As part of this weekend's Doors Open Denver festivities, the Denver Public Library is offering a free talk on "Researching, Restoring and Remodeling Your Classic Home."

Details of the session have been described as follows:

Saturday, April 14, 2007, 1-4 p.m.
The Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center

An overview of architectural styles in the Queen City of the Plains, from 1860-2006, covering buildings from the log cabin to the suburban tract will start the program. Emphasis will be on the classic Denver styles, such as Victorian, Foursquare, bungalow, Tudor and ranch. Learn what distinguishes one style from another, how some homes are blends of several styles and how to identify your classic home.

Architect Doug Walter, winner of a 2006 Historic Denver Restoration for Living Award, will describe certain key maintenance items that must be addressed to keep the home safe, warm and dry for years to come along with the warning signs to look out for. For those who live in a historic district, the application and approval process will be outlined. For those owners of classic homes who really want to live a 21st century lifestyle in a 20th century house, Walter will discuss how to add on with sensitivity to the original architectural style. Walter’s entertaining slide presentation will differentiate between the rigors of restoration, the activities that constitute rehabilitation and the more extensive activities that make up remodeling.

The Denver Public Library’s Building and Neighborhood History Collection in the Western History/Genealogy Department contains a wealth of resources for researching the history of Denver buildings, neighborhoods, and architectural styles. If you are trying to find out when it was built, the cost, who lived there or what businesses occupied the building and what it looked like in the past, this workshop will guide you through the process. DPL Librarian Bruce Hanson will show how to research the history of Denver buildings using early building permits, real estate and fire insurance atlases, directories, and photographs.