Midcentury metal kitchen cabinets salvaged at a Washington Park home demolition. A vintage skee-ball machine scored at an Estes Park arcade vendor’s going-out-of-business sale. A six-burner range (with a 24-inch griddle!) that came from a restaurant equipment auction. When it comes to outfitting their home in Denver’s Barnum neighborhood, Christy Kruzick and Danny Newman take an everything-old-is-new-again approach.

“I think there is something romantic about all this old stuff,” Kruzick says.

5280 Home Spring 2015
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Which can be said for the actual structure, too. The 3,200-square-foot, circa-1910 building was, at various times, a community church, a Masonic lodge, a Mexican restaurant, and a burrito factory (yes, you read that right) before Newman found, bought, and began renovations on it 11 years ago. “It was just outer brick walls,” he says. “The windows and roof had collapsed inward, and the floor had inches of caked dirt and dead things.”

But the story of the home is what intrigued him. And Newman, a tech entrepreneur and hipster-about-town (he’s the founder of the Denver Zombie Crawl), seemingly has DIY know-how in his DNA. The loftlike layout he dreamed up features a roomy kitchen with a glowing, polycarbonate soffit that sets the stage for entertaining. Orange electrical cords with filament bulbs create an artful light fixture above the “island” (fashioned from a door he and Kruzick found in the alley). And a sliding door, which is made out of an old, painted “Hot Tamale” sign he found on the roof of the building, is a leftover from the home’s burrito-factory days.

Although Newman didn’t meet Kruzick until after he’d rescued the building and made it habitable, they both agree theirs is a match made in collector heaven. Vignettes of found objects decorate the space and serve as quirky conversation-starters for the couple’s frequent guests: a Lite-Bright station and a display of Super 8 cameras, for example. “Our friends often call up and ask to host parties here,” Newman laughs. We just hope we get invited.

Danny Newman and Christy Kruzick’s guide to Denver’s Art World:

Favorite Gallery

Metro State’s Center for Visual Arts
“They showcase work from established artists (there’s a Shepard Fairey mural on the building), but they also feature MSU students and staff.” msudenver.edu/cva

Favorite Artist

Sandi Calistro
“We find it impossible to choose just one!” But they are especially drawn to Calistro, whose paintings evoke Margaret Keane’s “big eyes” art from the ’60s. sandicalistroart.com

Favorite Photographer

Sara Ford
“When we saw her graphite-on-wood pieces, we fell in love. Also, they fit perfectly on our bookshelf.” sarafordphotography.com

— Reproduction Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chairs surround a Danish modern table, which Newman inherited from his grandparents
— A vintage skee-ball machine delights visitors of any age. Many of the couple’s collectibles were once considered high-tech (see: the Apple IIe computer and collection of Polaroid cameras). A staggered bookcase from Blu Dot displays conversation pieces and doubles as a space partition
— A partial wall surrounds the couple’s bedroom; a salvaged sign, discovered on the roof of the building, was repurposed into a sliding door
—Photography by David Lauer Christy Kruzick and Danny Newman’s collection of art and artifacts enlivens the industrial shell of their Barnum home. A patriotic soapbox derby car (found on Craigslist) tempts visitors to take a spin on the refinished oak floor, while “Marilyn Monroe,” painted by artist Scot Lefavor, looks on
–Christy Kruzick and Danny Newman
— Reproduction Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chairs surround a Danish modern table, which Newman inherited from his grandparents
— A vintage skee-ball machine delights visitors of any age. Many of the couple’s collectibles were once considered high-tech (see: the Apple IIe computer and collection of Polaroid cameras). A staggered bookcase from Blu Dot displays conversation pieces and doubles as a space partition
— A partial wall surrounds the couple’s bedroom; a salvaged sign, discovered on the roof of the building, was repurposed into a sliding door
—Photography by David Lauer Christy Kruzick and Danny Newman’s collection of art and artifacts enlivens the industrial shell of their Barnum home. A patriotic soapbox derby car (found on Craigslist) tempts visitors to take a spin on the refinished oak floor, while “Marilyn Monroe,” painted by artist Scot Lefavor, looks on
–Christy Kruzick and Danny Newman