Colorado Asian Pacific United begins work on mural to commemorate Denver’s former Chinatown

On April 2, 2023, the Denver community came together to paint the primer for the first mural dedicated to Denver’s historic Chinatown at Fire Station No. 4 at 19th and Lawrence Streets.

Organized by Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU), community members and supporters were invited to help paint the brick wall white.

Nalye Lor, a Hmong-American artist that grew up in Denver, and CAPU Vice Chair and mural project lead Joie Ha thanked the city and the Fire Station No. 4 for their support in making the mural a reality. The mural is ex- pected to completed in late May or early June.

“This mural is a way for us to physically, and metaphorically in a way, reclaim this space and let folks know what this place used to be like,” said Ha.

In the late 1800s, several blocks of what’s now known as Lower Downtown was home to a thriving Chinatown, made up of Chinese immigrants who owned restaurants and businesses. On October 31, 1880, an attack on the Chinatown began with a bar fight and ended with the mass burning of Chinese-owned properties. White rioters lynched a Chinese worker, Look Young.

The upcoming mural is among the first steps being taken to share a more accurate account of the community’s history.

Using grant funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CAPU selected Lor’s mural design last year. Her mural concept features Chinese characters spelling out a proverb, “Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid of standing still.”

Visit coloradoasianpacificunited. org to learn more about the mural and/or watch the “Reclaiming Denver’s Chinatown” documentary.