Five Points, Denver

Five Points is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver, Colorado. It is now one of the fastest growing in terms of both redevelopment and population. Much of this growth is taking place in the River North Arts District, or "RiNo", which is often considered by locals a neighborhood of its own; although it is officially within the Five Points neighborhood in addition to parts of neighboring Globeville and Elyria-Swansea.

Five Points is on the northeast side of Downtown Denver's central business district. A small portion wraps around Coors Field and encompasses the Union Station North neighborhood (formerly Prospect).^[2] This is where the downtown street grid meets the neighborhood street grid of the first Denver suburbs. The five points in the district's name refer to the vertices formed where four streets meet: 26th Avenue, 27th Street, Washington Street, and Welton Street. Five Points was the shortened name for the street car stop at this intersection.

Five Points came to historical prominence from the 1860s through the 1950s. The neighborhood was home to a number of Denver's leaders, housing mayors, governors, and prominent business people, as well as middle-class laborers. Rino, Union Station North,^[3] Clement, Old San Rafael, Curtis Park, Arapahoe Square, and Ballpark neighborhoods are located within the boundaries of the larger Five Points neighborhood.

With a succession of majority African-American populations as new residents settled in the city, Five Points in the first half of the 20th century became known as the "Harlem of the West". It developed as a predominantly African-American neighborhood because discriminatory home sale laws in other areas excluded black people. African Americans migrated to the city, many first working for the railroad, which had a terminus here. They were part of the Great Migration of the 20th century out of the rural South to northern, midwestern and western industrial cities for jobs and other opportunities.

From the 1920s to the 1950s the community thrived, with a rich mix of business and commerce along the Welton Corridor. Businesses included a butcher, real estate companies, drug stores, tailors, restaurants, barbers, and many other main street services. Churches were also founded in the community.

Welton Street was also home to more than fifty bars and clubs, where nationally known jazz musicians, such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and others performed. Black performers excluded from other hotels in Denver stayed at the Rossonian Hotel,^[4] built in 1912. They also performed there and it became known as a famous music venue.

From the late 1950s through the late 1990s, the Five Points community suffered changes and decline as wealthier residents moved to newer housing in the postwar suburban boom. In addition, the growth of drugs was associated with crime and urban flight. Suburban housing and retail development drew many people out of the neighborhood. As the population declined, so did businesses, and many properties were abandoned. Redevelopment took place in other areas, as the larger market found local business conditions unappealing. Attempts at redevelopment were made, but there were many hindrances to reinvestment.

Five Points has long been a neighborhood with a diverse economic mix of residents, evidenced by the variety of houses there. Mansions were built next to row homes. Many of the rich began moving out of Five Points in the late 19th century to live in the more popular Capitol Hill neighborhood. Five Points at one time had a large Jewish population, formed by waves of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A former synagogue, Temple Emanuel, stands on the corner of 24th and Curtis Street. The Jewish community founded Rose Hospital.

After World War II, many Japanese-Americans who had been interned in interior camps resettled in Denver and lived in Five Points. Agape Church on the corner of 25th Street and California Street was once a Japanese Methodist church.

In 2002 Five Points was designated as a cultural historic district, in recognition of its important role in African-American history in the city.^[5]

In 2013, Sonny Lawson Park, at Park Avenue West and Welton, was renovated with completion of new ball field fencing and facilities, addition of exercise equipment, and improvements to the layout of the park.^[6][7]

African-American history is recorded and exhibited at the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center and at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library.^[8][9]

في فترةٍ ما، حين كان الفصل العنصري قانونًا، كانت منطقةٌ تتمركز حول ممر ويلتون ذات أغلبيةٍ من الأمريكيين من أصل أفريقي . لكن وفقًا لتعداد السكان، أدت سنواتٌ من التغير الديموغرافي إلى أغلبيةٍ من السكان البيض (77  %)، ووجود عددٍ كبيرٍ من اللاتينيين (19  %)، بينما أصبح السكان السود أقليةً (14  %). ^{[ 10 ]} في عام 2002، صُنفت منطقة فايف بوينتس كمنطقةٍ تاريخيةٍ ثقافية، تقديرًا لدورها المهم في تاريخ الأمريكيين من أصل أفريقي في المدينة. ^{[ 5 ]}

في عام ٢٠٠٢، استحوذت هيئة الإسكان في دنفر على إسطبل خيول عمره مئة عام في حي كورتيس بارك بالقرب من فايف بوينتس. تولى المطور العقاري أندرو رومانوف مسؤولية تجديد المبنى في عام ٢٠١٢ لتحويله إلى مساحة مكتبية تُؤجر للشركات الصغيرة. وقد تم افتتاحه منذ ذلك الحين. ^{[ ١١ ]}

بدأت محاولات إعادة بناء اقتصاد تجاري قوي في شارع ويلتون عام ٢٠٠٩ بتأسيس منطقة فايف بوينتس التجارية. ^{[ ١٢ ]} توقفت منطقة فايف بوينتس التجارية عن العمل منذ ذلك الحين، ووُجّه التمويل إلى منطقة تطوير الأعمال . ^{[ ١٣ ]} في عام ٢٠٢٤، تمت الموافقة على خطط تجديد فندق روسونيان الكائن في ٢٦٤٢ شارع ويلتون. ^{[ ١٤ ]}

تتمتع منطقة فايف بوينتس بخدمة جيدة من الحافلات والقطارات الخفيفة. في أوائل التسعينيات، ربط أول نظام قطارات خفيفة في دنفر منطقة الأعمال بوسط المدينة بمنطقة فايف بوينتس. ^{[ 33 ]} تم إنشاء محطة نقل جديدة عند تقاطع الشارعين 38 وبليك في عام 2016 كجزء من الخط A. في الوقت الحاضر، تخدم منطقة فايف بوينتس بشكل أساسي خط L ، الذي تم إنشاؤه من خلال إعادة تصميم أجزاء من خط D القائم . ^{[ 34 ]} يُعد الجزء الأخير من خط L، الذي يبلغ طوله 0.8 ميل ، أحد الأجزاء القليلة المتبقية من خطة توسعة FasTracks التابعة لهيئة النقل الإقليمية في دنفر . سيربط هذا الجزء خط L بخط A عند محطة تقاطع الشارعين 38 وبليك ، ويتضمن محطتين جديدتين عند تقاطع الشارعين 33 وداونينغ، وتقاطع الشارعين 35 وداونينغ. ^{[ 35 ]}

• قائمة مراجع كولورادو
• جغرافية كولورادو
• تاريخ كولورادو
• فهرس المقالات المتعلقة بولاية كولورادو
• قائمة القوائم المتعلقة بولاية كولورادو
  • قائمة الأحياء في دنفر
  • قائمة الأماكن المأهولة بالسكان في كولورادو
  • قائمة المجتمعات الأمريكية ذات الأغلبية من الأمريكيين من أصل أفريقي في عام 2020
• مخطط ولاية كولورادو

• مدينة ومقاطعة دنفر
  • مدينة ومقاطعة دنفر: خريطة الأحياء
    • منطقة الأعمال فايف بوينتس
• ولاية كولورادو
  • تاريخ كولورادو