Shipping crate art sculpture on Broadway. The street is the demarcation between east and west street numbers in Denver. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The Benjamin Moore Paints sign decorates Broadway. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Trinity United Methodist Church was built in 1888. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The golden dome of the Colorado State Capitol peeks out from blooming trees. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The Denver Art Museum. Kara Pearson Gwinn
A night view of the Denver skyline as seen from the Denver Art Museum. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The Denver Public Library at 1357 Broadway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Inside the Denver Public Library's Central Branch. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The Mayan Theatre on Broadway. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Happy Coffee gives South Broadway a caffeine fix. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The big red heel lets you know where True Love Shoes is located. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Various shops decorate Broadway in the Baker neighborhood. Kara Pearson Gwinn
3 Kings Tavern is a Broadway staple. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Gary Lee's Motor Club & Grub on South Broadway. Kara Pearson Gwinn
The old Gates Rubber Factory is being torn down. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Former Future Brewing Company is a new brewery on South Broadway. Kara Pearson Gwinn
South Broadway's Antique Row. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Herman's Hideaway has been rocking South Broadway since 1962. Kara Pearson Gwinn
South Broadway is nicknamed the "Green Mile" because of its numerous marijuana dispensaries. Kara Pearson Gwinn
Broadway has been called Denver's spine. It's that -- and much more. In a photo essay, Confluence Denver Managing Photographer Kara Pearson Gwinn captures the street in all of its glory.
From the eastward curve as Brighton Boulevard just north of Blake Street, through downtown, the Colorado State Capitol, the Denver Art Museum, the Mayan Theatre, Antique Row, and plenty of bars, dispensaries and car lots en route to the city limits at Yale Avenue, Broadway is the north-south heart of Denver.
Sure, Colfax Avenue might be longer, but Broadway is in many ways the city's soul, bookended by Five Points and Baker, with notable points on either side of both neighborhoods. Change is happening -- the century-old Gates factory is coming down, and the Golden Triangle is a development hotspot -- but the street's history continues to shine, with layer after layer from decades past.
Photos by Kara Pearson Gwinn.
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