Recently our team had the privilege of doing a photoshoot inside a dear friend and client's home. Denver natives may have heard of the Tammen House before, as it holds historical significance. The owners of the home, Bill and Niña, were generous enough to open their doors to us and share a little bit about the history of their spectacular home.

The History of Tammen House

In 1908, Harry Tammen commissioned architect Edwin Moorman to design this classic revival estate to celebrate his success. Tammen started as a bartender and made his way to become a part owner of the Denver Post and also quite interestingly, a part owner of a circus. The Governor at the time, William Ellery Sweet, was not a fan of Tammen or The Denver Post, so when he caught wind of Tammen’s plans to build a home next door to his, he tried to stop it. Clearly Mr. Sweet was unsuccessful and as a half serious response, Tammen spread news about a plan to build an elephant barn next to Sweet’s mansion. Niña shared that the two neighbors would notoriously yell profanities to each other from their homes. 

The house was also famously used as a venue for speeches made by 2 former Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt and William H. Taft. There was even a phone room with a direct line to the White House. The home had other notable visitors including Harry Houdini and Jack Dempsy. Dempsey was a good friend of Tammen's and even gifted him his beloved Doberman, Mox, that he brought to Tammen all the way from Germany! Tammen had to retrain the dog in English since his commands were all taught to him in German. Niña and Bill still have framed photos in the house of Mox on the property.

Bill and Niña moving in to Tammen House

In 2012, Bill and Niña were looking to move into a more spacious home. Nina was a collector of all things antique and for over 35 years had grown a carefully curated collection. She had begun to run out of room in her previous home when the couple saw that the Tammen House was on the market. They had always admired the home and never thought they would have the opportunity to actually live in it. Growing up, Bill’s parents were friends with the owners of the Tammen House, he spent many days and nights playing on the property, giving him an emotional connection to the home from childhood. It was an opportunity they could not pass up, so Bill and Niña took the leap and went all in on the magnificent house. 

From the very beginning the most important thing to the couple was to honor the history of the home. The house is designated a historic landmark so preservation over restoration was their motivation. In 2018, they took on a large exterior restoration project which took about a year and a half to complete. After 105 years, the house needed a lot of lifting as it had started to sink. The brick was deteriorating, the finish was falling off of the terracotta, there were sags under the belly of the porch, and the balcony started to bow. The couple hired the best teams in town for the job which included Ekman Design Studio, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, and Summit Sealants & Restoration to complete this huge project. 

As for the interior of the home, that is more of an ongoing project. The couple’s biggest challenge when designing the interior was not only filling the large home, but filling it correctly. Their goal was to find the perfect balance between honoring its history and bringing it into the modern day. When walking through the home it is clear that Bill and Niña have a great ability to achieve this seamlessly. 

 

Niña and Anuschka 

Niña “instantly knew she was a talent.” Both collectors in their own right, Niña and Anuschka share a passion for flowers and handmade art and textiles. It is through this bond over shared interests that they have become lifelong friends over the years. “Now I have known Anuschka for 25 years and I have literally seen her bloom.” The friendship and support they have for each other is pretty clear, when looking around her magnificent home you can spot Bloom vases, plants, pillows, textiles, and furniture, very intentionally placed all around her home. Throughout the years we have also sold some of Niña’s products, like her floral trays. She would photograph flowers and create beautiful serving trays with the photographs printed on them. There are also textiles Niña has collected throughout the years that we have purchased from her to create unique handmade pillows. There may be touches of Bloom in her home but there are also touches of Niña in Bloom.

Niña and Her Collection

Niña grew up in Connecticut and New York with her parents and 3 siblings. Although her father was more of a businessman, her mother was a painter, and it seems that her artistry was passed down to her children. Niña along with her older brother and one of her younger sisters followed in their mothers footsteps and went on to become sculptures, illustrators, photographers, and musicians. This led Niña to graduate college with a triple major in Art History, Fine Arts, and Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. With this knowledge she went on to become a successful magazine editor for over 25 years. Working for Hearst Magazine, Mountain Living, American Home, House and Garden, and Country Living, Nina has been able to apply her educational background everywhere she goes. Her passion for flowers led her to start her own magazine with Country Living called Country Living Gardener. This magazine gave her the opportunity to travel all around the world looking for the most magnificent gardens. Although it only ran for a few years, her love for all things floral grew which gave her the inspiration for her trays! 

As editor, she often had to look for fascinating collections, homes, and real people in real life settings. “If I have any talent it is finding and celebrating people and talent,” as an editor she spent most of her time doing just that. Once she found her subject she would conceptualize stories, find locations, and direct photography. Niña always loved finding passion in peoples' space.

Thanks to Bill and Niña

It is their artistic drive, dedication to restoration, and unique eye, that make Bill and Niña the ideal owners of the Tammen House. A special thanks to this kind and generous couple for letting us peek inside their astonishing home and for allowing us to share a taste of it with the world!

Images by Kristen Hatgi Sink

Written by Veronica Hernandez