Capitol Hill

Ever since its humble beginnings as a prairie bluff overlooking the fledgling mining camps of Auraria and Denver City, the Capitol Hill neighborhood has seen its fair share of resident characters over the years. Henry C. Brown, the man who would go on to build the Brown Palace Hotel, arrived in Denver in 1860. He utilized the Homestead Act of 1862 to claim a large tract of land that would become the westernmost section of today’s Capitol Hill. After Denver was designated the seat of the state government in 1867, Brown donated the land on which the Capitol was built. A man named John W. Smith also homesteaded a large plot of land in the area, just east of Brown. In 1864, Smith embarked on an ambitious project, digging a 25-mile irrigation ditch from the South Platte River all the way to the area now known as City Park. Access to water was vital, which allowed the area to thrive.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood became an escape for the wealthier citizens who could afford the unobstructed views of the front range. So many large mansions were built along Grant Street that the area became known as Millionaire’s Row. From silver barons to philanthropists, with names like Campion, Cheesman, Mullen, Sheedy and Tabor, they all had homes of distinction in this desirable locale. The Silver Crash of 1893 and the depression that followed was a pivotal moment for the evolution of the neighborhood. Extravagantly decorated Queen Anne Richardsonian Romanesque mansions were a thing of the past, giving way to the understated dignity of the American Foursquare, known locally as the “Denver Square”. In addition, with easy access to downtown provided by the streetcar network, upper middle-class residents began moving out from the city center. In the post-Victorian era, modest homes and apartment houses began to cluster amidst the older mansions.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood and its historic districts have some of the most iconic structures in the city, from the State Capitol Building (1894) to the Molly Brown House Museum (1889). In addition to an extensive inventory of historic houses, the neighborhood also boasts several historic schools and churches. Two prominent school buildings were designed by Denver architect Robert Roeschlaub, which were the Emerson School built in 1885 and the Corona School (now Dora Moore), built in 1889. Towering over Colfax sits the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (1912) in all its Late Gothic Revival splendor, designed by architects Leo Coquard, Aaron M. Gove, and Thomas F. Walsh. Not far away, on East 14th Avenue stands another impressive house of worship in the Late Gothic Revival style, the Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness, (1911). The neighborhood has continued to evolve over time and though some historic buildings have been lost, the eclectic mix of old and new seems to work, making the neighborhood one of the most beautiful and unique places in the city.
This content was prepared by local non-profit Historic Denver, Inc., with excerpts from the organization’s Historic Denver Guides series and other research. Historic Denver was founded in 1970 and provides technical assistance to owners of historic properties, conducts research, advocates for preservation, and owns and operates District 10’s own Molly Brown House Museum at 1340 Pennsylvania. For more information, or to get answers to your historic home questions, visit www.historicdenver.org.
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