For a long time, it was easy to believe that the sprawling Victorian mansion at the corner of 26th and Champa streets might be empty.

But then, why would someone continue to replenish the rocks and bark chips that constitute its front yard?

Actually, the 1880 home was chopped up into 10 units long ago. According to Colorado Preservation Inc., which bought the old Mathews-Gotthelf House in 2007, the place was so packed with people that at least one slept in a bathtub.

The rocks and bark chips are still there, but the residents have moved on. Exterior renovation work began this month on a project that aims, ultimately, to find an owner who will want to make the house a home.

If you squint hard, you can see what ore and bullion broker James F. Mathews built in 1880 and what banker and rancher Isaac Gotthelf bought a decade later. It's high-style Victorian with an eclectic composition and some Second Empire-style elements. Gotthelf died in 1915 and his widow sold the house and moved to Saguache. That's where her spouse, a one- time member of the Colorado state legislature, apparently made his money.

I have a sense that those working on this project will be able to supply more information about the place as time goes by.

Curtis Park has been through its share of ups and downs, a survivor of conflicting zoning issues, civic disinterest, economic vagaries and slipshod maintenance. The neighbors apparently prefer a single-family house, which is fitting for Curtis Park, whose determined residents have restored more than their share of historic homes.

Heavy on Queen Anne, Italianate and other more fanciful offshoots of Victoriana, Curtis Park is home to the city's first park - now known as Mestizo-Curtis Park, it began as a one-block park in 1868 - and Denver's first out-of-downtown neighborhood. Construction began in earnest here in the 1870s to house the merchants, politicians and teachers hard at work in a Denver growing because of the new railroad.

Now, close to 300 buildings in Curtis Park are included in six Denver historic districts; two more districts are in the works, so this important assemblage of historic structures will grow. A Curtis Park Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and since then local designations have continued. In the process, this accent on history has set off the new and striking contemporary residential structures popping up in Curtis Park.

Thursday and Friday, Colorado Preservation Inc. sponsors its annual "Saving Places" conference, and among the offerings is a tour of Curtis Park. But at any time, it's worth a walk through the neighborhood and a look at the Mathews-Gotthelf House. After all, this organization has stuck its neck out to bring this building back into the community.

Colorado Preservation Inc. paid $500,000 for the 5,000-square-foot home, with a $400,000 loan from Colorado State Bank and Trust and a no-interest $100,000 loan from preservation advocate Elizabeth Schlosser, who has worked with CPI in several capacities.

The renovation, estimated to cost about $800,000 in phases, also has various supporters. They include State Historical Fund grants, money from the Johnson Foundation and the Boettcher Foundation and some of the new owner's proceeds from the sale of the Thomas Skerritt House, in Englewood. The neighbors in Curtis Park have contributed, too.

As the house stands now, sections of the old slate on the mansard roof peek through. The plan is to restore the slate, fix wooden cornices that act as gutters, strip and repair brick and remove an awkward concrete deck and stoop that at some point replaced the original porch. (I'm hoping the mysterious dangling downspout on the home's facade goes away, since it has all the charm of an elephant's trunk.)

Later, workers will tackle window reconstruction and restore the complete exterior. They'll also remove two small "annexes" dating from the early 20th century.

Oddly enough, research by SlaterPaull Architects, which completed a historic-structure assessment and is supervising the work, hasn't turned up the name of the original architect.

Also oddly, or perhaps amazingly, a lot of original details remain intact. There's still cresting on the roof, for instance, and, inside, much of the wood trim, many of the original mantels, some tile floor accents and parquet floors. Enough of the stained-glass windows in the stairwell survive to re-create the whole. Other than that, though, the place is a warren of gypsum board and a lot of tiny sinks.

Outside, the place is the same sort of mixed bag. The foundation needs work, but the brick is in fairly good shape, considering that the paint hasn't helped the mortar or brick. Overall, the goal is to repair original elements as much as possible before replacing them.

Whether the house reclaims single-family status or becomes offices or a mix of residential and office, the work is a step forward. And whatever happens, it draws attention to a neighborhood that was crucial to the growth of Denver - a place that has hung on to its identity through boom and bust.

Chandlerm@RockyMountain News.com or 303-954-2677

Mathews- Gotthelf House

* Where: 2601 Champa St.

* Built: 1880

* Architect: unknown

* Current status: Purchased in 2007 by Colorado Preservation Inc. Exterior renovation, by SlaterPaull Architects, has begun.

* Information: 303-893-4260, coloradopreservation.org

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