Civic Center Park

Listed: 2009

Constructed: 1913-1924

Threat: Deterioration

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Constructed in 1913, Denver’s Civic Center was designed to be the cultural and governmental hub of Denver. Located in the heart of the city, Civic Center was originally threatened by deferred maintenance and redesign of the area. In 2009, the city began a 9-milliondollar rehabilitation that included re-establishing original walkways and paths and restoring the original granite balustrade.

Thanks to these efforts, the site is today considered a SAVE! Efforts to regularly program activities in the Civic Center and restoration of the nearby original Carnegie Library building have greatly helped with the overall renaissance of the Civic Center. The Civic Center Conservancy continues to champion preservation and reuse, but challenges with entrenched homelessness and vagrancy continue to plague the park. However, the buildings and structures on site are being preserved as part of the National Register District. Recent social problems relating to homelessness and addiction have strained the capacity of city officials to make this major City Beautiful asset safe and secure for all people who wish to use it. Much of the site is temporarily closed to enable the lawn and landscape elements to recover.