Historic tours: for automobile, bicycle, omnibus, or walking : Denver Part 1 Auraria and Lower Downtown including Ninth Street Park and Larimer Square

              Introduction
This project began over three years ago. One night as I was driving to a social function with a friend, Father Jeldo
Shiavone—a military chaplan at Fitzsimmons Hospital, I was pointing out historic homes and buildings along the way.
As a native of Denver, I had grown up on Capitol Hill and knew about many of the homes. Father Schiavone was very
interested and later requested that I conduct a tour for Catholic Alumni Club. I agreed, thinking I could run down to the
Library, or Visitors Bureau and get some sort of book that was already in a tour format. But, the deeper I dug and the
more information that I acquired, the more I realized that there was a wealth of historical information, but none of it was
organized for a historic tour. That is when I began working on this booklet.
Since that first tour, I have done several bus tours and countless personal tours for friends and relatives. On the first
tours that I did, I began with the Tivoli Brewery and ended at the Botanic Gardens, but experience has taught me that
that is too much ground to cover in one tour. So, I have divided that tour into three areas: 1) Auraria and Lower
Downtown, 2) Upper Downtown and Civic Center, and 3) Brown's Bluff and Quality Hill.
Only buildings that are still standing (The Survivors) are included. Whenever possible early photographs are used. No
original research has been done: all material used in this book has come from the sources listed at the back. My sole
object has been to provide a guide for viewing historic buildings. Photographs of new structures are included as land
mark guides or as they relate to the developement of an area.
As you take this tour, I hope that you come to love 'old town' as much as I do. But, I also hope that as you are seeing bits
and pieces of old Denver, you will begin to see the 'new' Denver as it is emerging; a metropolitan Denver that has a
respect and reverence for its roots, but an awareness and concern for the needs of today's and tomorrow's citizens—the
same concerns that Mayor Robert W. Speer had in 1904-11 when he began to shape and mold a frontier town into a city.
Many organizations are taking an active part in the development, among them are: Denver Urban Renewal Authority
and the Convention Center, (both city agencies), the Auraria Higher Education Center (a state agency), the Denver
Center for the Performing Arts (a private foundation), and Historic Denver, Inc. (a private organization).
Acknowledgements
Many persons have given countless hours of their time and talents to make this booklet a reality. My special thanks to
them all. Father Jeldo Schiavone suggested the first tour. Lola and Leon Enge (who might be called the God-parents of
this project) provided constant guidance and encouragment that shaped the final product. Kay Cooley typed many
drafts and revisions of the manuscript. Jeff Raphaelson helped edit the manuscript. Randy Ansley helped with the
format. Valerie Brown has spent many hours advising me on financial and legal matters relating to this project.
I am indebted to the Denver Public Library, Western History Department and to Eleanor M. Gehres and her excellent
staff. They spent many hours helping me with photographs, tracking down information, and aiding with research.
Special thanks to George De Luca, Bonnie Hardwick, Doug Tabor, Lynn Taylor, Sandra Turner, Kay Wilcox and
Fred Yonce.
Judy Golden of the Colorado State Historical Society aided in searching for old photographs of Denver buildings.
I am very grateful to James Murlin and Maynard Short of Westwind designs and their staff including Jean Krause and
Cheryl Liby who did the typesetting. Jean was also very helpful in selecting type styles and sizes.
Others who have helped me with this project are: Robert Carper and David Wicks of the Denver Planning Office, Jeff
Waters of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Barbara Norgen and Barbara Sudler of Historic Denver, Inc., and
Madeline Hite of the Molly Brown House.
Cover Design by Randy Galloway
Typesetting by Westwind designs
Printing by A. D. Nix & Sons