Let me show you around
Harvey Park South
Small postwar houses south of Yale, on streets west of the old Loretto Heights campus. The 1891 red sandstone Administration Building still tops the hill, its 1963 theatre is being rebuilt, and Bear Valley Shopping Center holds the Hampden and Sheridan corner.
About 91% of homes here were built between 1940 and 1959, median 1,150 sq ft. What to check on houses like these
Live listings on compass.com. Send me any address and I’ll tell you what to look for.
Winter sun
Which driveways stay iced in December and which back yards keep the afternoon. Worth knowing before you fall for a house.
See how the winter sun falls on Harvey Park South (opens in new tab)
Housing stock: Denver Assessor open data, 2026-09-19.
Living in Harvey Park South
Harvey Park South runs from Yale Avenue south to US 285, with Sheridan Boulevard on the west and Federal Boulevard on the east. Harvey Park is right across Yale to the north, and despite the shared name the two are separate neighborhoods. What sets this one apart is the hill on its east side, where the Sisters of Loretto founded a school in 1886.
Farmland, then a neighborhood built out by 1960
West of the campus sat Fair Hill Farm, owned by John Flower, a son-in-law of J.K. Mullen. Denver annexed the area in pieces between 1950 and 1960 and had all of it by 1973, but the houses came faster than the paperwork: by 1960 the neighborhood was almost entirely built.
The big roads do the heavy lifting. Sheridan, Federal and Hampden (US 285) carry the traffic, and the houses sit on the cross streets between them. It's a neighborhood laid out around driving, so plan on a car for most errands.
Small postwar houses and a strip of apartments
Denver Assessor open data puts 91 percent of the roughly 2,249 detached houses here in the 1940 to 1959 window, at a median of about 1,150 square feet. Sharon Park, a small development just north of Loretto Heights, dates to the early 1950s. About 400 multifamily units went up after 1970 near the eastern edge, so if you're after an apartment-style place or something attached, that side of the neighborhood is where to look.
The Loretto Heights campus
Frank E. Edbrooke designed the Administration Building, a Romanesque landmark of red sandstone with a 100-foot belfry, dedicated on December 10, 1891. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. A chapel followed in 1911.
Loretto Heights College closed in the late 1980s. Teikyo Loretto Heights University took over the campus in 1989, was renamed Colorado Heights University in 2009, and closed in 2016. A developer bought the property in 2018. Westside Investment Partners now runs the redevelopment under the city's Loretto Heights Area Plan, which covers the campus and the land around it.
The theatre coming back to the hill
The May Bonfils Stanton Theatre, designed by G. Meredith Musick and finished in 1963, was Denver's second-largest indoor theatre when it opened. Denver Arts & Venues owns it and broke ground on a renovation on July 24, 2026. The renovation is funded in part by $45 million from the 2021 RISE bond, and a new parking structure is planned beside the building. Community College of Denver is set to run it day to day. Opening is set for 2028, though the city says that could change. If you're buying close to the campus, expect construction activity on the hill while the work runs.
Hampden, Sheridan and the Bear Valley corner
Bear Valley Shopping Center opened at Hampden and Sheridan on April 1, 1958, in the neighborhood's southwest corner, and Bear Valley Branch Library opened nearby in 1971. In the center, Doghouse Tavern at 3100 S. Sheridan Blvd. is a dog-friendly neighborhood pub with a patio and fire pit, wings and Colorado pork green chili.
US 285 forms the southern edge. One odd detail near 285 and Federal: a small commercial pocket there belongs to Arapahoe County, not Denver, so check the county on any property listing right at that corner.
FAQ
Is Harvey Park South part of Harvey Park?
No. They're separate neighborhoods. Harvey Park is north of Yale Avenue, and Harvey Park South runs from Yale south to US 285.
How old are the houses?
Mostly 1950s. Denver Assessor open data puts 91 percent of the detached houses in the 1940 to 1959 range, at a median of about 1,150 square feet.
What is happening at Loretto Heights?
Westside Investment Partners is redeveloping the campus under the Loretto Heights Area Plan. The Administration Building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.
When does the Loretto Heights theatre reopen?
Denver Arts & Venues broke ground on the May Bonfils Stanton Theatre renovation on July 24, 2026, and plans to open it in 2028, a date the city says could change.
Where do you shop?
Bear Valley Shopping Center sits at Hampden and Sheridan, in the neighborhood's southwest corner, and Bear Valley Branch Library is nearby.