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Tuesday, March 1,
2011
RIVER NORTH
From 23rd
Street and Blake Street, looking North onto
the River North Community 1988
From 23rd
Street and Blake Street, looking North onto
the River North Community 1988
The River North Community
boundary is roughly contained with in the area of I-70
to the North, I-25 to the West, Park Avenue (23rd Street) to
the South, Arapahoe Street to the East. This area is
immediately north of lower downtown and contains the
north portion of the Platte Valley as well.
You
can see the prominent Brighton Boulevard Viaduct span
the Platte Valley that was previously used as the
railroad corridor into downtown Denver from the 1890's -
1980's.
The Brighton Boulevard Viaduct was demolished in the mid
1990's and brought down to grade level to continue the
process of the healthy growth of the area. I miss the
viaduct, I miss all the viaducts - most people do; they
were marvelous structures and designs of past
generations. Wish we could always combine the past and
future, many times it is literally impossible to
accomplish.
On the left side of these images you see the area where
Brighton Boulevard continues north to the Denver Coliseum
and beyond. The Platte River is just west, and I-25 is
nearby, a little further to the West.
We see Blake Street looking
North, a one way street
heading into part of the River North Community. This area
is dominated by small to medium warehouses and playing a
very active role in the rebirth of this dynamic
neighborhood.
The close proximity of these buildings and "cheaper"
prices have attracted an energy of small business and
the burgeoning art community that is becoming a huge
force for the future of the Denver art scene!
I encourage the Denver community to check out the
entire area full of hidden treasures of various small
business ventures. Some of the creative spaces I suggest you discover are:
* Blue Silo Studio
* Denver Hardware
* Hinderland Art Space
* Ice Cube Gallery
* Ironton Studio
* Meadowlark Bar
* Pattern Shop Studio
* Plus Gallery
* Taxi Community
* Weilworks
Please visit the
Exhibition Page for my Meadowlark Bar
exhibit - Thursday March 3, 2011, 6:00 - 9:00 pm.
The exhibit will have images of River North, LoDo and
some Denver music venues as well.
Hope to see you all there, it will be a killer show!
For additional images and
commentary, please
refer to the
Bottoms Area section.
"LOST DENVER"
We will start with a couple of my images and set the
scene for the work of John Porcellino, featuring his
Comic Drawing and Story.
I have never met John, he sent me compliments on my work
that related to some of his observations on Denver;
this is a gift in return.
Chestnut Street
and 29th Street, a block West of the Skyline Cafe
1987
Beware of Dog... what a
nice welcome sign.
This is the area between Coors Field and the Platte
River. It was always known to me as the "Bottoms", a low
area by the river and below the Highlands neighborhood.
It was basically deserted. The Hungarian Flour Mill was
nearby, along with a few spotty warehouses, a lot of dirt and
tumble weeds. It was a little eerie, but strangely
peaceful to me... a line
by the musician Joe Walsh comes to mind... " You can't
argue with a sick mind."
My friend Tim lived 50 feet away from this area. We drank
a lot of beer together and climbed in and on most of the
nearby warehouses.
Tracks Nightclub was
nearby, I was usually in bed before it even got rockin.
The Skyline
Cafe and Saloon at 797 West 29th
1988
The Skyline Cafe was a
different matter. It was a late afternoon
spot for me on some weekends. The Jukebox had Jimi Hendrix to Chet
Atkins; I drank many Beck's and Guinness beers on a hot
summer afternoon at the Skyline; the rookies had not yet
discovered the area.
LOST DENVER
by John Porcellino
Copyright by John Porcellino 2010;
Reprinted by permission.
Read
John Porcellino's Blog
For additional images and
commentary, please
refer to the
Bottoms Area section.
- Kim Allen |
