by Linda Dowlen
History
The Five Points area is one that is rich in cultural and architectural history.
The name Five Points initially sprang from a street car stop in 1881 at the intersection of 26th Avenue, 27th Street, Washington Street and Welton Street - the Five Points of land created at this intersection (which was too long to put on a street car sign).
Five Points originated in the 1860s as an upper- and middle-class neighborhood and evolved as a richly diverse residential area made up of Germans, Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Jews, Hispanic/Latinos, Asians and many other ethnic and cultural groups. It began to develop a commercial corridor along Welton Street that started with the Deep Rock Artesian Water and Bottling Company in 1898 at 27th and Welton streets. Other retail and service businesses followed as the neighborhoods flourished.
Gradually, the population shifted as many of the initial residents moved to the suburbs, attracted by new homes and modern conveniences, while porters and railroad workers began to move away from the tracks and into the larger homes of the Five Points area. In addition, racial segregation began to limit and influence housing options, particularly for African Americans. After the First World War, the African American population increased, along with segregation and racism, and Five Points became a predominantly African American community, although still containing a diverse population.
Welton Street became an increasingly important commercial corridor, providing services and entertainment for the community. By the 1920s, the “Points” was the heart of African American commerce and known as the “Harlem of the West.” Ben Hooper’s Ex-Servicemen’s Club was the “hottest jazz spot in the West. Musicians, black and white, gathered there until the wee hours of the morning exchanging musical ideas.”1 The Atlas Drug Store at 27th and Welton streets was a fixture in the neighborhood until 1963. Many African Americans remember the business fondly as the only white-owned drug store in the city where they could sit and receive fountain service. Restaurants and cafes flourished and two hotels n the corridor catered to African Americans.
The commercial corridor did not last, however. By the 1960s, as African Americans were able to move into neighborhoods to the east and beyond High Street, the business district along Welton Street began to decline.
Preservation
Preservation was on the minds of many prior to 2001, but was generally opposed by property owners who were fearful of losing control over their investments. It wasn’t until Wellington Webb became Denver’s first African American Mayor, from 1991 - 2003, that a real movement to preserve the legacy of Five Points found traction and efforts to revitalize the area were born.
A small group worked diligently on this project to designate the business corridor of Welton Street in the Five Points area as a Denver historic district. The designated area - along Welton Street from 24th Street to 30th Stret and incorporating a block each of 26th Avenue and Washington Street - was designated as an historic cultural district, the first of this type ever designated by the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission.
It was important to emphasize the cultural importance of the area, not the “bricks and mortar”. Only seven buildings were chosen as contributing buildings, based on the criteria of architectural integrity, historic significance and geographic location. Those buildings are Douglass Undertaking Parlor, the Wise-Harris Arms- formerly Radio Pharmacy, the Rossonian Hotel, the Atlas Drug - currently US Bank, the 1931 Fire Station #3 and the Alta Cousins Terrace.
To further enhance the area and preserve the history of Five Points, historic signage which includes 20 cultural markers, branding and other promotional materials were developed in 2004.
This spring, 2014, the Five Points Business District and the City and County of Denver Economic Development Office were able to allocate funds for the revitalization of the story markers. Also, in response to community requests, the historic district will be renamed the Five Points Historic Cultural District.
1 Welton Landmark Designation 2002
Credits: Oral history from Sharon Nunnally, the Welton Landmark Designation 2002 and the Denver Neighborhood Marketplace Initiative Five Points District Development Plan.
