Located just north of the wildly successful and
very pricey Cherry Creek, this quiet residential neighborhood
is bordered on the south by 6th Avenue, on the north
by Colfax, on the west by York Street, and on the
east by Colorado Boulevard. It varies in price ranges
from the very modest to very grand homes along the
prestigious 7th
Avenue Parkway.
Everyone's favorite is of course, is
Congress Park itself. This great park is located on
the corner of 8th and Josephine, and has offered baseball,
swimming, tennis, and soccer for thousands of residents
over the years. It is so nice to have our children
WALK to this great gathering place. Call us at 303.744.6200
for the name of the coordinator of the soccer teams.
Sign up is important as there is always a waiting
list for this very popular activity each fall.
The earliest development of the Congress Park Neighborhood
occurred between 1890 and 1924 along the Colfax corridor
because the main trolley route downtown ran along
that arterial. Close to what was then Cemetery Hill
and east of Capitol Hill, the area was originally
called Capitol Heights. The area's oldest, the Presbyterian
Church and what was the fire house at 11th and Clayton
(now renovated into a private home), adopted the name
of Capitol Heights.
The use of the name Congress Park came later, after
the development of the park at Eighth Avenue and Josephine
Street. Originally part of the acreage owned by the
City for cemetery use, the cemetery became little
used by the 1880's. The City lobbied Congress to change
the land use from cemetery to park, and in 1890 Congress
agreed to the change. The area was named Congress
Park in recognition of their cooperation. The area
of current day Congress Park, never was used for burials,
but remains a reminder of the earlier help from the
Congress. During the late 1930's the WPA (Works Project
Administration) further cleared and graded the land
and planted some trees, but it wasn't until 1949 that
a full scale effort was made to landscape the park.
The swimming pool was constructed in 1955.
In varying phases between 1888 and 1957, a number
of underground tanks that would become the largest
water holding facilities within the City and County
of Denver were constructed at the north end of Congress
Park. The radio towers on the hill above the park
is the emergency frequency tower for Denver's police
and fire departments. |