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Neighborhood Life
Neighborhood Life• APRIL 2015
City Park West • Whittier • San Rafael • Uptown • Curtis Park • Five Points • RiNo
APRIL 2015
City Park a Landmark District? Master plan revision ahead as committee explores possibility of designation By J. Patrick O’Leary
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istoric Denver hosted a public meeting to discuss designating City Park as a local landmark on Feb. 24, drawing about 50 people. Held at the L2 Church, East Colfax and Columbine, the gathering was the first opportunity for citizens to “engage in exploratory work” done by the City Park Historic Designation Exploration Committee, a stakeholder group convened last summer by Historic Denver, according to Executive Director Annie Levinsky. She said it was too soon to know if and when the designation would be pursued, or what the community’s opinion is. “It’s always hard to use 50 people to show community consensus,” Levinsky said. “There’s definitely interest in the idea. People see the advantages, and the committee will continue to work on the process—we’re looking at the next steps.” The meeting was the first step in a four-phase process of exploration, outreach and education, planning, and implementation, according to Levinsky. Since its creation in July 2014, the committee has reviewed the 2001 City Park Master Plan—“Revitalizing the Legacy of City Park”—which included a historic assessment. The Plan recommended the local landmark designation to raise awareness of the park’s history. The committee also studied the impact of the park’s current National Register of Historic Places designation, as well as the difference between local, state and National Register landmarks, and determined that the historic designation would not affect use of the park, only its physical attributes. The committee looked at how landmark designation is used in the management of Civic Center Park, the only regional park currently designated in a local historic district. “It’s the best example of how a historic designation would work,” said Levinsky, pointing out that a wide range of community events, See CITY PARK on page 16
Two Way Bike Lane Proposed for Broadway Cyclists currently avoid Broadway due to high auto congestion By Jason McKinney
CITY PARK, enjoyed by the many residents of Denver, may soon become a local landmark. PHOTO BY JEFF HERSCH
Doors Open Denver Denver classics, then & now By Dina Berta
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ld and new structures in Five Points and Curtis Park are among the more than 60 venues in the city that will be open to the public for the 11th annual Doors Open Denver event Apr. 25 - 26. Among the oldest buildings is the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance at 119 Park, built in 1925. One of the newest buildings on the tour is the Mile High United Way Morgridge Center at 711 Park, which was completed in 2014. These sites follow the theme of this year’s Doors Open Denver, “Denver Classics, Then and
Now.” Presented by the Denver Architectural Foundation, Doors Open Denver will be headquartered this year at the newly renovated Denver Union Station, a historic landmark at the center of new development projects. “The event will showcase how innovative new public spaces are transforming the urban landscape while complementing historically beloved buildings,” said Brit Probst, committee chair of Doors Open Denver. Free sites include the Historic Sugar Building, the Dry Ice Factory, Redline, the Denver Art Museum, the lobby of the Paris Hotel Building, the Source, Con-
verge Denver and TAXI among many others. Tickets also can be purchased for Insider Tours to view areas of buildings not normally open to the public. They include a look at mansions on Capitol Hill, the DaVita Building, the D&F Tower and the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab. Tickets range from $5 to $26. Registration will open on April 6. Proceeds from sales will benefit Doors Open Denver, a non-profit organization. For more information about free sites and tours, as well as paid Insider Tours, visit doorsopendenver.com. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is among the free sites offered for visitors. The building was the home of Shorter AME Church, the first African Amer See DOORS OPEN on page 2
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icyclists make up a large portion of the commuters who make their way to and from work in Denver each day. Many areas of the city currently do not have bike lanes for those who pedal their way everywhere. There is currently a proposal being explored that would add a protected bike lane along Broadway, one of the busiest north-south arteries in Denver. There is also a chance that the two way bike lane could extend beyond, running from I-25 north to I-70. The city has allocated $200,000 this year for viewing proposals for the lane, which would run from I-25 to 12th. Part of the process will include hiring a consultant to consider all viable options. This would be a part of the Denver Moves bike plan, a task force established in 2011 and designed to expand the city for non-motorized transportation and recreation, and identifying… “the next phase of priorities for making bicycle and multi-use connections in the Mile High City”. The main focus of the task force is to integrate existing off and on street networks to create safer, more comfortable corridors linking neighborhoods, parks, business districts and other high profile destinations within Denver. Already confirmed and in the works is a raised cycle track which will run along Brighton and will be separated from the road between 29th and 44th. There is also a potential bike lane, approved by City Council last year, which would run between Colfax and Speer. However, it is still at least a few years from being realized. Currently, there is a one way protected bike lane that separates cars from bike riders with a brick-colored strip on 15th between Cleveland and Larimer. See TWO-LANE on page 2
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE, 119 Park, will be open for tours during Doors Open Denver, Apr. 25-26. PHOTO BY JEFF HERSCH
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