The Highlands was its own town before it was a Denver neighborhood. Incorporated in 1875 and annexed by Denver after an 1896 vote, it grew up as a separate community of Queen Anne houses, later Craftsman bungalows and tree-lined blocks. Many of those homes are still standing, and plenty still run on electrical systems that were added piece by piece over a century.
What We Find Behind Highlands Walls
Every decade of remodeling leaves a layer. In Highlands homes we regularly see a mix of original cloth-insulated or knob-and-tube wiring, ungrounded two-prong circuits, a small fuse box or early breaker panel, and newer kitchen or bath circuits spliced into all of it. Common work here includes:
- Full or partial rewires, planned to limit plaster and trim damage
- Service and panel upgrades sized for central air, induction cooking and EV charging
- Grounding and GFCI/AFCI protection added during remodels
- Basement finishing and attic conversions
- Repairs called out on a buyer's inspection report
Historic Districts and Carriage-Lot Garages
Part of the neighborhood sits inside the Potter Highlands Historic District, a Denver landmark district roughly bounded by Federal Boulevard, West 38th Avenue, Zuni Street and West 32nd Avenue. Its large square blocks were platted with interior carriage lots, which is why some blocks share communal or alley garages. Running power to a detached garage for a car charger, workshop or accessory dwelling often means a long trench or an overhead feeder, and in a historic district any exterior change should be checked for Landmark Preservation review first. The Old Highland Business Historic District near 15th and Boulder Streets carries its own designation as well.
Highland Square and 32nd Avenue Businesses
The shops, cafes and restaurants around Highland Square, a former trolley stop, and along West 32nd Avenue occupy older storefronts with limited electrical capacity. We help these owners with LED lighting retrofits, kitchen and equipment circuits, sign lighting, surge protection for point-of-sale systems and security cameras.
We also serve LoHi to the east, LoDo across I-25, and the rest of Denver.