All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 60, Issue No. 3 • March 2021
Left Scrambling Colorado Offers, Then Cancels Feb. 6 Vaccine Program For 70-Plus People Of Color At Dahlia Center For Health and Well-Being By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
A plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to 140 people of color over age 70 was called off with little warning in early February, leaving staff at the Dahlia Center for Health and Well-Being scrambling to notify disappointed clients that the clinic had been cancelled. The program, offered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Equity Task Force, was to have taken place on Feb. 6. Dawn Davenport, vice president of child and family services for the Mental Health Center of Denver, said state health officials reached out to the Dahlia Center and asked if it would host the clinic targeting an older, often underserved population. Dahlia Center staff reached out to likely candidates via churches and other networks to fill the available slots and also help the seniors figure out other logistics, including transportation. “I’m so proud of the team stepping up,” she said. “We were so excited to sponsor people of color right in the neighborhood.” The clinic was scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6. Thursday afternoon Dahlia Center staff were notified that the vaccines were not available after all —that they had been “reallocated” to another, unidentified clinic.
“I felt sick,” Davenport said. “I stood here and was sick to my stomach.” Many of the seniors, she said, had been excited and relieved to be getting vaccinated. To have to turn around and call them back and tell them the program was cancelled, she said, was heartbreaking. The seniors, she said, were “disappointed, confused and upset.” Other clinics operated elsewhere in the Denver Metro area that day, including at the National Western Complex northwest of Park Hill. Extensive media reports have detailed the distrust that many BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) have had of getting the vaccine, based on a historical distrust of government-sponsored health programs. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll, published on Jan. 14, found that nationally 35 percent of Black residents of all ages reported they would “probably not” or “definitely not” get the vaccine when offered. Among Hispanic residents, the figure was 26 percent, the same as for whites. For Blacks, 63 percent reported they would “definitely” or “probably” get the vaccine, compared to 73 percent of white people. Davenport said that when making the initial calls to seniors, she personally encountered just one person who had been “on the fence” about getting the vaccine. “[The continued on page 9
East senior point guard Michael Jackson tries to avoid having his shot swatted by Far Northeast senior Ahman Brown during East’s Feb. 89-62 home court victory on Feb. 6.
Shooting Through The Pandemic Adapting To A Strange New World Of High School Sports Story and photos by Reid Neureiter For the GPHN
The Denver East Angels boys basketball squad trounced rival Far Northeast War-
riors by a score of 89 to 62 on Feb. 6 at East’s home gym. East, coached by Denver Public Schools coaching legend Rudy Carey, is a perennial continued on page 8
Inside This Issue PAGE 4 PAGE 5
By Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
From now until what may as well be eternity, visitors headed up the pathway to the door of the striking Spanish Eclectic-style home at 6400 Montview Blvd. can look down and marvel at the signature handiwork of notable Denver architect J. Roger Musick. The decorative red and grey flagstones that lead to the front stoop are laid down in a way that depicts the different phases of the moon — from waxing crescent to full to waning crescent. It isn’t clear why Musick adopted this telltale signature nearly
a century ago, but similar flagstone walkways have been identified at several other Musick residential commissions, including two nearby properties in the south part of Park Hill and several properties on Ivy Street. The walkway at 6400 Montview has the most elaborate design. The walkway, of course, isn’t the only striking element of the home, officially called the Bitman-Hower House. In January the Denver City Council voted unanimously to grant landmark status to the home, making it Denver’s 352nd local landmark. The home, designed and constructed in 1936, is crafted in the Spanish Eclectic style, with an asymmetrical façade,
stucco cladding with decorative brick, a tile roof with multiple levels and an elaborate chimney. The home’s current owner, Rebecca Rogers, worked with Kristi Miniello and her Denver-based Miniello Consulting to extensively research and document its history. “What I love most about our house is its connection to the past and its historic architectural character,” Rogers said. “I can feel the families that loved and lived in this house before us. I can only hope the families that come after us and call our house continued on page 11
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Walkway Depicting The Phases Of The Moon Is Just One Detail In A Remarkable History Of The Bitman-Hower House At 6400 Montview Blvd.
After Insurrection And Impeachment, Focus Shifts To Defeating COVID-19 The Goal: To Celebrate Black Joy And History 365 Days A Year Emi Deguchi’s Odyssey To Find A New Home For Bartholomew And Ali
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An Eternal Spanish Love Song
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Denver architect J. Roger Musick’s signature walkway to the front door. Photo by Cara DeGette
$1.2 Million Project Designed To Get Kids More Safely To School
A Reminder: Park Hill’s Got Some Serious Mojo
Upcoming GPHC Meetings Community meetings are currently conducted virtually on the first Thursday of each month. The next meetings are March 4 and April 1 at 6:30 p.m. Link to attend at greaterparkhill.org/ join-us/community-meetings/