La Alma Lincoln Park Residents In Denver Applaud Historic Designation

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver City Council voted Monday night to approve the landmark designation of the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood as a historic cultural district, only the second of its kind. Historic Denver worked with current residents and families with a long history in the community beginning in 2016 to earn the recognition.

"I appreciate these people for coming to our rescue," said Cathy Prieto, her family has lived on Lipan Street for decades. "All my grandkids came up in this house, this is the only home they know."

The neighborhood dates back to the 1870s with immigrants and working-class families building homes around La Alma Lincoln Park. As one of the oldest communities in Denver, the new designation covers an area starting on 14th Avenue on the north, Kalamath Street to the east, 10th Avenue on the south, Mariposa Street and the park itself on the west side. A century after its early history, a new chapter was added as a center for the uprising of the Chicano moment in Colorado.

"La Alma Lincoln Park is one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in Denver because its history is layered," said Annie Levinsky, executive director of Historic Denver, Inc. "This is an opportunity to hopefully ensure that folks who have made this a part of their lives can continue to do so."

Current residents applied for the designation understanding the unique history and the chance to access needed resources. La Alma Lincoln Park faced red lining in the last century keeping crucial investment away from homeowners and remained a food desert for decades.

"If there's no access to resources, there's not a whole lot you can do," said Felix Herzog, one of the applicants and a member of the La Alma Lincoln Neighborhood Organization.

"La Alma" means the soul and that has helped guide Herzog and others in the process to get their community recognized. Grants that could help individuals as well as public agencies working in the neighborhood will become a way to bring more funding to a part of Denver that continues to welcome underrepresented families. One goal will also be to find permanent ways to highlight its history as a place where Chicano leaders grew up and lived, they hope to time these public displays with the 5280 trail planned by Downtown Denver Partnership.

"The soul of this neighborhood is really made up of its people," he said.

Five Points was the first to receive this designation as a historic cultural district, helping to give a community a pride in place and teaching new residents the origins of where they live. Buildings and significant sites to the Latino / Chicano community will be protected now with this latest designation.

"It's not about stopping change, there will still be evolution," Levinsky said.

Historic Denver, community members, and local families worked with the city's Community Planning and Development Landmark Preservation staff to research the heritage with listening sessions and conducting interviews to complete the application. Volunteers offered hundreds of hours of their time to complete the process.

"It was just so heavy with a lot of love and familia," Prieto said. "I love it here, I wouldn't change it for the world."