Origami Blue Crane, Wheatley Flats - Denver, CO, USA
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 45.164 W 104° 58.818
13S E 501688 N 4400313
This origami blue crane possibly reflects the name of the architects, Craine Architecture? Or maybe an quest for peace and equality that eluded Phillis Wheatley, for which the building is named.
Waymark Code: WMZ959
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 10/02/2018
Views: 0
Built on the site of the Wheatley YWCA, this mixed residential building was completed in 2016. See (
visit link) and (
visit link) for more information.
The monument reads:
Writer, revolutionary, and pioneer, Phillis Wheatley is an inspiration to all Americans. Having been kidnapped from West Africa and enslaved, she became the first African American and one of the first women to publish a book of poetry in 1773. Despite passing away in her early 30s, six years after gaining her freedom, Ms. Wheatley is regarded today as one of the most influential and important women, poets and African Americans of all time.
"Imagination! Who can sing thy force? Or who describe the swiftness of thy course? Soaring through air to find the bright abode...We on thy pinions can surpass the wind, and leave the rolling universe behind. From star to star the mental optics rove, measure th' skies, and range the realms above. There, in one view, we grasp the mighty whole, or with new worlds amaze th' unbound soul." - Phillis Wheatley, 1773.
The Phyllis Wheatley YWCA stood at this site from 1920 to 1964, welcoming young women from across the neighborhood, at a time when opportunities for African Americans in Denver were limited, the Wheatley YWCA was a major pillar of the local community. At its founding, more than 200 women were members of the Wheatley YWCA. The YWCA was at the forefront of campaigns against racial prejudice in Denver, fighting for racial and gender equality.
The Phyllis Wheatley YWCA hosted several events including dances, carnivals, and weekly dinners. It provided clubs for local women including the Business Club and Industrial Club because the nearby mountain camps were segregated, the Wheatley YWCA formed Camp Nizhoni in the mid 1920s, for a break from the city life, girls from the branch headed to the mountain camp for two weeks of hiking, climbing, swimming and fresh air.