Any city which had an influx of money in the late 1800's is likely to have a collection of Victorian homes. Denver homes are no exception, and for Denver home buyers who long to live in the grand fashion of a bygone era, the Denver real estate market has a Victorian for you.

The Victorian era is known for the intricate detail and decoration that was the style of the day. Victorian homes are perhaps the epitome of the Victorian desire for ornamentation, and were designed to flaunt the wealth of their owners. A typical Victorian home has a lot of elements, including numerous rooms, floors, and fireplaces. It is not uncommon for a Victorian home to have large wraparound porches on the front of the home, and smaller servant's entrances on the rear. When properly maintained, a Victorian home is a beautiful sight to behold, often with sophisticated color schemes to offset the elaborate decoration of the home. Within the broad category of "Victorian" architecture, there are different sub-types including Italianate, Romanesque, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, and Second Empire. There are large Victorians designed to house gold, silver and railroad magnates, as well as smaller Victorians built to house their less wealthy counterparts. Denver includes examples of all of these home styles, mostly concentrated in the Capital Hill real estate neighborhood.

While many home buyers may drive by a Victorian and imagine themselves living in such a grand style, deciding to purchase a Victorian home is an investment that requires a great deal of commitment. The large and intricate style of a Victorian home means that a homeowner will have to keep up with a great deal of home maintenance and repair. In the era the Victorian home was built, it was designed to be managed by a staff of servants, and modern home owners may find it overwhelming to keep maintained. All the gingerbread trim and woodwork requires constant sanding and painting, and old masonry tends to crumble and need to be repaired and repointed. The many, small rooms of a Victorian home may not work for a modern family's lifestyle, and moving walls in a Victorian can destroy the historic nature of the home.

If you think a Victorian is the home style for you, there are still many beautiful examples in Denver real estate. While perfectly preserved homes exist, there are also Victorians that have not been treated well, having been remodeled into offices and apartments over the years. With imagination and care, these options could be remade into the Denver Victorian of your dreams.