Setting and Boundaries
Congress Park is a neighborhood and park in the City and County of Denver. The neighborhood is bounded by York Street to the west, Colfax Avenue to the north, Colorado Boulevard to the east, and Sixth Avenue to the south.
In 2010, Congress Park had 10,235 residents and 5,724 households. The neighborhood includes a large portion of East Seventh Avenue Parkway, where the 7th Avenue Historic District runs.
Early Growth
Denver grew from 35,000 residents to more than 100,000 between 1880 and 1890.
Congress Park was platted into more than ten subdivisions in 1887 and 1888, then incorporated into Denver on March 11, 1889. The area was first known as Capitol Heights, while the name Congress Park has been used by the city of Denver since the 1970s.
From Cemetery Hill to Parkland
The area was also once called Cemetery Hill because the City Cemetery stood there. In 1887, Denver built a reservoir on land that had been set aside for the cemetery but had not been used for burials.
By 1890, the cemetery was limiting growth in eastern Capitol Hill, and Colorado Senator Henry Teller introduced a bill asking that the land be redesigned as a park. Graves were moved, and Congress Park was created. The original park included land that now contains Cheesman Park, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the Denver Water Board.
Park and Civic Features
The park has eight tennis courts, several athletic fields, a children’s playground, a picnic pavilion, and one of Denver’s public outdoor swimming pools. South of the reservoir, land extending to 8th Avenue became the city nursery in 1903, supplying trees and flowers for parks and parkways.
The City and County of Denver Communications Center is at 950 Josephine Street in the northern part of Congress Park. The building contains Denver’s 911 call center and police and fire dispatchers, and it is visible because of its tall antenna.
Nearby Landmarks and Community Details
The Denver Botanic Gardens is on the west side of York Street in Cheesman Park. Near the neighborhood’s northern border are underground water storage cisterns owned and operated by the Denver Water Department.
In 2000, Congress Park’s median income was $62,925, compared with $55,129 for Denver overall. The neighborhood’s poverty rate was 10.7%, compared with 14.3% citywide. Since 2016, the Congress Park flag football league has met on Sundays during football season.
What it is like
Congress Park is bounded by York Street, Colfax Avenue, Colorado Boulevard and Sixth Avenue, east of the park in Denver Police District 6. It has 11,232 residents and is described as having bungalows, gardens, and a true neighborhood feel, with brick Arts-and-Crafts bungalows, Denver Squares, and streetcar-era commercial corners. Platted in the 1880s as Capitol Heights, it is known today for its brick Arts-and-Crafts bungalows and landmarks including the Stevens School lofts and former Bonfils (Lowenstein) Theater.
Sources: Congress Park, Denver (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); denverperfect10.com