From Poet's Row to the names that could've inspired a skit on South Park, Denver's got some distinctly named residences.
Take a spin through a list of local apartment names and, sure, some might make you giggle. SkyHouse Denver, 7/S Denver Haus, Belmont Buckingham, all of these names might be cause to whisper your address while ordering takeout. But there's probably a reason that it was named that way.
Liza Prall of Prall Marketing would know. She's the owner of the 10-year-old company that specializes in real estate branding.
"The name is really part of the brand. The reason you brand a building is to help differentiate and create interest and demand as part of a sales and marketing," she said.
For example, Prall's company named the Verve apartment building downtown.
"We came to Verve, meaning sort of enthusiasm for life. That one was an audience-related pick, thinking about who we'd be talking to," Prall said.
But they also considered art-related names, names based on an "outdoor-biking lifestyle," a historic name for its proximity to the old Denver Post printing press and more.
Ultimately, the team went with Verve, the name that was supposed to evoke "what would your life be like living there?"
The whole process took about two weeks.
"It depends on how long building owners take to make a decision," she said. "In addition to just the name, you have to make sure that there's an available URL."
Other times, an owner requests a name that reflects the building's location. That's how Prall Marketing ended up naming Park Place Old Town.
"Sometimes it's more scientific and sometimes it's more guttural in terms of people's reactions," she said.
But the whole process is about a building's identity, which means that if you find the name silly, you might not be the target audience.
"I can speak as a marketing professional and say if a name is working in term's of the project's goals. Or I can speak as a pedestrian, in which case it's just a matter of taste," Prall said.
