The city has launched
Discover Denver, a survey to identify historic and architecturally significant structures.
The survey, which began Sept. 7 with a pilot area in Harvey Park in southwest Denver, is gathering information about buildings using public records, neighborhood canvassing, academic research and tips from the public.
The pilot area includes 1,300 buildings in Harvey Park, which was selected for its predominance of mid-century modern architecture. Two subsequent pilots will include older residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
"We often say, ‘If these walls could talk,’" says Annie Levinsky, executive director of
Historic Denver Inc., which is leading the collaborative project in partnership with the
City and County of Denver and
History Colorado. "Through this survey, we hope the buildings will tell us about their history, their architecture and their role in making Denver what it is today."
Findings from the survey will be accessible online.
Other major cities including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tulsa also are conducting building surveys.
Benefits of the surveys include:
- Uncovering buildings of historic and architectural significance
- Providing property owners and real estate agents up-front information about buildings to inform reinvestment and sales decisions
- Equipping city planners with information about historic resources when proposing changes to an area
- Bolstering civic pride and heritage tourism
Community input is key to the success of the project, which will ultimately survey all of Denver’s 160,000 buildings. Residents can share their stories about Denver buildings on the
Discover Denver website.
Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.
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