Effie the Elephant at Cedar Park, Denver Urban Gardens
Creator
Hamilton, Kinsey
Date
2010 May 14
Summary
View of Effie the elephant. On the northeast corner of Cedar and South Knox Court in the there used to be a vacant lot with a “for sale” sign. But in the early 1990’s, community activist April Crumley decided that it was the perfect location for a neighborhood park. The project soon came to a halt as the possibility of underground storage tanks disrupted the plans. Crumley called upon graduate students at the Colorado School of Mines to come and help her locate the tanks. By using electronic and magnetic feeds, the students located two tanks that were left in the ground by the gas station owner more than 50 years ago. In 1993, Denver Urban Gardens took the title to the park. The grand opening of the park was on May 13, 1995 and has been the location for Cedar Park Market and community celebrations.
Cedar Park features a stone walk with shelter, picnic tables, and benches. The main attractions with a nod to P.T. Barnum are an elephant sculpture and decorative bronze cutouts by artist Calvin Farrow. The whimsical elephant sculpture is made out of rebar and chicken wire frame with a concrete exterior. 176 South Knox Court, Denver, CO 80219
