Civic Center Historic District - Denver, CO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"Civic Center was an idea that originated with former Denver mayor Robert W. Speer. In 1904, Speer proposed a series of civic improvements based on the City Beautiful Ideas shown to him at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Speer hired Charles Mulford Robinson among others to develop plans for the area. Robinson proposed extending 16th Street to the Colorado State Capitol and to group other municipal buildings around a central park area. However, the plan was defeated in a 1907 election.

Undaunted, Speer gathered business leaders who brought in new ideas for the Civic Center including the creation of an east-west axial between the Colorado State Capitol, and swinging the north and south borders of the park into the city grid system.

These plans were stalled when in 1912, Speer was replaced as mayor. The new mayor brought in Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. who was developing plans for Denver's mountain parks. His ideas include an informal grove of trees on the eastern edge of the park, and a lighted concert area.

When Speer was reelected in 1917, he re-pursued his ideas about the Civic Center, hiring Chicago planner and architect Edward H. Bennett, a protege of Daniel Burnham. Bennett combined the ideas of all of the previous plans, adding the Greek amphitheater, the Colonnade, the seal pond, and the realignment of Colfax Avenue and 14th Ave., around the park. The park officially opened in 1919." (from (visit link) )

Attachment A from the National Historic Landmark designation form may be found at (visit link) .

The entire area of Civic Center Park was part of the 'City Beautiful' movement which sprang from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, in Chicago, Illinois. (visit link) for more information and photos.

Many of the features of this large park have been Waymarked individually, so please do feel free to collect many Waymarks.

Street address: Clofax and Broadway Denver, CO USA 80202 County / Borough / Parish: Denver Year listed: 1974 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949 Historic function: Government, Landscape, Recreation And Culture Current function: Government, Landscape, Recreation And Culture Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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