330 Birch Street
Denver, CO, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Nordlund House

Statement of Significant:

The Nordlund House is a seven-level, precast and poured-in-place, reinforced concrete single family dwelling located in the Hilltop neighborhood, a middle to upper middle-class neighborhood in central Denver. The approximately 3,000 square foot house faces west onto Birch Street on a 7,810 square foot lot with mature maple, linden and hackberry trees. The irregular plan, flat-roofed residence is a stucco finished building with rounded corners, metal casement and precast concrete multi-light windows, concrete door frames and partially covered front roof-top terrace with free- form geometric balustrade. The fascia of the sheltered entry, living room window and roof-top terrace canopy are of glazed red tile as is the trim around the base of the domed living room roof. Curvilinear precast concrete brackets support the window shade and the outside stair with its highly decorative wrought iron railing which rises along the south elevation to provide access to the terrace. The terrace roof is supported by fluted columns. The design includes a round kitchen extension and upper-level cantilevered extension and two shallow bay windows. The interior walls and ceilings are of concrete stucco. The floors are all poured concrete slabs and are covered with wood, red glazed tile, or carpeting. Precast concrete forms the kitchen cabinet faces and counter tops, recessed hall storage unit fronts and built-in desk frames. Cabinet and drawer fronts are of wood cut with rounded corners to accommodate the rounded edges of the concrete frames. The kitchen contains built-in concrete seating which lines the wall of a round side wall extension. Even the refrigerator occupies a concrete formed niche. All the door frames are also of precast concrete, once again with rounded corners. Numerous recessed bookcases are framed in precast concrete with non-adjustable wood shelves. Massive concrete piers in a simple geometric pattern form the balustrade in the central hall. In the bathrooms, the smooth concrete forms the walls as well as the tub and shower surrounds. The bedrooms contain concrete walled closets with built-in shelving. The focal point of the interior is the domed living room with its fireplace, flanking recessed bookcases, and adjoining reading/work area. The all-concrete house remains remarkable intact and fully capable of conveying its architectural significance.