A Neighborhood Built on a Remarkable Past
Green Gables Village is one of those Lakewood neighborhoods where the landscape tells much of the story. Mature trees, gently rolling ground, winding residential streets, and preserved traces of an earlier era all hint that this was once far more than a collection of homes. Near West Jewell Avenue and South Wadsworth Boulevard, Green Gables Village grew out of land that had long been associated with open space, country living, and one of Colorado’s most celebrated golf clubs.
Today, residents know the area for its comfortable homes, nearby parks, Green Gables Elementary School, and easy access to Carmody Recreation Center and the Bear Creek corridor. But beneath that everyday convenience is a layered history reaching back more than a century.
Before the Village: Farms, Estates, and Open Land
Like much of Lakewood, the Green Gables area developed gradually from an agricultural landscape west of Denver. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this part of Jefferson County was characterized by farms, ranches, irrigation ditches, and large private properties rather than dense neighborhoods.
The most important early chapter came with the Reed family estate. In 1921, the Reed family built a large residence on roughly 150 acres as what local historical accounts describe as a “honeymoon cottage.” The house reportedly received the name *Green Gables* because of its deep green shutters and prominent roof gables—a simple architectural reference that would eventually become the identity of an entire community. ([southerngablesneighborhoodassociation.com](https://southerngablesneighborhoodassociation.com/footsteps-3/?utm_source=openai))
That name was not originally intended to describe a suburb. It belonged to a private estate, surrounded by trees and open acreage, at a time when Jewell Avenue still felt distinctly rural.
The Green Gables Country Club Era
The property’s next major transformation came in the 1920s. In 1929, the Neusteter Group acquired the acreage and established a social club that developed into Green Gables Country Club. The club’s golf course officially dates to 1928, with a nine-hole course opening the following year. ([colo.golf](https://www.colo.golf/2011/10/29/green-gables-left-indelible-mark/?utm_source=openai))
For much of the twentieth century, Green Gables was known throughout the Denver area as an exclusive country club and golf destination. Its grounds included broad fairways, mature landscaping, wooded edges, and gathering spaces that made the property feel like a secluded retreat. The club’s location near Wadsworth and Jewell placed it close enough to Denver for prominent residents and visitors while preserving a sense of distance from the city.
Green Gables also became an important setting for professional golf. The club hosted major tournaments, including LPGA events and the National Jewish Hospital Open. Its teaching professionals included Paul Runyan, a World Golf Hall of Fame member whose influence extended well beyond the course. Colorado golf historians have noted that relatively few existing courses in the state are older than Green Gables. ([colo.golf](https://www.colo.golf/2011/10/29/green-gables-left-indelible-mark/?utm_source=openai))
For longtime Lakewood residents, the country club was more than a golf course. It was a familiar landmark, a place associated with weddings, celebrations, elegant dinners, and generations of local memories.
How Green Gables Village Got Its Name
The modern neighborhood did not invent the Green Gables name; it inherited it from the estate and country club that came before. This connection is part of what gives Green Gables Village its unusual sense of continuity.
Lakewood planning records identify Green Gables Village as a planned development area, with multiple filings and phases laid out over time. The neighborhood’s street names and legal subdivisions reflect the transition from a large private property to a residential community. ([lakewoodco.gov](https://www.lakewoodco.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/planning/development-assistance/pdfs/historic-zoning-maps/zm2006.pdf?utm_source=openai))
The name also distinguishes this area from nearby neighborhoods with similar identities, including Green Gables Manor, Green Gables Meadows, Southern Gables, and Valley View. Together, these communities form part of a broader southwest Lakewood landscape shaped by mid-century suburban growth and the former country club grounds.
The End of the Golf Club and a New Beginning
By the early twenty-first century, changing economics and shifting patterns in private club membership placed pressure on Green Gables Country Club. The club ultimately closed in 2011, ending more than eight decades of golf and social history on the property. The 152-acre site was sold for redevelopment, prompting both excitement about new housing and concern about losing a beloved local landmark. ([pcsgroupco.com](https://www.pcsgroupco.com/projects/green-gables?utm_source=openai))
The resulting Green Gables master-planned community was designed around the idea of “Legacy Forward”—a plan intended to preserve the character of the land while making room for new homes and modern amenities. Developers emphasized the site’s trees, trails, rolling terrain, and long history.
One particularly meaningful decision was the preservation and renovation of the old golf-course halfway house. The building was expanded and adapted into a community gathering space with an outdoor pool, patio, and fire pit. In this way, the neighborhood’s newest residents could still encounter a physical reminder of the golf club era. ([pcsgroupco.com](https://www.pcsgroupco.com/projects/green-gables?utm_source=openai))
Streets, Parks, and Community Landmarks
Green Gables Village is woven into a larger network of Lakewood destinations. Streets such as South Balsam Street, South Brentwood Street, West Asbury Avenue, and West Woodard Drive help define the residential area, while West Jewell Avenue remains its major historic thoroughfare.
Nearby Green Gables Park, at 1450 South Garrison Street, offers a neighborhood-scale green space with a pond, walking loop, playground, baseball and softball fields, and soccer fields. It is a fitting modern counterpart to the open grounds that once characterized the area. ([lakewoodco.gov](https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/Community-Resources/Parks-Forestry-and-Open-Space/A-to-Z-Park-List/Green-Gables-Park?utm_source=openai))
Green Gables Elementary School adds another important layer to local life. Schools often become the heart of a neighborhood, and generations of families have connected through classrooms, playgrounds, school events, and nearby streets. Carmody Recreation Center, Jewell Park, Kendrick Lake Park, and the Bear Creek greenbelt further expand the area’s recreational appeal.
A Neighborhood That Keeps Evolving
The Green Gables area has changed dramatically—from farm country, to an estate, to a private golf club, and finally to a contemporary residential community. Yet the transformation has not erased its past. Mature trees still soften the streetscape. The old club property remains legible in the neighborhood’s open layout and landscape. The name itself continues to point back to the green-shuttered home and the country club that made this corner of Lakewood famous.
What makes Green Gables Village special is that its history is not confined to a plaque or museum exhibit. It is visible in the terrain, remembered in local stories, and carried forward through the people who live here. A walk along the neighborhood streets can feel both comfortably suburban and faintly historic—a reminder that today’s homes stand on ground that has hosted families, golfers, celebrations, and quiet country life for generations.
That blend of memory and change is the real heritage of Green Gables Village: a Lakewood neighborhood that honors where it came from while continuing to grow into what it can become.