City Park is an
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
and neighborhood in
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. The park is and is located in east-central Denver. The park contains the
Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is an nonprofit zoological garden and wildlife conservation, conservation organization located in City Park, Denver, City Park of Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1896, it is operated by the Denver Zoo ...
, the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help mus ...
, Ferril and Duck Lakes, and a
boathouse
A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...
. City Park is also the name of the neighborhood that contains the park, though the park is the vast majority of the neighborhood. To the immediate north of the park is the City Park Golf Course. City Park is the largest park in Denver.
Geography
The park is located in east-central Denver slightly more than a mile east of downtown. The park is a mile long and three-quarters of a mile wide. The park's boundaries are:
* West-York Street
* South-17th Avenue
* East-Colorado Boulevard
* North-23rd Avenue.
The City Park neighborhood has the same boundaries except for having
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the loca ...
as its southern boundary, which is two blocks south of 17th Avenue. Therefore, the entirety of the neighborhood is only two blocks wide, but about a mile long. The area in the southwest corner of the neighborhood consists of
East High School and a green area called the City Park Esplanade, which in some ways extends the park south two blocks to Colfax Avenue. The eastern part of the neighborhood around Colfax Avenue (along with parts of the
Congress Park neighborhood across Colfax) is also known as the "Bluebird District", for the Bluebird Theatre located on Colfax and the urban developments around that area. There is also a neighborhood called "
City Park West", which is located just west of the park to Downing Street and commonly known as Uptown. It has the same southern and northern borders as City Park, and has York Street as its eastern border.
History
When Denver was founded in 1858, it was little more than a mining camp. By the 1870s however, Denver had gained a substantial permanent population, and many residents were clamoring for parks. In 1878, the Colorado state legislature passed a bill to allow Denver to acquire of state land to build parks. City Park became the largest tract turned into a park. The initial park layout was designed by Henry Meryweather in 1882 in the tradition of both English pastoral gardens and
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with a flowing, casual design. The 1893
World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
started the
City Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of th ...
, which further developed the design. The park was irrigated with water from the city ditch.
City Park is also one of the oldest public spaces in Denver. The park grew out of the social and cultural atmosphere of the late 19th century as Denver residents, business-owners, garden clubs and politicians rallied for the improvement of the dry and dusty Queen City of the Plains. The idea of an “east city park” linked to a “west city park” by a chain of tree-lined parkways first emerged in 1878. In 1882 Henry Meryweather prepared the park's earliest layout and landscape design. His concept followed the precepts of Frederick Law Olmsted, but it was park commissioner Richard Sopris, who managed the park from 1881 to 1891, who is considered the father of the park. Construction of the park began in 1886 with “a sinuous tangle of winding carriageways, walks and promenades” put into place. The arrangement of roads and walks gave the park its pastoral feel, many of which are still in place today.
After the turn-of-the-century the park benefitted from the city's investment in the City Beautiful concept. The park was linked, as originally envisioned, to a wider system of parks using parkways and grand boulevards. During this period monumental sculpture was also introduced, consistent with City Beautiful philosophy, including the McLellan Gateway, the Sopris Gateway, the Monti Gateway, the Sullivan Gateway, and the Thatcher Memorial Fountain, which mark park entrances.
During the first half of the twentieth century a series of designers influenced and enhanced the park, including Reinhard Schuetze, S.R. DeBoer, George Kessler, Charles Robinson and the Olmsted brothers (the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted). S.R. DeBoer is recognized as the most influential, as his tenure as city landscape architect spanned almost fifty years, influencing that Park through 1960. Changes after 1960 included significant expansions by the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (then the Natural History Museum). Both institutions have long histories in the park and contribute significantly to its character and use.
In the 1980s a concerted effort to document the history and design of the park led to a compilation of all city records on the park, and ultimately the National Register listing. The period of significance for the National Register listing is 1880 to 1936, but the multi-property form does not define a specific period of significance for City Park alone, and ends in 1936 because it was fifty years before the listing date, 1986.

In the 1990s the park Pavilion was designated in a small local historic district, and the Graham-Bible House, once home to the park's caretaker, along with a historic firehouse located in the park, were also designated local landmarks.
In 1997 traffic and parking issues in the park led to a concerted planning effort to address land use, circulation and preservation. The City & County of Denver Parks & Recreation Department hosted numerous community meetings, and along with the efforts of a stakeholder group, created the 2001 City Park Master Plan, titled “Revitalizing the Legacy of City Park.” The Master Plan included a Historic Site Assessment, in which the park's contributing and non-contributing features were carefully researched and evaluated. Since 2001, the Department of Parks & Recreation has implemented many of the recommendations of this plan, including restoring sculptures and fountains, improving conditions at Ferril Lake and Duck Lake, and working with the park's institutions to create parking.
By the start of the 20th century, Ferril Lake, the
Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is an nonprofit zoological garden and wildlife conservation, conservation organization located in City Park, Denver, City Park of Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1896, it is operated by the Denver Zoo ...
, and the landmark boat pavilion, with a Spanish-style design by architects John Humphreys and
William Fisher were all developed in the park. Reinhard Schuetze, a German immigrant who was the head landscaper for Denver, formalized the design of the park by planting of formal gardens, laying down graceful carriage ways, and creating the East High School Esplanade into the park. In 1903, construction was completed for the first wing of the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help mus ...
, which was built on the eastern edge of the park on the highest elevation in the park (now famous for its views of downtown and the mountains behind them). It opened to the public on July 1, 1908.
On April 23, 1916, The Shakespeare Elm was planted near the intersection of 17th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. A plaque at its base reads "Shakespeare Elm: The scion from which this tree was grown was taken from the tree at Shakespeare's grave at Stratford-on-Avon".
City Park sat a mile away from the rest of Denver when it was first opened. Competing
trolley companies took park-goers along the undeveloped roads into the park. The neighborhood developed around the park, starting with farmers and squatters who used the city ditch to irrigate their crops. It wasn't until the start of the 20th century with better trolley connections that housing development occurred in force. The neighborhood includes
East High School, a landmark built in 1925, which is Denver's first high school (moved from downtown). The neighborhood also contains many historic brick residential buildings, including many Denver square style homes and several historic brick commercial structures, especially along Colfax Avenue.
Today

Colfax in the City Park neighborhood in particular, has become a popular area with many trendy restaurants, stores, and other businesses. The neighborhood has also seen new residential and commercial developments, including the twin towers of the Pinnacle at the former site of Mercy Hospital.
City Park itself is still the premier park in the city. Thousands of visitors continue to see not only the park itself but the cultural institutions contained within. The park holds a free summer concert series, and has boat rentals, both standard paddle-boats and some shaped like various water creatures like
pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...
s and
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
s. The boathouse can also be rented for events.
Ferril Lake includes the Prismatic Fountain which dates back to 1908. Originally designed by engineer Frederic W. Darlington and was a revolutionary feature for the time. The recently renovated fountain now boasts
LED lights
An LED lamp or LED light is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps. The most efficient commercial ...
which cycle through different formations, with each cycle spanning an hour.
See also
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Bibliography of Colorado
This is a bibliography of the U.S. State of Colorado.
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General history
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*Sibley, George. ''Water Wranglers - The 75-Year History of the Colorado River District: A Story About the Embattled Co ...
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Geography of Colorado
The geography of the U.S. State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, the United States Congress defined the boun ...
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History of Colorado
The region that is today the U.S. state of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major mi ...
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Index of Colorado-related articles
This is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. State of Colorado.
0–9
* .co.us – Internet second-level domain for the State of Colorado
* 4 Corners
** 4 Corners Monument
* 6th Principal Meridian
* 10-mile Range
* 10 ...
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List of Colorado-related lists
The following two master lists include links to lists related to the United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado.
#Colorado-related lists by topic
#Alphabetical list of Colorado-related lists
Colorado-related lists by topic General lists
*Bib ...
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List of neighborhoods in Denver
The City and County of Denver, capital of the U.S. state of Colorado, has 78 official neighborhoods used for planning and administration. The system of neighborhood boundaries and names dates to 1970 when city planners divided the city into 73 g ...
**
List of populated places in Colorado
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Outline of Colorado
The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado:
Colorado – List of U.S. states and territories by population#State and territory rankings, 22nd most populous, the Lis ...
References
External links
City and County of DenverCity and County of Denver: Neighborhoods mapState of ColoradoHistory Colorado
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Neighborhoods in Denver
Parks in Denver
Urban public parks
National Register of Historic Places in Denver
Shingle Style architecture in Colorado
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado