Every city has a first block, and in Denver it is Larimer Square. Laid out in 1858 by William Larimer, the founder of Denver City, this short stretch of Larimer Street between 14th and 15th streets in Lower Downtown — LoDo — was the city’s original main street and its first commercial hub, home to some of Denver’s earliest shops, banks and gathering places.
Walk it today and the 19th century is still standing around you: handsome Victorian buildings from the 1870s through the 1890s, in brick and stone, with decorative cornices and tall storefront windows. The block nearly disappeared in the 20th century, but preservationist Dana Crawford and Larimer Square Associates began restoring it in 1965, and in 1971 it became Denver’s first officially designated historic district — a rescue that helped start the city’s preservation movement.
Now Larimer Square is made for a happy stroll. A canopy of lights glows overhead, patios spill onto the sidewalk, and Victorian storefronts hold specialty boutiques and chef-driven restaurants, as VISIT DENVER describes it. Come at dusk, when the lights come on and the whole block turns golden, then keep walking — Union Station and the 16th Street corridor are just minutes away. It is free to wander, easy to love, and pure Denver.
Photo: Sdkb / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
