Today, the Colorado State Historic Preservation Review Board unanimously voted to send the Kirtley House National Register nomination to the National Park Service. African Americans John and Nettie Kirtley constructed the dwelling in Denver's Berkeley neighborhood in 1907, becoming one of the earliest Black couples to build a house in this primarily White area of Denver. John, born into slavery in Kentucky, was a plasterer and Nettie operated a boarding house here. They lost the house in 1913 as a result of a lawsuit involving John's plastering business. They and their son Benjamin then moved to California, where John again pursued the plastering trade and prospered. Front Range undertook this project pro bono for the owners and for Historic Berkeley Regis, the neighborhood historic preservation group.
RSS Feed
