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Lloyd M. Joshel House
Lloyd M. Joshel House.JPG
Lloyd M. Joshel House is located in Colorado
Lloyd M. Joshel House
Location in Colorado
Lloyd M. Joshel House is located in the United States
Lloyd M. Joshel House
Location in the United States
Location 220 S. Dahlia St.
Denver, Colorado
Area less than one acre
Built 1951
Architect Joseph and Louise Marlow
Architectural style International Style
NRHP reference No. 95001456
Added to NRHP December 28, 1995

The Lloyd M. Joshel House is a special home in the Hilltop Neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It was built in 1951. This house is famous for being a great example of the International Style in home design in Denver. It's recognized as a local City of Denver Landmark. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical building.

What is International Style Architecture?

The Joshel House really shows off the International Style. This style focuses on making buildings look like shapes or "volumes" instead of heavy "masses." It aims for balance, not perfect symmetry. It also avoids lots of decorations.

Key Features of International Style

The ideas behind this style include:

  • Designing buildings to work well for their purpose.
  • Showing off the natural look of the building materials.

The International Style is not very common for homes in Denver. However, you can see it in some larger buildings, like I.M Pei’s Mile High Center. This style is different from other modern designs often found in the Denver area.

How the Joshel House Shows This Style

The official form for the National Register of Historic Places describes the house like this:

The Joshel House truly represents the International Style. It has no extra decorations. Its interesting look comes from its materials and its shape, which is like a puzzle of cubes. The house is mostly a cube shape. It stretches out horizontally with long, narrow windows. It also has windows high up on the walls and large glass sections. The outside walls do not have eaves (the part of the roof that hangs over). The roof is flat.

The house was designed by a husband-and-wife team, Joseph and Louise Marlow. They designed many buildings in the mid-20th century. One of their other famous works is the Far View Visitor's Center at Mesa Verde National Park.

Meet Lloyd and Suzanne Joshel

Lloyd M. Joshel and Suzanne Joshel lived lives that showed the big changes happening in the United States after World War II.

Lloyd M. Joshel's Life

Mr. Joshel was an important person in Colorado's history during the Cold War. He was born in Geneva, Illinois, in 1914. He passed away in Denver in 1999 at 84 years old. He studied at the University of Illinois, University of Ohio, and Harvard University. Before and during World War II, he worked as a chemist. Later, he became a business leader. In 1964, he became the general manager of Dow Chemicals' Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. He was in charge during a large fire that caused significant issues at the facility.

South facade of Joshel House with Tony Meagar sculpture
South facade of Joshel House with Tony Meagar sculpture (since removed to Burns Park, Denver, Colorado)

Suzanne Joshel's Contributions

Suzanne Joshel was a well-known supporter of the arts in Denver. She was born in Berlin in 1921. After one year of college in Germany, her family sent her to London to escape the Nazis. Ms. Joshel met Lloyd Joshel in the United States. They married in 1947 and later divorced in 1994.

Ms. Joshel was active in many important causes. She helped pass the Voting Rights Act, which helped protect people's right to vote. She also served as president of the Colorado League of Women Voters. Ms. Joshel collected a large amount of art. The gardens at the Joshel House used to have many sculptures from her collection. Ms. Joshel passed away in 2009.

Why the Joshel House is Historic

The Joshel House was nominated to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. It was officially added to the register on December 28, 1995. The nomination form said the house was "the best example of a post World War II International Style residence in Denver." When it was added, it was one of the few homes built after World War II that was considered important enough for the National Register.

The Joshel House was also named a City of Denver Landmark on November 10, 1994. This means it is protected as an important part of Denver's history and architecture.

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