Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access
On March 25th, 2021 Historic Denver’s board and staff came together for a special session dedicated to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access. The meeting was the culmination of six months of work by a board task force convened to dive deeper into this work, its intersection with historic preservation and historical interpretation, and to make…
Chicano/a/x Mural Preservation Action Fund Project
Denver murals named to list of most endangered historic places in America In 2018 Historic Denver began a partnership with Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado Project (CMCP) to help preserve murals important to Denver’s cultural heritage. Supported through Historic Denver’s Action Fund, phase one implementation of this project will focus on preserving four of the earliest…
Former Colorado Women’s College Campus
Treat Hall, now know as Centennial Hall, was fully rehabilitated by JWU and is now protected by an easement held by Historic Denver. 110-Year-Old Campus has New Owners On the eastern edge of Park Hill, on what was once the vast open prairie, sits a campus that has endured ups and downs and served generations…
Burnham Yard
Interior of Machine Shop 5. A Unique, Industrial Historic Site Situated in an industrial corridor near the South Platte River and 1-25, the Burnham Yard property recently changed hands following more than a century of ownership by major railroads. Full plans for the site and its historic buildings are not yet developed. Historic Denver hopes…
Denver’s East Central Area Plan
East Area Plan Projects Vision for Six Core Neighborhoods In 2018, Denver City Council adopted an update to Blueprint Denver, a citywide land use and transportation plan. As follow-up, the City Planning Office is now creating plans for collections of neighborhoods across Denver through a process called the Neighborhood Planning Initiative. The East Central Area…
Changes To The Landmark Ordinance Approved
Changing the Demolition vs. Designation Paradigm In a Sept. 30, 2019 meeting, Denver City Council unanimously approved updates to the city’s landmark preservation ordinance, also known as Chapter 30 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. The updates, which will greatly improve the landmark process with more inclusion and creative problem-solving, include: Shifting the way time…
Tom’s Diner
Googie Diner to be Saved, Now Listed on National Register The Googie‐style building at Colfax & Pearl, known to many as Tom’s Diner, will be saved from demolition and reinvented through a partnership between GBX Group and the longtime owner. The diner first garnered public attention in May 2019 when the City of Denver posted…
Larimer Square
Larimer Square Gets a New Owner In December 2020, Larimer & Associates sold Larimer Square to Asana Partners of North Carolina, following a three-year period of uncertainty for the block. Asana, which owns historic structures in other cities, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and Alexandria, Virginia, has indicated its commitment to restoring the block. Why It…
Loretto Heights
Key Historic Buildings to be Preserved Preservation work is underway at Loretto Heights within the broader redevelopment project, following a multi-year public planning process. The Administration Building and connected chapel, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, are now protected by an easement donated to Historic Denver by the owner. Pancratia Hall…
John Henderson House- Colorado’s First Black Architect
Celebrating the Life & Work of John Henderson John Henderson was the first licensed African American architect in the state of Colorado. He worked on many institutional buildings in the City and County of Denver, but he was most proud of his family home in the Skyland/City Park North neighborhood, which he designed himself in…