| The Golden Triangle is in
many ways a resurrected neighborhood. Much of the old neighborhood's single family houses
were removed during the 50s, 60s and 70s and replaced by service businesses, car repair
lots and surface parking. Now the residential population is back on the rise. The Golden Triangle is bordered by Speer
Boulevard, Colfax Avenue and Lincoln Street, just to the south of Downtown Denver. The
neighborhood's current growth has been driven by several new construction developments
with for-sale condominiums and lofts, as new residents are attracted by the neighborhood's
central location and proximity to Downtown.
The Golden Triangle's north side hosts
some of Denver's most prominent cultural attractions in the Civic Center Cultural Complex:
Denver Art Museum (now beginning a $62.5 million expansion by Berlin-based architect
Daniel Libeskind, who was recently selected as architect of the rebuilding of of New York
City's World Trade Center), the Michael Graves-designed Central Denver Public Library,
Colorado History Museum, Denver Mint, Byers-Evans House and Civic Center Park. Acoma
Street, the primary corridor through the Golden Triangle to the Civic Center Cultural
Complex, recently received significant streetscape upgrades; it will serve as the
promenade and outdoor gathering place for the expanded art museum.
The area was platted and developed early
in Denver's history with single family houses, Victorians and small brick bungalows, most
of which are no longer standing. After World War II, the neighborhood was seen as an
emerging business support area for Downtown, and many car repair garages, car dealerships,
printers and supply stores moved in; surface parking lots also proliferated during this
time. An early 1980s plan to build a convention center at 13th & Broadway was scuttled
when the current location at 14th & California Street in Downtown's central business
district was selected.
There have been more than 500 housing
units added during this decade, mostly in new construction, for-sale condominiums. More
than 200 units are under construction. While for-sale condominiums are prevalent, a unique
neighborhood member is the Forum SRO Apartments, a 100-unit apartment building for
homeless men and women that was created two years ago in a former University of Denver
office building. Golden Triangle residents have quick access to the Cherry Creek bike path
and Civic Center Park, and the 16th Street Mall in the heart of Downtown Denver is only a
12-15 minute walk away.
The Golden Triangle is transforming into
a mixed-use neighborhood, home to restaurants, two child care centers, a dance club and
seven art galleries. Several former garages and industrial buildings have been renovated
for use by law firms, architects, interior designers and other small office users. Some
office buildings are undergoing renovations along the Golden Triangle's Broadway corridor.
Other neighborhood anchors include P.S. 1
(a Denver Public Schools charter school in the renovated Rocky Mountain Banknote Building)
and the Acoma Center (a performance venue in a former Acoma Street church that offers
theater, films and lectures, and also serves as the de facto Golden Triangle community
center).
For full updates on what's going on in
the Golden Triangle area, visit the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association website.
On each first Friday of the month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Golden Triangle Arts
District produces "First Friday," with a free "Art Bus" to shuttle
passengers to neighborhood gallery openings, participating museums and artist's studios.
It's a great way to explore the neighborhood.
FACTS:
General boundaries:
Speer Boulevard, Lincoln, Colfax Avenue
Population: 630
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