Halprin Fountain, Skyline Park

Located between 15th and 18th along Arapahoe St in Downtown, Skyline park has a storied preservation history. Constructed between 1972 and 1975, this one-acre linear park and plaza was a central feature of the Skyline Urban Renewal District. The park was designed by Lawrence Halprin, who subsequently went on to be one of the most lauded landscape architects of the later 20th century. Halprin’s three-block design was sunken below street level and heavily planted along the edges. Concrete elements such as retaining walls, stepped seating walls, planters and abstract fountains were the park’s most distinctive features. Each block included a major water feature, which were intended to invoke Colorado’s mountain setting. Nearly twenty years ago the City undertook a redesign and nearly all Halprin’s design elements were eliminated, leaving only a few pieces, including the foundation in the 1600 block.

Action

In 2020, the Department of Parks & Recreation launched a new planning effort to redesign Skyline Park, which did not include the remaining elements of Halprin’s design. Historic Denver, have expressed concern to the city since incorporating Halprin’s work would not only preserve a piece of his legacy but help to tell the story of downtown’s evolution. New plans were released in October of 2021 which showed new plans that preserve the fountains as part of the re-designed park.