One of Denver's oldest and most notable neighborhoods -- which was the brainchild of former Denver mayor Robert W. Speer -- is still one of Denver's most popular, housing its namesake Civic Center Park, Denver Art Museum, and City and County Building. Speer's attempt at creating this meeting space and business district came to life in 1919, and can be seen throughout the years via these 11 vintage photos of the iconic Civic Center Park:
1.) "Aerial view of Denver, Colorado; shows the Colorado State Capitol building, landscaping, streets and buildings." (c. 1920)
2.) "Stereograph dry plate glass negative depicting "Broncho Buster" statue in Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado during winter, circa 1921. The statue was created by sculptor Alexander Phimster Proctor and presented to the city by John Kernan Mullen in 1920."
3.) Civic Center Park has always been a hot spot for large gatherings, as shown by this 1921 photo.
(Hopefully they did a better job of cleaning up after themselves than the 4/20 crew did...)
4.) The Voorhies Memorial (seen here sometime in the 1920s) was given to the city by John Voorhies upon completion of Civic Center Park.
5.) Christmastime at Civic Center Park (c. 1925).
6.) "Photograph depicting the Civic Center Park in Denver, Colo. at night with holiday decorations including a Christmas tree, wreaths, and holiday lights. Photographed by the Denver Commercial Photo Co. in 1935."
7.) Another aerial view of the Civic Center neighborhood and surrounding area, this time taken in the 1930s.
8.) "A rooftop view of Civic Center neighborhood and the construction site of the Federal Mint building at West Colfax Avenue and Delaware Street in Denver, Colorado."
9.) The Federal Mint building after completion (c. 1910).
10.) "View from 14th (Fourteenth) Street of a line of school buses from the Kiowa Central School District in front of the Greek Theater and Colonnade of Civic Benefactors in Civic Center Park, Denver, Colorado. Shows the Colorado State Capitol building and the Denver Public Library in the distance." (c. 1919)
11.) "Digital copy of a film negative taken by photographer Juan Espinosa on March 17, 1974. The image depicts a demonstration on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, Colo. to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Luis Junior Martinez during a skirmish with Denver police and the subsequent police attack on the headquarters of the Crusade for Justice, a Chicano civil rights organization founded by Rudolfo 'Corky' Gonzales. The photo was taken on the capitol steps looking west towards Civic Center Park and shows an Aztlan flag in the foreground and a crowd of people watching Crusade for Justice founder and Chicano activist Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales (not visible) speaking."
As always, a huge thank you goes to our friend's at History Colorado for allowing us to share these vintage photos.
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