Denver Zoo and City Park
We will assemble near the entrance to the Denver Zoo at 9:45am for our first look at the Toyota Elephant Passage. Patrick Phelan, Marketing Director, will provide an introductory presentation and then it’s off to the tropics.
Imagine watching majestic Asian elephants splashing in deep pools and mud wallows, greater one-horned rhinos cooling off in a shallow stream and acrobatic gibbons swinging overhead from tree to tree, all from the center of an Asian village. And then imagine that you are right in the heart of the city of Denver! Occupying 10-acres, Toyota Elephant Passage’s expansive complex will allow visitors to explore and discover the rich history of animals in Asian culture, their complicated relationship with humans and the efforts of Denver Zoo and its colleagues to protect their future.
When we leave the Zoo we will immediately start our walking tour of City Park. You will leave your car in the Zoo parking lot. Don’t worry your RMGA tour guides will arrive early and park their cars near the Ferril Lake Pavilion so we can all have a ride after lunch. Ed Weising will be our first guide. He will share information about the southeast quadrant of City Park. We will see the area where Denver’s original Botanical Garden was located, learn about the role of the City Ditch, visit the Lilly Pond, and see the Children’s Fountain. Where is the Shakespeare Elm??
We will enjoy our included picnic lunch in the shade on the shore of Ferril Lake. While the group is relaxing after lunch, Larry Ralston will share the background of the Big Lake, which became Ferril Lake in the mid 1990s, interesting tidbits about the Prismatic Electric Fountain, and the origins of the historic pavilion. Then it’s on your feet for some additional walking as Norma Bovee leads us on an exploration of the Sopris Memorial and Garden, the Martin Luther King Memorial (did you know this is the second one?), and the Robert Burns Monument and Garden which is protected by some heavy artillery.
Saddle up! Our guides have graciously offered us a ride in their vehicles for the remainder of our tour. First it is off to the Greenhouses of the Denver Parks and Recreation Department. This is the world of Gary Douglas, the man who will share his fantastic work area with us. Next up is Nancy Brueggeman who will help us better appreciate the McClellan Gateway, now in its second location; the significance of the Graham-Bible House, and the beauty of the Thatcher Memorial Fountain. She may even have a slightly different version of the story about Billy Bryan, the original founding member of the Denver Zoo, than you have heard before.
Our clean-up hitter is Barbara Ford who will provide interesting information about the Sullivan Gateway and the City Park Esplanade. As grand as the Esplanade is, it is but a small portion of the elaborate chain of parkways to connect Denver’s parks envisioned by the city fathers. The finale of the day will be a brief tour of East High School with Dick Nelson of the alumni historical group. Dick has written a book on the history of East High School. We will conclude by 4:00pm.
Guide Line Review
DENVER CITY PARK / ZOO
June 13, 2012
We convened at the main gate of the Denver Zoo at about 9:30. There were 35 attendees. Larry Ralston gave us general information about the Zoo and City Park while we indulged in muffins and fruit. Parking is ample if you arrive early in the morning (before 10:00 am) or after 2:00 pm. The staff parks at East High and either walks across or takes the shuttle to the main entrance in order to have more parking available for visitors. There are coach drop-off locations as well as a coach/group entrance. Restrooms are located just to the left of the main entrance and can be accessed before buying your entry ticket.
Larry then introduced Patrick Phelan, the Marketing Director for the zoo. Patrick and two of his staff escorted us to a conference room in a building just inside the zoo entrance. We passed the wagon rental booth (big enough for up to three children) for your visit. There were numerous child care/preschool groups in attendance as well as many, many families with small children.
Patrick gave each of us the member’s booklet on the new Toyota Elephant Passage which has bridges for both visitors and elephants which provides up-close elephant viewing – these are noted and numbered on the legend on the map in the brochure. Patrick noted that about two million people visit the zoo each year. He also noted that if the Rockies (National League baseball team) are down, the zoo becomes the most popular place to visit. The Denver Zoo is #1 in the US in terms of support for a city of our size and #4 overall in the US. The zoo has 70,000 member households (approximately 225,000 people). The demographic picture shows a great number of small children (ages 0-7) visit the zoo each year. The zoo is open every day of the year. Summer hours are 9am-5pm. Current charges are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Average attendance is 8,500 weekdays and 10,000 on weekends during the summer. Most animals are most active in the morning so plan accordingly.
Patrick noted that it takes about three hours to walk the entire zoo loop, which is about one mile. The Toyota Elephant Passage covers ten acres. Patrick also talked about the previous habitat update – Predator Ridge which opened in 2004 and has three separate habitats. Lions,hyenas and wild dogs are rotated through the three habitats daily. Patrick said that the hyenas will mark everything when it’s their turn in each habitat. This exhibit won exhibit of the year for all US zoos. All the animals are trained with positive reinforcement so that when medical procedures are required, the animal will bring itself to be treated. There is a demonstration of this at 2:00 pm daily. They use a “hugger” a device that isolates the animal for treatment. No people are in any of the cages now – there is always a barrier between people and the animals. In the Village Hall which houses smaller animals, there are not a lot of visible barricades between you and the animals so you feel as if you are right there with the animals.
The previous elephant exhibit was built in the 1950s and replacement was needed. Toyota sponsored this new exhibit – Toyota Elephant Passage. The zoo could accommodate only two females here and it was difficult to sustain the population because male elephants require so much more space to survive. Large posts and rocks were so that the elephants have things to lean against that won’t collapse. There are eight elephant stalls in the new exhibit. There are only 30-35,000 Asian elephants left, mostly in Thailand and China. Patrick also noted that Indian rhino populations (greater one-horned) have dropped to 2,000-2,500. Many of these have a game warden following them in the wild to protect them. There are many endangered species in this exhibit. The zoo has staff in Africa, Peru and in Thailand to help w/endangered species conservation. When you conserve people, you also conserve the animals. Animals used to be fenced in on a preserve, now they fence in the villages and the animals have all the rest of the space. This exhibit is also sustainable – the Denver Zoo is the “greenest” in the US. By 2025 the zoo wants to be self-contained – reusing all the trash, manure, water in the zoo. Ninety-five percent of the zoo waste is used to produce the energy to run the new exhibit. Water is so important to elephants – the exhibit contains over one million gallons of water, all of which is recycled from Denver. The zoo has a filtration system that is so efficient that the water needs to be changed out only four times a year. The zoo is rated a “platinum” sustainability facility – i.e., they also used an old cottonwood tree for paneling, reused old paddocks inbuilding the new as well as the recycling of the waste.
Ed Weising’s Presentation:
Racetrack (Present ballfields) - Because young men were riding their horses down the middle of 17th Street, they were allowed to create a race track and a grandstand at City Park. It was removed in 1950.
Botanical Garden (Present parking lot at the north entrance of Museum) - This was the site of the City Park Botanical Garden (1953) planned by Saco DeBoer. He also had the following planted: flowering trees (crabapple trees remain), French lilac hedge (there today) ad the following which are no longer present: Rainbow Iris Garden and Tulip Garden.
Garden of the Ancients (Near the Dinosaur sculpture on the east side of the Museum) - A new Ancient Plants Collection is planned which will include living “fossil” plants; i.e., gingko, ferns, magnolia and dawn redwood.
Colorado Museum of Natural History - The museum opened in 1900 based on the collection of Rocky Mountain flora and fauna by Edwin Carter. There have been several additions to the museum over the years including a name change in 1948 to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. A new Educational & Collections Building is now being built on the south side of the Museum (scheduled to open in 2014). The “Grizzly’s Last Stand” statue (1930) is on the west side of the Museum.
Kessler Plaza and Rose Garden - George Kessler had developed plans in 1905 for the city’s parks, parkways and boulevards, including the esplanade from City Park to Colfax. The Plaza, just west of the Museum, is a vista point which takes advantage of the view over Ferril Lake,over the Pavilion and up to Mount Evans. Today this is one of Denver’s view planes protected by city ordinance. To the west of the Plaza are the Rose Garden and the Gates Fountain (1999).
Box Canyon & Waterway - Saco DeBoer designed the area south of the Museum with a Pinetum (evergreen trees), and a box canyon and waterway (to mimic a Rocky Mountain stream). Not too long ago the DeBoer Natural Area (Colorado native plants) was introduced just to the west of the waterway.
Shakespeare Elm - Planted at the corner of Colorado & 17th in 1916 from a graft taken from a similar tree in Shakespeare’s town of Stratford-upon-Avon in England. The tree has since been removed but a plaque remains.
Lily Pond - In 1917 Lily Lake was constructed near 17th (now Little Lake) as a work of art reminiscent of Monet. The lilies were destroyed by oils from road after a violent rainstorm. Saco DeBoer relocated the Lily Pond to its present location in 1925 and planted new lilies which survived until 1970.
Children’s Fountain (on the south side of Ferril Lake) - Mayor Speer had this statue and fountain placed in the Park in 1912 at another location and moved here in 1917. Lunch was a wonderful picnic on the balustrade around Ferril Lake near the Pavilion. The Pavilion has restrooms that are usually open to the public. The Pavilion is often used for special events – there is a large room with many windows on either side that can be reserved.
Norma Bovee’s Presentation:
Martin Luther King Memorial - As an expression of the improvement of the nation’s cultural differences in preparation for Colorado’s centennial celebration, the statue of MLK, the apostle of faith in the equality of mankind, was dedicated in April, 1976. The sculptor was Ed Rose, commissioned by Denver’s Martin Luther King Foundation. Unfortunately, both the sculpture and concept became a matter of controversy within the Denver community as a whole, both black and white. Some thought it should have been the work of a black and many thought it seemed distorted, lacking the heroic lines and poise usually attributable to nation heroes.
The twelve-foot high sculpture of King, standing beside Emmett Till, the Mississippi youth whose lynching in 1955 precipitated King’s entrance into the Civil Rights movement, is a symbolic representation rather than a realistic, to remind the viewer of the death of the subjects and the cause for which they gave their lives.
Rose’s statue of King was in City Park for about two decades, beginning in 1976, before being moved to storage. In 2002, the sheet metal and bronze statue was moved to the Martin Luther King, Junior Museum and Cultural Center in Pueblo. Rose was philosophical about his statue being stored in the basement of the Denver Art Museum. He said, “Well, I always wanted my work to be in the Denver Art Museum.” There was a long-running dispute about payment because members of the foundation, which commissioned it, said the work didn't look like King. Many complained that the head was too large for the body. The foundation eventually paid the $35,000 due.
A second statue, which includes depictions of Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass done by Ed Dwight, was put in city Park in 2002.
At the time it was dedicated, Dwight said that in fact King had a larger than normal head for his height and White maintained that in his work also.
"Most cultures are about war. They were engaged in a war of ideas”, said Dwight referring to the five leaders. The monument is 26 foot, featuring life-sized bronzes of the four individuals who influenced King. Cost was 1.3 million. The figure of King, in a business suit and striking in repose, towers above the others, seemingly in midsentence. Named after King's most famous speech, “I have a dream”.
Ed Dwight progressed through careers as diverse as real estate developer and restaurant operator before settling on art. Born in 1933 in Kansas City, he moved to Denver in the 70s and earned a Masters of fine arts degree in sculpture at the University of Denver in 1977. With his crew of eight, Dwight created a King figure, which stands at about 9'8".
Quotations from King are carved into four granite panels, addressing the topics of slavery, the struggle, justice, and living the dream. Bronze plaques depict eras in the lives of blacks in America and add another dimension; from slavery through the civil rights actions of the 1960s. Equally split between public funds and private contributions, Dwight’s contract - design, as well as bronze and labor on the sculptures was $611,000. Other sculptures of Dwight’s are the black Revolutionary War Pictures Memorial in Washington DC mall, and the Underground Railroad in Detroit. Dwight has earned a national reputation for presenting black culture, history and achievements and representational bronze medium.
The other people depicted on this memorial are: Isabelle Van Wagener, who changed her name to Sojourner Truth and began making impassioned speeches on behalf of freedom and the rights of women and Frederick Douglas, who recognized the power of rallying people to his cause and as a newspaper publisher was at the cutting-edge of the media and Mahatma Gandhi. As a close advisor to Lincoln, Douglass is credited with inspiring the president to make the Emancipation Proclamation the moral cornerstone of the Civil War. Gandhi led India to independence in 1947.
Relatives of Sojourner Truth Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King were present at the dedication ceremony June 9, 2002.
Robert Burns Statue - The statue of Scotland’s beloved poet stands near Duck Lake, west of the pavilion. This original model by Grant W. Stevens of Edinburgh was given by the Scots Caledonian Club of Colorado in 1904. Made of bronze, it is mounted upon a base of blue and red granite, and inscribed: “A poet, peasant born, Who more of fame’s immortal dower, Unto his country brings, Than all her kings.
Richard E. Sopris Gateway - Designed by F.E. Edbrooke to memorialize Richard Sopris. This gateway was erected in 1912 at the 17th Avenue entrance to City Park, a pedestrian and trolley entrance between Detroit and Fillmore. In considering what type of monument should be constructed, it seemed appropriate to his son, Simpson T. Sopris, the donor, to establish a lasting testimonial of public-spiritedness that would be seen upon entering the park his father had striven so hard to build. The inscription on the large gate of pink sandstone lists the accomplishments of this Colorado pioneer: miner, legislator, explorer, soldier, sheriff, mayor, and park commissioner.
Captain Richard E. Sopris came to Denver in 1859. Called Father of City Park, he was the Mayor from 1878 to 1881. In 1881 he became Denver’s first park commissioner and continued until his retirement from public office in 1891. With limited annual funds he created the first parks Denver ever had, among them City Park - transformed from a sagebrush tract into a beautiful resort with driveways, lakes, lawns, flower beds and many thousands of trees.
Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1813, he emigrated steadily westward. He spent five years as Captain on an Ohio River steamboat. He was also a railroad contractor, iron foundry owner, submarine test diver, and diver for sunken ships and their treasures. Diving was at that time one of the most dangerous occupations known to man, although self-contained breathing apparatus had been invented.
Sopris arrived in Denver on March 15, 1859, a few months after the discovery of gold in Colorado. He made the trip across the plains with two men in a cart drawn by one horse. Already in his mid- forties, he prospected and then was elected to represent Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory, in the Kansas legislature. He explored west of the Divide heading a large company of prospectors. They credited him with discovery of Hot Springs or Glenwood Springs as it is called today and named nearby Sopris Peak in his honor. Returning to Denver he entered into public affairs. He was commissioned Captain of Company C, First Colorado Infantry in 1861, held several public offices and was elected mayor in 1878.
The Sopris Memorial and Garden - Is a stone seat, a pool, and a small statue of a child at whose feet is a bronze sundial. This was another gift to Denver by S. T. Sopris in memory of his mother, Elizabeth Ellen Sopris, in 1925. The pool began to leak and so was changed to a flower bed then covered by asphalt and then replaced with this mosaic. Elizabeth Sopris - resided at 1337 Stout St. Elizabeth was known as the grand old woman of the Ladies Aid Society. Since early in her married life, she had been identified with the Congregational Church, and was an active worker in religious circles since Denver was just a village. In 1886, the Soprises celebrated their golden wedding, about 250 people were present. Seven years later Mr. Sopris died (1893). Elizabeth was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1815. In 1836 she was married to Richard Sopris and in the same year moved to Indiana. There eight children were born, and in 1860 the family migrated to Colorado in a covered wagon. In those days no railroad extended further West than Atchison, Kansas. The Sopris family took advantage of the modern traveling facilities available to them as they reached Atchison. There they fitted out with a trusty team in a heavy wagon and drove across the prairies. Although Indians were numerous on the plains, their trip was unmolested. Elizabeth was a descendent of Ethan Allen and was proud of that fact and also delighted telling of the exploits of her husband in pioneer days. Richard Sopris was also a member of the Colorado constitutional convention. He was sheriff of Arapahoe County for two terms then served as Mayor. For nine years he held the position of Park Commissioner.
The mosaic was designed by Megan Carlson, a native and Park Hill resident. Megan spent middle school in Denver School of the Arts. As part of its Passion for Parks program, Starbucks Coffee Company sponsored a contest to design the reflective bottom of the fountain being restored in City Park, historic Sopris garden. Carlson, 16, a sophomore, walked away with the $250 prize and the honor of seeing her design implemented in Denver's grand old Park. Her design is made of mirrors and aqua tiles. She thought about the reflective quality of water and came up with a broken mirror idea. People could look into it and see themselves in that way they could all be part of the park. From a distance the broken mirror and the tile are all the same color blue because the broken mirror reflects the sky. Close to it, you see yourself in the surroundings as well as the tile. Asked if there was much interest in entering the contest she replied to Starbucks representatives came and presented to the class. “I know a lot of people entered because every entrant got a free $20 Starbucks card.” Starbucks coffee has a passion for parks and it provided $100,000 grant and recruited volunteers to restore the Burns and Sopris gardens.
The Spanish-American War Monument, 1899 - Following the country's rousing victory in the Spanish-American war, architects transformed the artillery and circled area west of the Pavilion into a celebration. The central figure was the statue of an angel, and floral displays surrounded it, taking shapes of various patriotic and military emblems such as an anchor. Though some, like the editor of the Denver Times, derided the display, Denver's ebullience knew no bounds as it celebrated national success in the four month war. Most likely designed by Reinhard Schuetz; a red, white, and blue shield bearing eagle is in the foreground with crossed swords behind. The artistic sensitivity of the Denver Times editor was apparently offended as he called the display a memorial for tin soldier and deplored the hideous artificial design of the gardens.
Denver's Coast Artillery - All three Artillery weapons were donated by the U.S. Navy and warship from the New York Navy Yard. They were dedicated when installed in Denver, July 4, 1897 by the Grand Army of the Republic. No one thought to put a plaque on any of the massivesouvenirs at the time or to note where they came from. The military record of only one of these cannons is known, the Columbia gun. The Columbia has a 41 inch barrel and 11 inch bore and threw a 130 pound shell. It was a coastal defense weapon and could fire either a shell or solid shot and at a high angle. Before it was it placed in Denver it was one of 10 guns on the USS Canandaigua, which was built in 1862. All US men-of-war ships were outfitted with this coastal defense gun. The other cannon is called a Parrot hundred pounder. Actually, it threw an 80 pound projectile and was the largest gun of its type and probably was used as in coastal defense work. Its range was 2400 to 4000 yards. The Mortar, stubby and heavily built, is a 13 inch seacoast weapon, the largest ever made. It threw a 200 pound shell more than 4000 yards. Again, no information on its previous record is known.
The three donated pieces commemorate the Colorado Volunteer Armed Forces who had fought bravely for the Union. Although the west lawn of the pavilion was still largely undeveloped, these military relics were placed in a circular plot aimed strategically outward with Duck Lake, the west lawn of the pavilion and the picnic grounds in the direct line of fire.
After Norma’s presentation, we proceeded to the greenhouses where we were allowed to walk around and look in any of the greenhouses, many of which were full of flowers. A park supervisor told us that the greenhouses plan for at least at 10% overgrow so that plants can be replaced readily when hail storms or other calamities happen in the city (such as the hail storm that happened recently). He said that the city is sectioned into four areas for purposes of planting and specific greenhouses are assigned to each section. They also grow plants for city parks downtown as well as outlying areas. Not all the parks have the same plantings.
Nancy Brueggeman’s Presentation:
We drove from the zoo to the greenhouses and then walked from the greenhouses across the lawn so that the McClellan Gate was visible.
McClellan Gate – this gateway to the park was given in 1904 by William McClellan as a gift to the people and City of Denver. Mr. McClellan hoped that wealthy people in the city would see his example and donate artwork and sculpture to the city’s beautification. Mr. McClellan was a native of Nova Scotia and came to Denver in about 1869. He worked as the head blacksmith at the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and was well liked. He was a member of the City Council from 1881 to 1885 and introduced the ordinance for the purchase of the present City Park from the State which had to be approved by the state legislature. He was proud of his work on the City Council and was a Democrat politically. At the time of his giving the gateway, he was retired and his wife had died. The gateway is made of granite and originally was sited at the 18th Avenue entrance. It was expected to cost between $5,000 and $6,000 though it ended up costing $13,700. The gateway was moved in 1957 when traffic patterns were modified to its current location at 21st and York. Currently the beauty of the gateway is seen only by passersby because the gateway is an exit only. The gateway was designed by architect Edwin H. Moorman as a Renaissance composition with outward facing French Gothic inspired lamps – which could be work done by a blacksmith. It would seem that railroads paid pretty well for him to have amassed that much money for a gateway.
The Graham/Bible House – The Graham/Bible house is named for the first and last park superintendents to live in the house. The house was built in 1892 and is a wood Queen Anne shingle house which is quite rare. Most are not made of wood. The house has two bedrooms and the kitchen is inside as in the bathroom – new architectural details that not all homes built in this era had. The house also has a wrap-around porch. Close by is the coach house. Mr. Graham was the park superintendent when Billy Bryan, orphaned bear cub, became the zoo’s first resident. Billy Bryan was a gift to Mr. Bailey, the general passenger agent for the Colorado Midland Railroad. His fellow hunting friend, also an agent for the Colorado Midland in Pitkin County, found the bear and sent him to Mr. Bailey as a commemorative gift for a successful hunting season. Billy was delivered to the Wells Fargo office where he wreaked havoc while they tried to get Billy delivered to Mr. Bailey. Mr. Bailey, having no knowledge of the gift, was astounded, and then ordered Wells Fargo to deliver the bear to his house. The employees at Wells Fargo finally got Billy trussed up and carted him to the Bailey house in a padded ambulance. They threw Billy into the cellar. Within an hour, Mrs. Bailey was frantically trying to get Mr. Bailey to come home and get the bear out of the basement, where he had broken many of her canned winter provisions. Mr. Bailey, fearing nothing, went into the basement to get Billy out – unfortunately Billy won this round and Mr. Bailey retired with many scratches, torn new trousers and a limp after having been chased into the coal bin, up a step ladder and finally out the cellar door. Billy, seeing escape, followed. Outside, 1,000 children and nannies (newspaperman’s license to exaggerate the facts) let out a roar when Billy surfaced. The Bailey children loved the attention and were the hit of the neighborhood. Poor Billy. Billy was finally corralled with a bribe of a bunch of grapes and a bowl of apples (meant for Mr. Bailey’s dinner) and trussed up again. By the next morning Billy was loose again and so Billy was dedicated to City Park by the park commissioners who came as one group to collect him.
Billy then resided at the Graham/Bible House from November 8, 1896 until December 25, 1896. Billy was chained between the house and the carriage house, near the chicken coop. (Disaster in the making!) Christmas morning Mr. Graham went to the chicken coop to kill theturkey for dinner. There were no sounds. Mr. Graham (who had fought the Indians) gathered reinforcements and opened the door to the chicken coop. Carnage – Billy had eaten two game cocks, two game hens, four turkeys, and nine chickens. The only survivor was a half-plucked pullet. Billy won that round as well. So, Mr. Graham went downtown to buy a turkey and Billy was banished to the north corner of the park near where the zoo now is. The newspaper accounts are hilarious – wonderful word pictures.
Thatcher Memorial Fountain – The Thatcher Memorial Fountain was sculpted by Laredo Zadoc Hart and given to the city by Joseph Addison Thatcher. Hart was well known for his fountains. Mr. Thatcher was president of First National Bank of Central City from 1874 to 1880 and then in 1884 he founded Denver National Bank and was its president until 1913. The fountain was dedicated in 1918 and cost $100,000. The central figure represents the state of Colorado and the three smaller groups represent the virtues of Loyalty, Learning and Love. The figure groups are bronze, sit on a marble base and surrounded by a marble fountain. Each of the smaller figures is labeled. The fountain had some restoration work done in 2008 just before the Democratic National Convention and really is a beautiful elegant piece. When we passed, there were several children playing in the pool around the fountain – a favorite cooling off spot in the summer.
East High School – tour given by Dick Nelson, author of a book on East High, former English, journalism and speech teacher there (35 years) and also a Friend of East High (not a graduate).
The auditorium at East High opened in 1925, it seats 900. There were 650+ graduates in 1925, about 1100 in the 1950s and about 500 in 2012. East High is an open campus – the students can go out at noon. Fifty-three percent of the current students don’t live in this neighborhood. The school is known for its great music and drama programs as well as its Advanced Placement program. The murals in the school were done by WPA artists – including Alan True. Twenty-nine of the 47 murals by Hugh Weller are still in existence. The main lobby once had a statue of Venus de Milo and one of Minerva flanking the staircase. Venus went out for “repairs” in the 1950s and never returned. George Herbert Williamson was the architect of the building and went to the original East High (previous school). The previous building was called the “Greek Temple” and Dick showed us a photo of this building. East High has the only industrial arts program left in the city. The woodworking class built the check-out desk in the library from a photo to replace the original which had been removed in the 1950s. These students work in the school during the summer (for pay) repairing and replacing. When the school was opened in 1925, there were few black students attending here (photos in the alumni room show black students on teams in 1904 and then none until the 1940s. The black students went to Manual High. Dick noted that East High once taught Latin and many students went to the Latin School on Broadway. It was in existence for about 20 years. We then climbed the stairs to the third floor and looked in some of the classrooms and then proceeded on up to the 4th floor to the alumni room and then continued up to the clock tower. Dick noted that a clock repairer comes in once every 18 months or so and repairs all four clocks at East High as well as the ones in the D&F clock tower on the 16th Street Mall. Dick also noted that East High once had telescopes as well as a radio station in the clock tower – the radio station had a range of about two blocks.
As we exited the building, Barbara Ford told us about the City Park Esplanade and the Sullivan Gateway. In 1905, George E. Kessler developed plans for the city’s parks, parkways and boulevards. Kessler’s plan included an esplanade from City Park south to Colfax, then continuing on to Cheesman and Washington Parks. This was part of the 1881 original plan for the parks. Today, only fragments remain – the City Park Esplanade, Williams Street, Country Club and Marion Street Parkways. In 1906 the state of Colorado donated the land that would become the City Park Esplanade. Grading for the entrance began immediately. The first plantings of flowers and trees began in 1907. In 1917 the Sullivan Gateway was erected at the Colfax entrance to the City Park Esplanade. The sculptor was Leo Lentelli.
-- Nancy Brueggeman