One block in Denver encapsulates layers of history on Auraria Campus
Denver Architecture Foundation is focusing on four campuses with its Doors Open Denver tours. One tour focused on the layers of history that can be found on the Auraria campus.
It's like stepping back in time.
The 9th Street Historic Park is one whole block of a much larger neighborhood that used to exist where the Auraria Campus is now.
"Most of the houses you see here were built pre-20th century. In fact, most were built between 1872 and 1886, I believe," said Mark Broyles, Chief and Associate Professor of Architectural Technology at the Community College of Denver.
Architecturally, the houses are an echo of a long ago era, when City leaders required residential homes to be non-combustible; therefore, built of brick. The detailed wood work and layout of the homes reflect an east coast culture that was transplanted here by the city's earliest immigrants. The neighborhood was the result of explosive growth as Denver settled.
"I mean Denver went from 1859, tents on the ground to a thriving city that's manufacturing things in the space of a very short generation," Broyles explained.
As the twentieth century progressed, the houses became the homes of another wave of migrants.
"Particularly, Mexican migrants during and after the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920," Broyles chronicled.
In the mid-to-late 60's, all but this one block was torn down to make way for the modern educational campus that stands there now. It was a devastating loss to the community who had thrived there for generations.
"This community was made a really significant place by those people who lived here. You can see the evidence of it in the physical remains of that. And, it's important for us to remember that and moving forward to do better as a society," Broyles told CBS News Colorado.
The 9th Street Historic Park stands in memory of that community, and as an architectural legacy of Denver's industrial beginnings.
"We have far less of our heritage than many other cities," Broyles said.
LINK: Information & Tickets to Doors Open Denver
Historic Auraria is one of three tours happening on the campus. There area also multiple tours of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts campus, the University of Denver campus, and the Denver Zoo. There are also 8 new virtual tours, and 16 archived virtual tours that are available.
