Neon Signs of Colfax

Listed: 2014

Constructed: Various

Threat: Various – Development; demolition by neglect; bureaucratic obstacles to sign repair in Denver

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: The mid-century neon signs of Colfax Avenue are a reminder of the corridor’s past life as the “Gateway to the Rockies.” Elaborately designed and brightly lit signs lined Colfax Avenue as motels, restaurants, and roadside attractions competed for travelers' business. These signs represent an era for Colfax Avenue that has long since passed. Today, the signs are in various states of disrepair. These threats can be mitigated by building an awareness and appreciation for the history these signs represent and the craftsmanship that went into their creation. Save the Signs is a strong campaign to fundraise and develop a location for donated signs.

Site Needs: Using other cities as examples, neon sign ordinance protections in Denver will include incentives for retaining historic signs. CPI has met with more than one City Council member. However, the bureaucracy and sign code still needs to be improved for property owners wanting to preserve or restore their signs, especially if the business uses have changed.

Update: CPI nominated the neon signs for the Falling By the Wayside nomination by the Society for Commercial Archeology. The signs were selected and, as a result, have gotten improved press coverage in 2016. Site advocates are looking to acquire a location in Stapleton for a sign museum and are working with property owners to retain significant existing signs. Demolition threats continue to be strong on Colfax but are partly driven by development and gentrification. The historic Pig ’n’ Whistle Motel sign on West Colfax is the most recent preservation success.

Riverside Cemetery

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1876

Threat: Lightrail expansion

Closest Town to Resource: Denver

Significance: Incorporated in 1876, Riverside Cemetery is the oldest operating cemetery in Colorado. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 77-acre site contains a wealth of unique monuments. In 2008 the Fairmount Heritage Foundation launched a plan to develop an environmentally sustainable landscape in partnership with Riverside families, horticulturists, preservationists, universities, civic groups, and concerned citizens. Under the leadership and guidance of the Fairmount Heritage Foundation, sustainable landscaping has been planted that incorporates native plantings that do not require heavy watering., with the help of State Historical Fund grants.

Site Needs: The site is progressing toward a save but needs to ensure the land cannot be taken for future development. Need to re-establish contacts with FHA and representatives from the Colorado Cemetery Association.

Update: The original threat has been mitigated, but the site has requested to remain listed in case of development pressures. A recent RTD proposal to relocate the cemetery entrance continues to threaten the site's integrity. Adequate maintenance continues to be a concern. CPI has offered to partner with the Heritage Foundation in grant-writing efforts. Because the site has no water rights and no funding from the Colorado Cemetery Trust Fund, it was decided to leave it in a more natural prairie cemetery state. Still, with minimal maintenance, citizens continue to complain about its condition. In 2019, the Fairmount Cemetery Association turned down an awarded State Historical Fund grant for the restoration of stained-glass windows in the little chapel building due to the inability to raise the matching funds required.

Significance: The 16th Street mall was designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm I.M. Pei & Partners of New York. The main features of I. design include polychromatic patterned granite pavers, wide sidewalks, central tree-lined corridor. Today the Mall is rated as the top visitor attraction metropolitan area. Its free shuttles serve an average of 55,000 commuters tourists per day. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic creates considerable wear and tear that jeopardizes the original design and materials. Concern over the future of the Mall arose in mid-2008 because the Regional Transportation District (RTD) expressed interest in removing the pedestrian median and replacing the intricate pattern of granite pavers to address recurring and expensive maintenance concerns. The proposals, if implemented, will destroy key aspects of the original I. M. Pei design. In May of 2008, a panel of experts from the Urban Land Institute advised Denver to fix, not change, the 16th Street Mall and declared the Mall “public art of the highest international quality. ” A new 3-part planning process got underway in the Summer of 2017. It recently concluded with plans to substantially replace most historical materials with a new transit configuration and materials replicating some of the Mall’s original features.

Site Needs: Ongoing project implementation monitoring, followed whether the Mall should be considered at “Loss” for the Endangered

Update: CPI has provided comments and attended meetings as 106 Review process, along with Historic Denver, Inc. and other to push for the retention of original materials and features, but of almost entirely new construction appeared to be pre-determined strategies agreed to are largely symbolic nods to the Mall’s original features. The project is in the 90% design phase, and a decision may be needed about whether to consider it Lost due to the removal of almost all original historic fabric.