Walk 4 Auraria Campus: The First Denver Boundaries: Champa St., 9th St., Auraria Pkwy., Speer Blvd. Distance: 1 mile Difficulty: Easy Parking: Fee parking lots Public Transit: RTD light-rail train stops at approx. Colfax Ave. and 9th St. History can be so enlightening, just like a good education.
Naturally therewas more than one prospector around the confluence of Cherry Creek and theSouth Platte River in 1858. The town of Auraria was founded a few weeks beforewhat became Denver City was settled on the other side of Cherry Creek. GeneralWilliam Larimer basically jumped a claim to secure Denver City for his party, andthen soon was in competition with the town founders of Auraria. As each citygrew, and the discoveries of gold in the mountains lured more and more peopleto the area, the towns were united in 1860 (legend has it the unification wasagreed to over a barrel of whiskey). One hundred years later, much of Aurariawas gone and the site was filled with a 169-acre campus for three colleges: theMetropolitan State College of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, andthe Community College of Denver. This walk threads through the historicalbuildings still standing and in use - Victorian cottages, churches, and a formerbrewery - amidst the modern, bustling primarily commuter campus. As with many parts of Denver, this campus has been growing in recent years so you will pass new buildings that may not be mentioned as they were under construction at the time of this writing. Tour Directions Begin on 9th and Champa Sts.
at the east end of the Auraria townsite, alsocalled the [1] Ninth Street Historic Park. These 13 restored homes and formergrocery store were built between 1872 and 1906. Walk west on either side of thegrass divider between the houses. Although these charming Victorian-era homesare used as campus administrative office space today, small plaques in front ofeach house tell about the architectural style and who lived there originally. Whatmakes this preserved block so appealing is how well maintained all of the housesare, including the individual fenced yards and gardens. It''s as if the originalresidents might return to finish pruning the roses any minute and strike up afriendly conversation. At the end of the block, turn right on Curtis St. Walk under the skybridgebetween the campus buildings to the 10th St.
Plaza and keep going to the stonechurch ahead on the right. Turn right in front of [2] St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church and walk east past the church to see the friary and shrine to St. Francis. The originalchurch building became too small for the booming German, Irish, and otherEnglish-speaking parishioners, so it was torn down and this building was erectedin 1889. In 1908, the church became infamous when the pastor was murderedduring morning communion. The monastery and courtyard were built in 1936. St.
Elizabeth was one of three Catholic churches in a five-block area at Auraria, andonly two were preserved during urban renewal efforts of the 1960s (St. Leo''s wasdemolished). This church was completely renovated inside in the 1960s,including the stained glass windows you see today. Walk back to the western corner of St. Elizabeth''s and turn left. Walk south to the 10th St. Plaza again. Turn right on the 10th St.
Plaza. Just past the Lawrence Street Pedestrian Mall (which looks like a park to the left), you will see a very small stone building calledthe [6] Emmanuel Gallery. Built in 1876 as an Episcopal chapel, this is Denver''soldest church structure. As the neighborhood around it changed, the churchbecame a synagogue in 1903. It was sold, and from 1958 to 1973 the buildingserved as an artists'' studio for Wolfgang Pogzeba; in 1969 it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. In 1973 the church became part of theAuraria campus and has functioned as an art gallery since that time. It''s as tinyon the inside as it looks from the outside--a mere 24 feet by 66 feet. The galleryis open during typical business hours, so chances are you can go inside duringthis walk.
Continue walking west on the 10th St. Plaza to the Tivoli Commons. In thenear distance (or rather, blocking your view of the mountains from this vantagepoint) is the Pepsi Center. Sitting on 52 acres of the Central Platte Valley, thePepsi Center opened in 1999 as a state-of- the-art facility for concerts andsporting and political events. Both the Colorado Avalanche hockey team and theDenver Nuggets basketball team play here, and the 2008 Democratic NationalConvention was held here. (And, it should be noted, the views of the city skylineand the Rocky Mountains are spectacular from six-story atriums inside the PepsiCenter.) But practically right in front of you now is the [7] Tivoli Center. If you step inside this landmark-designated building you will quickly sense that it is comprised of 12 original structures (read: it''s like a maze).
As early as 1859, Denver had its firstbrewery, and by 1861 John Good was co-owner of the Rocky Mountain Brewery.In 1870 German-born Moritz Sigi began construction of the Tivoli Center, thencalled Colorado Brewery. After Sigi''s untimely death, Good and another investorbought Colorado Brewery, changed the named to Milwaukee Brewery, andexpanded with an opera house, tower building, a bottling company, and more atthe site. By 1901 Good was the sole owner and changed the name to Tivoli, afterthe famous Denmark amusement park, then merged with the neighboring UnionBrewery. The Tivoli-Union brewery even survived the Prohibition years bymaking a non-alcoholic beer called Dash. In the 1960s the name was changed toDenver Beer, and a few years later the brewery closed its doors for a decade. Inthe 1980s developers restored the buildings to their former glory with shows inthe old opera house, restaurants, and added a three-story atrium to bind theonce-separate historic buildings. In the 1990s it was mostly converted to astudent union, but has since also returned to being.
[8] Tivoli Brewery! At this point in the walk, you can begin to loop back by turning left (see directions in next paragraph), or I recommend seeing more of the campus that features many of the newer buildings. As you walk west in the front of the Tivoli Student Union the [9] Tivoli Quad is to your right. Take a right at Walnut St., keeping the Tivoli Quad on your right. On your left is the [9] Marriott Hotel & Metropolitan State University of Denver Hotel & Hospitality Learning Center. If you stay at the Springhill Suites by Marriott here, you will be part of the classroom. Everyone working here is learning how to work in the events and hospitality business. When you are ready to turn back, head east on 12th St.
, and walk to Larimer St. and follow it to 9th St. and resume instructions below. Turn left and walk to the 9th St. Plaza. This might be the best spot on this walk to look west for a view of the Rocky Mountains, especially at sunset. You will alsosee the curved outline of Invesco Field at Mile High, the home of the DenverBroncos, to the left of this view. Also note that the Tivoli Commons connects toLarimer St.
going north (or right), Cherry Creek, and Larimer Square.Turn left to walk east on the 9th St. Plaza to [10] St. Cajetan''s Church, the firstHispanic parish in Denver that dates to 1925. Thanks to funding from a wealthyIrishman, the church was built on this site near his old home. The Hispaniccommunity grew around this church with a school, credit union, and clinic, only tobe pushed out in the 1960s and 1970s. All but the church itself was razed, and itis used today as a theater and conference center for campus functions. As you pass St.
Cajetan''s, you will see two small homes on your right. Thefirst is a rectory; the second is the relocated former home of Golda Meir. Thishouse is out of place in more ways than one. This is the only remaining U.S.residence of former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. At age 15, Golda Meir ranaway from home in Milwaukee to avoid an arranged marriage and continue hereducation. She came to Denver where her sister had already moved with herhusband and child.
Meir attended North High School in the Highlandsneighborhood, while also working at her brother-in- law''s laundry business. Thesmall brick duplex was narrowly saved from demolition and moved twice beforebeing saved and relocated to this site in the 1980s to preserve it. One half of thehome shows off some of Meir''s personal belongings and photographs of her,while the other is used as a conference center. Call 303-556- 3292 to schedule atour of the [11] Golda Meir House Museum. Walk east back to the Ninth Street Historic Park and down the other side of the grass divider to learn more about these houses and who lived here originally. Points of InterestNinth Street Historic Park: Auraria CampusSt. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church: Auraria CampusEmmanuel Gallery: Auraria Campus, 303-556- 8337, emmanuelgallery.orgTivoli Center: Auraria CampusTivoli Brewery: Auraria Campus, 720-458-5885Marriott Hotel & Metropolitan State University of Denver Hotel & Hospitality Learning Center, https://msudenver.
edu/hospitalitySt. Cajetan''s Church: Auraria Campus, 720-556- 3291Golda Meir House: Auraria Campus, 303-556- 3292, mscd.edu/golda/house.