Preserving the 1953 Soul
The guiding idea of the renovation was not to modernize, but to reveal.
Designed by Joe Lort Jr., a Denver designer strongly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, and built in 1953, the home was carried forward with a collector's respect for its origins. The architect's original written instructions to the contractor, dated April 24, 1951, were retained, and original elements were kept and reworked into the renovation rather than discarded. Custom doors from the original house were preserved, and an original entry light fixture was saved and reused as a deliberate mid-century note.
Hardware tells the same story. The original kitchen cabinet knobs-genuinely difficult to source today-were restored by hand and reused, soaked clean rather than swapped for reproductions. Where new knobs were needed, mid-century pieces were tracked down to match the era. The effect is a home that feels authentic to 1953 even where it is brand new.
That philosophy extends to the layout. A den that had been divided was reconsidered, and the smaller original kitchen was opened up by removing a wall-changes that clarify the home's mid-century rhythm instead of fighting it.