State sells ex-toy museum home to vocational school
The Other Side Academy is taking over more of the other side — of the block, that is.
In November, the organization paid $1.65 million for 1880 N. Gaylord St. in City Park West, records show. The historic twostory, 5,600-square-foot cottage dates to 1899.
“We intentionally buy homes that are beautiful,” said Lola Strong, The Other Side’s executive director.
Founded in Salt Lake City in 2015, The Other Side is a training school for adults to learn social and vocational skills, as well as overall healthy living practices. It’s often an alternative for those facing incarceration.
The students of the academy come from a “broken” background, Strong said, and deserve to learn and grow in a tranquil setting.
The structure was sold by History Colorado, a state agency and nonprofit that works to preserve elements of Colorado’s past.
The building is a city landmark, a designation that recognizes the building’s historical importance and effectively prevents the building from being demolished. A preservation easement on the building managed by Historic Denver also adds an extra layer of protection against changes to the building.
Frederick Sterner, a Britishamerican architect who designed a number of properties across the state around the turn of the 20th century — including the Daniels & Fisher Tower downtown — designed the house for Harold and Cara Pearce. Its look was attributed to Mrs. Pearce’s wishes for “a perfect colonial cottage such as one sees in the older districts of the eastern states of America.”
The home was donated to History Colorado in 1970 by the Mcallister family, “a more common practice in that era to preserve historical buildings,” according to Annie Levinsky, History Colorado’s chief of staff. The family was the home’s second owners and renovated the property’s interior in the 1920s.
Inside, there’s a grand staircase, fireplace and molding throughout. Even some of the original wallpaper has survived.
“I think it’s a great example of unique architecture in our city and state,” Levinsky said.
History Colorado leased the home to the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys from 1981 to 2018, Levinsky said. The museum now operates in Lakewood at 830 Kipling St.
Participants at The Other Side Academy commit to a 30-month stay and are not permitted to leave the campus without approval.
No fee is required to enroll. A school-operated moving and storage company and furniture boutique offsets costs and provides occupational experience.
The Other Side expanded to Denver in 2019, when it purchased a house at 1859 York St. — across an alley from the Gaylord home — for $3 million, records show. That’s now the men’s dorm, with women
housed at 1868 Gaylord St., which The Other Side bought last year for $1.8 million.
Currently, 70 people are served on-site between two buildings. After opening, 1880 Gaylord St. will add 40 more beds, bringing the total number to 110.
The academy, which Strong said is turning into a complete “campus,” is organized like a traditional school, with students broken into freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, with graduate housing available after program completion.
“We’re just continuing to grow and expand,” Strong said. “The goal is to continue making more beds for men and women that need our help.”