BY STACY CRUM DURAN
What to say about Dr. Phil Goodstein? He detests cant, and he “strives to stimulate debate.”
In keeping with common themes of November glossies, I asked Phil about gratitude and remembrance. He mused that, true to his latest book, Fairmount: Denver’s Ultimate Cemetery, “cemeteries are as much for the living and the dead. They are places of memory. By grasping the achievements and failures of those who preceded us, we can better grasp the present and assure a better future.”
Back in his East High School days as a young and overwhelmed student, feeling pressured by the school district to pursue studies in science and math “to serve technology and the system,” Phil found solace in learning about history. Perhaps that is when he began to form his leftist and humanist views that are on full display in his long standing newletter, The Naysayer.
I did not know of Phil and his history talks and tours until I attended the Wash Park 125th Anniversary Jubilee this August. After joining the Loop Road Walk, followed by Garry Appel’s yoga class on the grass, I caught Phil’s history talk in the Boathouse––and I was hooked.
A 2022 article in the Denverite, by Kyle Harris, claims that Phil “has written more books about Denver history than there are miles in a marathon––somewhere between 27 and 34.” At the Boathouse talk I purchased one of those books––The Haunts of Washington Park (2009). It is a thorough and well-organized history resource. The frontispiece is a map showing the precise boundaries of the greater Washington Park neighborhood, and the first four pages of the index reference about 600 neighborhood addresses and specific locations––you might want to check for yours! Are you aware of the “Flying Dutchman (a sailor condemned to sail endlessly in stormy seas in stormy conditions) on Smith Lake”? Did you know that the striped poles on the western exterior of South High School are based on the San Ambroggio Cathedral in Milan? And that “during the 1950s and 1960s, amidst the civil rights revolution,” the Confederate flag was the “South insignia displayed at DPS high school gyms”? How about that Steele Elementary once “included an open-air school for consumptive youths”?
Among Phil’s favorite aspects of our neighborhood park are that it once contained the Eugene Field Library. He also enjoys tales about the poet, including his satirical view of Denver. Phil does not like to drive, and feels that a notable park achievement was clearing automobiles from the southern section in 1982. In his view, this action “made Washington Park a leader in Mile High park developments.” In fact, studying cars and their impact on cities led the historian to focus on Denver as an area of study. In his view, cities like Denver have been built around the car, and it is essential to provide places of refuge where it is possible to escape the presence of car traffic.
When I asked about unfortunate Wash Park events, he referred to the ugly race riot that took place on August 17, 1932: “This was when local thugs and racists, with the full complicity of the police, violently attacked peaceful Black people who were attempting to swim at what was supposed to be a discrimination beach on the north shore of Smith Lake.” According to The Haunts of Washington Park, the superintendent of the park at the time of the riot “was among those affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.” Prior to the race riot, another example of discrimination was in 1913 when “the city ruled that individuals of Japanese heritage could not [swim in Smith Lake] despite state civil rights laws outlawing racial discrimination at all public facilities.”
Among other local heroes, Phil describes two prominent women of color in his new book, Fairmount, and in a previous publication, Curtis Park, Five Points, and Beyond (2014). These include such leading Black women as Dr. Justina Ford, a physician who served all regardless of race for more than 50 years, and Jesse Maxwell, the pioneer Black principal in Denver Public Schools.
To sum up, here are some of Phil’s inspirations and pet peeves:
Notable and Uplifting
• The Denver Public Library before 1995
• Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Mahler, and Schubert
• The architecture of the new Populous Hotel
• Some consciously-designed high rises in RiNo
Pet Peeves and Disappointments
• The Denver Public Library post 1995
• The poor ticketing practices of the Colorado Symphony
• The generic emphasis on beer that tends to permeate “tokenist” ethnic festivals
• Whitewashing of diverse European heritage
• Noisy sound systems
As a side note, when I asked Phil about any newer architecture that he finds attractive, he left me with this food for thought: “Some of the custom-built houses in Washington Park have a charm. But then it is necessary to remember what they replaced and the way such buildings are often nothing more than cosmetics to cloak the destruction of other landmarks.” Thank you, Phil, for reminding us of our layered history and the importance of staying true to our unique identities.
“History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
~Mark Twain
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Upcoming Talks and Tours by Phil Goodstein
Saturday, November 9: Fairmount and Books on Denver, 2:00 pm This is a free talk about Denver history and Goodstein’s many books on the city. The focus with be Fairmount: Denver’s Ultimate Cemetery. The event is at the Bookies Bookstore, 2085 South Holly Street, half-a-block to the north of Evans Avenue, 303/759–1117.
Saturday, November 23: Fairmount and Books on Denver, 11:00 am-2:00 pm Goodstein will sit around the city’s oldest cooperative bookstore, Park Hill Books, 4620 23rd Avenue, informally discussing his many books on the city. The store is near the southwest corner of 23rd Avenue and Dexter Street, seven blocks east of Colorado Boulevard, (303) 355-8508.
Sunday, December 1: From the Castle Marne to Fairmount, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm The Castle Marne is a storied landmark at 1572 Race Street (the southeast corner of 16th Avenue). Peek inside the place as Goodstein talks about its history and its connections with Cheesman Park and his new book on Fairmount Cemetery. Time permitting, the free event will include a tour of the mansion. (Race Street is three blocks west of York Street.)
Friday, December 6: First Friday on Santa Fe, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm First Fridays on Santa Fe are when the self-styled artistic class comes out to socialize. For the occasion, numerous studios open their doors to the public. Included will be a Goodstein signing at the Real Eyes Studio, 747 Santa Fe Drive, Suite A. Enter through the purple door next to Artists on Santa Fe near West Eighth Avenue on the west side of the street. The event is in the first studio at the top of the stairs.
Sunday, December 8: Fairmount and Books on Denver, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm Broadway Book Mall is a cooperative venture by small booksellers. Besides pushing his books, Goodstein will talk about it for about 45 minutes beginning at 2:15 pm. The store is at the southeast corner of Broadway and Alameda, directly to the south of McDonald’s.