BY  MELANIE ULLE

There was one time in my life when I didn’t live in Colorado. I realized other places are nice, but not Denver-nice. Other places are pretty, but not Denver-pretty. Other people are cool, but not Denver-cool. 

Like so many delicate flowers spoiled by 300 sunny days a year, and living in the closest place to Heaven, I came back as soon as I could. While I was away, I missed Denver so terribly that I started drinking Coors Light, (which had never interested me before) out of nostalgia. I also started listening to John Denver. It made no sense how many random things I missed. I missed everything, even things I never liked in the first place, but at the top of the list was Washington Park, a place worthy of being desperately and viscerally missed.

Name your Denver neighborhood and there’s someone who feels the same unhinged passion for the park of their childhood, whether it’s Cheesman, Cranmer, Cook, Observatory, Confluence and on, and on, and on.

Our park system is one of the city’s greatest assets, and we can thank a century-old vision and the endless work of dedicated residents who believe that a city is only as great as its beautiful open spaces. Denverites know this to be true and in survey after survey, they hype up our lovely public parks as one of the primary reasons they live here.

The foundation of what we enjoy today was created during the City Beautiful movement of the early 1900s. Mayor Robert Speer was the driving force behind this effort. Inspired by the urban designs of Europe and the 1893 World’s Fair, Speer wanted to turn our then-dusty high-plains town into the Paris on the Platte. He commissioned boulevards, public monuments, and incredible parks like City Park and Cheesman Park. His goal was to ensure that as Denver grew, its residents would always have spaces to go outside and breathe.

Our city government now maintains the daily operations of these lands, but a local non-profit called The Park People has spent over 50 years preserving the extra details that make our parks iconic. 

Led by Kim Yuan-Farell, a local champion for our open spaces, The Park People operates as the nonprofit partner to Denver’s parks, focusing on historic preservation, urban forestry, and community advocacy. Their work includes the Denver Digs Trees program, which has significantly expanded the city’s canopy by providing tens of thousands of free and low-cost trees to residents. They lead the TreeForce workforce development initiative and train neighborhood leaders through the Community Forester program to ensure long-term care for the urban forest. The organization also takes the lead on major capital projects, raising millions of dollars to restore landmarks like the Cranmer Park Sundial and the historic pavilions at Cheesman and City Parks. By leading environmental efforts and the protection of Denver’s architectural heritage, they ensure the city’s parks remain vibrant and resilient for future generations.

We always talk about the most obvious assets in our park system like the Boat House at Washington Park, or the Bandstand at City Park (which was recently lost in a fire). These icons are important, but we also have so many less obvious gems that don’t get enough attention, in my opinion. In Washington Park, you can find my personal obsession, the Eugene Field Cottage. This small wood frame house was the home of a famous 19th-century poet and was saved from demolition in 1930 by the Unsinkable Molly Brown, who helped fund its move to the park. Just steps away stands the Wynken, Blynken, and Nod statue, a tribute to one of Field’s most beloved poems. I have never walked by without stopping, appreciating it and paying my respects.

City Park holds some secrets too, like the Thatcher Fountain, which features intricate bronze figures representing love, loyalty, and learning. Another sweet spot is the lily pond, which was built in 1917 as a living work of art. The designers curated specific floral arrangements and an intentional layout to recreate the feeling of Monet’s Giverny lily pads. 

If you’re passionate about our parks and want to get more involved in keeping them beautiful and safe, I suggest looking into The Park People, but Denver Parks and Recreation has several opportunities as well. You can be a Super Steward, a Volunteer Lead or even a Volunteer Photographer. Doesn’t that sound fun?

Denver’s parks are our city’s treasures and by visiting these special monuments or spending a few hours volunteering, you can help ensure that the City Beautiful vision remains a reality for the next generation of Denverites.