Bow Mar (1958, 5,500 feet) is located between and named for Bowles and Marston lakes in southwest suburban Denver. Lloyd J. King, founder of Colorado's King Soopers grocery chain, purchased the 575-acre parcel in 1947. He hired Denver landscape architects and city planners Harman, O'Donnell and Henninger to design a suburban community of one-acre house lots centered on Bowles Lake, with its sandy beaches, docks, and wildlife sanctuaries. Today Bow Mar is an upscale suburban retreat of about 850 residents. The subdivision show home (1948, Harman, O'Donnell and Henninger), 5200 Lakeshore Drive, drew inspiration from a popular 1948 comedy film starring Myrna Loy and Cary Grant, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. This Colonial Revival ranch house captures a fine view of the lakes and the mountains beyond with a large picture window. It is the prototype for the subdivision's single-story, side-gabled, low-slung houses, characterized by contrasting combinations of wood, brick, and stone, picture windows, and minimal decorative detail.
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