A Powerful Conference -- Saving Places 2014

Saving Places ran from February 5-7 in Denver, Colorado . . . The theme, Preservation in Plain Sight:  providing information on developing a community vision.

As always it was a powerful conference bringing people from all over the country to Denver.  One of my favorite sessions was called, Better Blocks Movement and Embedded Historic Districts.

Many of America's streets along streetcar lines were once vibrant places with  rich histories and notable architecture.  The fun of this session was to watch an effort to revitalize a neighborhood and to see the results.

Jefferson Park's commercial streetcar blocks in Denver had lost their spendor in the last half-cenury when attention shifted to more car-oriented development patterns.  Recently urban peoneers have returned to neghborhoods close to downtown, bringing with them urban infill development, a desire for active lifestyes, and revitalization of neighborhood commerce.

In 2012, Walk Denver, a local nonprofit dedicated to making Denver more pedestrian-friendly, chose Jefferson Park for "Better Block," a complete streets demonstration project.  Groundwork Denver was an active and valuable partner in those efforts.

Since then, Jefferson Park has become a laboratory for an urban renaissance led by community engagement and new business.   This was a successful effort, returning vitality to the buildings and blocks in the area and demonstrated the great potential for historic preservationists to become more involved in the "Better Block" movement in their community.