Neighborhood Spotlight: La Alma/Lincoln Park

La Alma/Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is a neighborhood and public park close to downtown Denver and the location of the Santa Fe Arts District. The neighborhood is one of Denver's oldest and is just to the south of the area where Denver was first settled in the 1850s. Many houses date from about 1900. Although most of the original structures were lost to floods along Cherry Creek, the neighborhood's character today is still shaped by the age of its homes.

History 

La Alma/Lincoln Park is among Denver’s oldest neighborhoods. La Alma/Lincoln Park dates from the settlement of Auraria City, where the Auraria Higher Education Center is presently located. 93% of the residential blocks were developed before 1900, and the remaining 7% developed between 1900 and 1914. 20 structures within the neighborhood are listed in the Denver Inventory as having architectural or historical significance. Additionally, the neighborhood has a residential district on the National Register of Historic Places. That district, located on Kalamath, Lipan, and Mariposa streets between West 13th Avenue and Colfax Avenue, is an example of early Denver's working class neighborhoods. Prior to 1900, only a few sporadic attempts had been made to develop a park system for the growing city. A notable exception to this was the 15 acre site which the city purchased in 1885 and named "Lincoln Park".

 

Today

Today, Lincoln Park (the park itself) serves as the focal point of the neighborhood. It is the site of the La Alma Recreation Center and numerous Mexican-American celebrations and festivities. "La Alma", a Spanish word for "spirit" or "soul," has been joined to the neighborhood's traditional name, so that today it is commonly called "La Alma/Lincoln Park".

 

Source: Wikipedia

More Info: The Piton Foundation

 

 

March Extreme Endeavors: Spring is Approaching

Extreme Community Makeover NewsletterMarch Extreme Endeavors March 2013 In This Issue ECM Neighborhoods The Big Day of Serving ECM Work Day Partners Supplies Drive February Volunteers Quick Links About ECM Contact ECM Donate Help ECM build stronger communities in Denver through your financial support. Checks can be made to: Extreme Community Makeover and sent to: Extreme Community Makeover PO Box 102586 Denver, CO 80250-2586 Greetings! Check out our latest video that tells more about ECM and what we're up to lately. As spring is approaching and we move into the start of regularly scheduled Work Days next month, consider getting your church, company, school, or another group you're connected with involved in ECM! 2013 ECM Video Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director 2013 ECM Work Days The schedule is set for 2013 ECM Work Days, so you can start planning to get a group together on any of the following dates. Dates can also be found on the calendar on our website by clicking here. April 6 - Barnum April 20 - Westwood (The Big Day of Serving) May 4 - Elyria May 18 - West Colfax June 1 - Barnum June 15 - Villa Park June 29 - Swansea July 13 - Westwood July 27 - Globeville August 10 - Barnum August 24 - La Alma/Lincoln Park September 7 - Westwood Septemer 21 - Elyria October 5 - Swansea October 19 - Barnum November 2 - TBD ECM Neighborhoods If you're not sure of the eight target neighborhoods where ECM works, check out the map below. Each area has a detailed description so you can learn more about each of these unique Denver neighborhoods and then get involved in ECM to make a difference in that community! The Big Day of Serving On Saturday, April 20, you have a chance to participate with around 500 other people to make a huge impact in the Westwood neighborhood through The Big Day of Serving! This event is a national event (Denver is one of 15 cities across the country) targeted toward getting youth involved in their community and ECM is the lead organization sponsoring this event in Denver. If you are connected to a group of youth, it would be great to have you join with us. We also have a few more spots available for adults to serve as project leaders. Many Westwood residents are already hard at work identifying projects they would like the volunteers to help with that day, which will include alley clean-ups and beautification, garden planting, graffiti removal, and house painting. The Colorado Rockies are donating tickets to the game that night against the Arizona Diamondbacks as well! There are a limited number of tickets available but the sooner you register, the more likely you will be to receive a ticket to attend the game that night. For more details and to register, click here. Schedule: 7:00 am - Participants check in 8:00 am - Kickoff Rally 8:30 am - Depart for projects 12:00 pm - Lunch at project sites 3:00 pm - Block Party Celebration ECM Work Day Partners One of our goals for each of the 15 Saturday Work Days hosted by ECM this year is to identify a Work Day Partner ($500) and a Food Partner ($250). The Work Day Partnership would pay for dumpster rental and other costs associated with each Work Day. The Food Partnership would provide lunch for all the volunteers and community folks participating each Work Day. For more details and to look at how your church or company could partner with ECM in this way, click here. Supplies Drive ECM is collecting supplies to use on projects this year. Individuals can help with this or if you want to get a group together from your church, company, school, etc., you could encourage people to donate items such as garbage bags, latex gloves, paint brushes and other paint supplies, twine, or a variety of other things. A full list of items needed can be found here. February Volunteers Thank you to Cherry Hills Christian Middle School, Front Range Christian School, and Individuals for volunteering during the month of February! Thank you for partnering with ECM to make a difference in Denver neighborhooods! Sincerely, Extreme Community Makeover

2013 Saturday ECM Work Days Schedule

·         Apr 6 – Barnum – Host: Bethany United Methodist Church (3501 West 1^st Avenue, Denver, 80219)

·         Apr 20 – Westwood – The Big Day of Serving – More details here

·         May 4 – Elyria – Host: Colorado Miners (4809 Race Street, Denver, 80216)

·         May 18 – West Colfax – Host: Confluence Ministries (1400 Quitman Street, Denver, 80204)

·         Jun 1 – Barnum – Host: Barnum Recreation Center (360 Hooker Street, Denver, 80219)

·         Jun 15 – Villa Park – Host: Westside Christian Fellowship (810 Knox Court, Denver, 80204)

·         Jun 29 – Swansea – Host: Focus Points (2501 East 48^th Avenue, Denver, 80216)

·         Jul 13 – Westwood – Host: Redeemer Lutheran Church (3300 West Nevada Place, Denver, 80219)

·         Jul 27 – Globeville – Host: Street Kidz (4496 Grant Street, Denver, 80216)

·         Aug 10 – Barnum – Host: Bethany United Methodist Church (3501 West 1^st Avenue, Denver, 80219)

·         Aug 24 – La Alma/Lincoln Park – Host: His Love Fellowship (910 Kalamath Street, Denver, 80204)

·         Sep 7 – Westwood – Host: Redeemer Lutheran Church (3300 West Nevada Place, Denver, 80219)

·         Sep 21 – Elyria – Host: Colorado Miners (4809 Race Street, Denver, 80216)

·         Oct 5 – Swansea – Host: Focus Points (2501 East 48^th Avenue, Denver, 80216)

·         Oct 19 – Barnum – Host: Barnum Recreation Center (360 Hooker Street, Denver, 80219)

·         Nov 2 – TBD

All dates are listed on the calendar on the ECM website as well.  Click here for more details.

Neighborhood Spotlight: West Colfax

West Colfax

Nowadays the streets of West Colfax are filled with shopping centers, healthcare facilities and commercial offices that blend with residences in this Hispanic and Asian multi-ethnic neighborhood. However, more than 100 years ago West Colfax developed as the residential and commercial home of Denver’s original Jewish population.

History

 

 

Contemporary West Colfax is less defined by its boundaries than its namesake street, and the relationship between a residential neighborhood and a hard-luck commercial stretch of America’s longest street, which was originally known as Golden Road for its connection of Golden and Denver. Colfax long served as a route for travel and trade through Denver. Westward travelers used the Golden Road as a way to the mountains, meeting wagons of hay and other agricultural goods destined for Denver. Travelers traversed a section of the Front Range with few residents, save for a handful of grand residences, shanties, and farms. With immigrants from the eastern United States, as well as more recent arrivals from central and eastern Europe, the neighborhood of modest homes and small businesses was a distinctly Jewish community. Much of the recent history of West Colfax has been concerned with a series of revitalization efforts, beginning in 1978 with a study of the street itself and means to create a more inviting environment.

Today

 

 

Today, West Colfax is identified by the Piton Foundation as one of the city’s at-risk neighborhoods, with residents who are younger, poorer, and less educated than those who reside in almost any other Denver neighborhood. Some 40% of West Colfax residents are without a high school diploma, twice the city-wide rate of 20%, and just 10% of residents hold an undergraduate degree, one-fourth the rate of Denver’s population. However, light rail construction, redevelopment of St. Anthony Central Hospital, a new library being built, and the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown jobs and amenities offer the prospect of renaissance.

Source: Denver Public Library: Western History & Genealogy Department

More Info: The Piton Foundation - West Colfax

 

 

Video about ECM

Neighborhood Spotlight: Barnum

Barnum
In 1878 master showman P. T. Barnum purchased a tract of land on the western edge of Denver. Over 130 years the area has developed into a robust neighborhood with a population that is more than 75 percent Hispanic. This community of young first-generation and immigrant families today welcomes newcomers from all over the world.

 

History

Barnum began as a nineteenth-century Denver suburb, developed as a haven for working-class families. P. T. Barnum’s involvement with his namesake’s development has become part of Denver folklore, especially in the durable legend of the showman’s plan to establish a winter home for his circus in the city. Beginning in the 1950s, large numbers of Hispanic residents, whether from long-established Colorado families relocating to jobs and opportunities in Denver or relatively new immigrants from Mexico, began to make Barnum a distinctly Hispanic neighborhood. In 1950, just ten percent of Barnum’s residents were Hispanic; three decades later, in 1980, a majority of its residents (50%) were Hispanic.

 

Today

Today’s Barnum remains a neighborhood of families, now mostly Hispanic (some 75% [2000]) and of modest means (with an average household income of $41,185 [2000]). More than two-thirds of Barnum’s housing is owner-occupied, and the rate of Hispanic homeownership in the neighborhood is substantially higher (66.01% [2000]) than for the rest of Denver (49.11% [2000]). Barnum remains a vibrant working class neighborhood, as it has been for more than a century.

Source: Denver Public Library: Western History & Genealogy Department

More Info: The Piton Foundation

 

 

ECM began working in Barnum (6th Avenue-Federal Boulevard-Alameda Avenue-Sheridan Boulevard) in 2010.  Through a connection with a few Villa Park residents who attended a church in the neighborhood, they reached out to see if ECM would consider working in Barnum.  Since that time, ECM has adopted 110 blocks in the neighborhood, while partnering with 200+ families on a project at their home.  Yet, we are only about 3/5 of the way through adopting all the blocks in the area.  ECM also supports projects that encourage neighbors to get to know one another and a group of residents applied for a grant and planned an event in the fall of 2012 with food, music, games, which was a true community celebration.

February Extreme Endeavors: Stay Connected

Extreme Community Makeover NewsletterFebruary Extreme Endeavors February 2013 In This Issue February Work Day The Big Day of Serving Company Partner: GH Phipps Construction January Volunteers Quick Links About ECM Contact ECM Donate Help ECM build stronger communities in Denver through your financial support. Checks can be made to: Extreme Community Makeover and sent to: Extreme Community Makeover PO Box 102586 Denver, CO 80250-2586 Greetings! During these winter months, ECM may not be doing as many home and community projects as we do during the spring, summer, and fall, but there are still lots of exciting things happening as plans unfold for this year. While many of those details are still in the works, stay connected to ECM through this newsletter for updates each month and follow ECM on Facebook and Twitter for updates daily. Later today ECM will also be featured on Pay It Forward radio to share about how ECM helps people do just that. The show will be aired online here at 5:00 pm today. Hope you can tune in! Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director 2013 ECM Work Days The schedule is set for 2013 ECM Work Days, so you can start planning to get a group together on any of the following dates. Dates can also be found on the calendar on our website by clicking here. April 6 July 27 April 20: The Big Day of Serving August 10 May 4 August 24 May 18 September 7 June 1 September 21 June 15 October 5 June 29 October 19 July 13 November 2 February Work Day On Saturday, February 23, we are going to have another individual volunteer Work Day (groups are welcome too) where we focus on follow-up with the residents ECM volunteers assisted in 2012 in order to complete an evaluation form about their experience. The feedback gained from these conversations informs how we continue to build the Work Days moving forward. During this project last month, we were able to complete 25 evaluations and would like to complete another 25+ during this Work Day. The time frame will be from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. We will be working in the Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea neighborhoods. Please RSVP to Angela if you would like to get involved and to confirm the meeting location. The Big Day of Serving The Big Day of Serving will be in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday, April 20. Our goal is to have 500 people involved. If you know a group of youth who would like to participate, the super early bird registration lasts through February 19. More details here. Company Partner: GH Phipps Construction As one of the largest, most successful construction companies in the region, GH Phipps is known for its work in the medical, education, religious, high-tech, commercial, and public arenas. GH Phipps is also actively invovled in their community through participating in ECM and supporting our work financially.....thank you for your partnership! January Volunteers Thank you to Front Range Christian School and Individuals for volunteering during the month of January! Thank you for partnering with ECM to make a difference in Denver neighborhooods! Sincerely, Extreme Community Makeover