Out of urban ruins, a new pocket park in Westwood

The Urban Land Conservancy (ULC) has transformed a dangerous, abandoned building into a pocket park in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood. 

The Thriftway Pocket Park at 4401 Morrison Road, another step in the revitalization of the neighborhood, includes a futsal court and community gardens.

“ULC is proud to see the impact of our investment in the Westwood community,” says Aaron Miripol, president and CEO of ULC. “This park would not have been possible without direct support from the neighborhood and the many partners who we have worked with in the development of this new park.”

For more than 15  years before ULC’s acquisition of the Thriftway building in 2014, the site was often the scene of violent crimes, squatting and drug activity. The 6,000-square-foot building sat in the heart of the Westwood community, and residents made it a priority to work with ULC, Trust for Public Land and the City and County of Denver to create a space that would serve as a community asset instead of a hazard.

ULC demolished Thriftway in 2014 and started the three-year process of converting the site into its interim use as a community park.  Long-term plans for the site are to create a development that meets the needs of the community. The need will be determined through a focused and inclusive community engagement process in partnership with Westwood Unidos.