prices than much of the surrounding area, along with some of Denver’s most eclectic architecture…such as a contemporary house you can tour this afternoon that could as likely be a few blocks off Hollywood Boulevard as Denver.

Mable Sutton of Leonard-Leonard & Associates, who partners John Patterson, has the listing on 7070 Richthofen, with modern architecture in Montclair.

Realtors aren’t sure who designed 7070 Richthofen Parkway, built in 1978…but it might have been lifted from Dr. Seuss–modern, and more than a little offbeat, even some rococo twists and turns. “It’s a perfect single-family alternative for somebody who might want a loft, but doesn’t want an HOA,” says Realtor Mable Sutton of Leonard Leonard, who’s partnering on the listing with David Patterson.

It’s over 1,700 feet finished…on three levels…well, make that four…well actually, make that six. Entry on one level…then step downs to a sunken living room with fireplace; to a kitchen dining area; up to a dining room; a secondary bedroom/bath on its own level; an office on another; and a wandering master that’s all by itself.
Including the master, most have open overlooks of the areas below. Cat-in-the-Hat style, you can rise from the master designer tub and, without bothering to put on a towel, wave to your guests in the living room below!
You can also exit the bedroom or study onto balconies that lead by steel staircase to a rooftop deck, tucked up against an arched skylight from the entry area below. The kitchen has had a recent makeover in Euro-style cabinets, tile walls, stainless appliances and a basin-style sink. There’s a covered carport and a big basement for storage.
No. 7070 is two blocks from Montclair Park…just as close to two others. Sutton likes Lowry’s Town Center with its shopping, dining and coffee places, a 12-block walk. “Town Center has locally owned, mom-and-pop places,” she added. “It helps the economy for people to be spending money close to home.”
The house is priced at $479,000.
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If you go…