LAKEWOOD — A home representing Lakewood’s agricultural history has been in rapid decline since being vacated in 2004 and now the city and neighbors are figuring out what to do with the O’Kane farm.
Neighbors say the property — a two-story house, barn, bunkhouse and related structures on the south side of O’Kane Park at 7101 W. 1st. Ave.— is an integral part of the neighborhood, serving as its identity and hub for community gatherings.
‘If you talk to any of the neighbors, you have people saying they have memories of the family staying there,” said Debbie Koop, a former councilwoman who lives nearby. “Neighbors gather every year to decorate the house with Christmas lights and then we sing carols.”
A 2012 historical structure assessment pegged the cost of rehabilitation at roughly $850,000. The city will host the first of many public meetings Sept. 16 to discuss historic designation, funding sources for restoration and potential uses, said Michelle Nierling, the city’s heritage, culture and arts manager.
“If you make an investment, you want to make sure it will come back to the community and the neighbors are agreeable to it and it continues to be an asset,” Nierling said.
Some neighbors and an O’Kane family member expressed frustration it’s taken so long to begin discussions.
“When we turned it over to the city in 2001 it was in great shape and had been lived in and kept up,” said Kelly Krapes, 48, a granddaughter of the original owners. “As time goes on, things start deteriorating and it’s been a little frustrating with the length of time it’s taken for us to get to get to this point.”
According to the 2012 assessment, the property is a “somewhat rare example of an original farmhouse with intact outbuildings in their original configuration within a largely urban context.”
Bernard and Elizabeth O’Kane moved from Ireland to Lakewood in 1895 . They operated a 5-acre dairy farm at the site and were one of the earliest settlers in Jefferson County. Bernard O’Kane died of influenza during the 1918 pandemic, and his wife went on to raise four children.
Two of the O’Kane kids, Betsy and Anne, lived their whole lives at the property. After Betsy O’Kane’s death in 1998, the city purchased the property in 2001 for $150,000 and a caretaker lived there until 2004. This followed a 1978 purchase of the surrounding 28 acres by the city that eventually became O’Kane Park.
Steve Cauley is one of many neighbors who have helped take care of the property over the years. He’s concerned the small bathroom and other features make it inaccessible for disabled visitors, prohibiting any potential public use.
“The barn is in really poor condition, and sometimes I’m afraid if we get a good storm it may blow the thing over,” Cauley said. “I realize the house has a lot of historical significance, but unfortunately it can’t be used for anything unless someone comes up with a lot of money.”
The house currently has no historic designation, and that could be the first step in getting funding, said Barb Heckle, a member of the O’Kane Neighborhood Association.
“I hate to have it disappear, but this is it,” Heckle said. “If something’s not done soon, we’re going to lose it.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
Meeting
The City of Lakewood will host a public meeting to gather input regarding the future of the O’Kane house.
When: 6 p.m., Sept. 16
Where: Lakewood Christian Church, 25 S. Newland St.