Denver 90 years ago: What did City Park look like?
DENVER (KDVR) — City Park is a Denver staple, and it’s hard to imagine it being any different than it is right now. However, a lot has changed over the years.
In 1933, Jasper King took aerial photographs of Denver, which FOX31 obtained through the Denver Public Library.
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These photographs give a good snapshot of what the Mile High City looked like over 90 years ago, and a good idea of what has changed.
What has changed in City Park?
While the park hasn’t seen any drastic changes and is, in many ways, still similar to how it was in the 1930s, there are some notable changes.
A few statues and areas have been added since 1933. Most notably, a monument to Martin Luther King, Jr. was installed in the early 2000s.
Horse racing track
Back in 1933, there was a horse racing track in the northeast part of the park. Archive images from the Denver Public Library show the harness races that used to take place there before the track was replaced in the 1950s.
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Now, there are several playing fields in the area, including a baseball field and several multi-use fields.
Denver Zoo
The zoo has expanded a lot since the 1930s.
It opened in the late 1800s when a black bear cub was gifted to the mayor at the time, according to Colorado Encyclopedia. In the early 1900s, before the 1933 snapshot was taken, Bear Mountain opened and replaced the cages and fences that had housed the animals.
Additionally, the zoo wasn’t always fenced in. This changed sometime in the mid-20th century.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Colorado Museum of Natural History was opened in the confines of City Park in 1908. The museum has since rebranded to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
The placement of the museum hasn’t changed in 91 years. However, the museum complex has expanded and changed as the years have gone on.
What hasn’t changed
Since 1933 when the aerial photographs were taken, some City Park mainstays have gone untouched.
The Thatcher Fountain and Robert Burns Memorial placed in different parts of the southwestern portion of the park are still there. Additionally, the pavilion on the western part of Ferril Lake is largely the same, though it did undergo a refurbishment in the early 1990s, according to the city.
The golf course located to the north of the park is also largely the same, though some features have been changed and added through the years.
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