The Day House, one of downtown Durango’s oldest and most recognizable properties, has undergone a remarkable transformation at the hands of local developer Mark Williamson.
For years, the Day House sat unoccupied while it decayed. Williamson saw potential in the property near the intersection of 15th Street, East Third Avenue and Florida Road, but he had to navigate layers of rules regarding historic structures and city boards watching his work.
“I was obligated to keep all the exterior elevations as they were because it’s a Third Avenue property, but my tastes are more contemporary,” Williamson said.
The home was built in 1884. David Day, a newspaper publisher and Civil War hero, purchased the home and lived there from 1892 to 1907. The home stayed in his family for decades but subsequently fell into disrepair.
Williamson purchased the home at 1503 East Third Ave. in 2010. He acknowledged he spent “well over a million bucks” rebuilding the home for himself and his family.
“It was a long process,” he said.
Dean Brookie, a Durango architect, said the Day House is a “great asset to a really important intersection, visually and functionally.”
The home is on the Animas River and has views of Missionary Ridge and mountains to the north. To the original building, Williamson added a garage and a bedroom, bringing the structure to about 3,400 square feet.
Williamson and his family now live in the home. It has lived-in touches, such as a chalkboard near the kitchen that plans out their meals for the week.
The interior features dark Ponderosa pine wood salvaged from the old house. Williamson built the home to live in, with modern touches such as large bathrooms and a walk-in closet.
A carriage house and barn were torn down and rebuilt.
Williamson’s rebuild also has modern windows and insulation. “I’m not going to build something that costs $600 a month to heat in the winter,” he said.
Williamson, the developer of Oxbow Townhomes on Animas View Drive and Santa Rita Townhomes near Santa Rita Park, is also building four, 1,500-square-foot townhomes near the Day House on the site of a former lawn mower repair shop.
More broadly, the Day House’s renovation follows a trend toward rebuilding in town – what planners call infill – and more dense urban housing. More residents with the means to own a mountain trophy home are instead opting to live downtown.
“Durango’s worked really hard to preserve our downtown area as a vital, active, fun place to be,” said Brookie. “That’s where people want to live. They want to be part of that.”
cslothower@durangoherald.com
