March 9, 2017
DENVER Since 1926
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DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
ALL ABOARD: Hobby shop opens its doors P5
Five Points exudes history amid change Once known for jazz clubs, ‘Harlem of the West’ adding breweries, coffee shops BY RUSSELL CONTRERAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
The neighborhood was once called “The Harlem of the West.” It’s a place where Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis performed to packed rooms not far from the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. For years, the area served as a haven for black residents who couldn’t find housing elsewhere in the American West. But the historic black neighborhood of Denver’s Five Points now faces the encroachment of gentrification with new breweries and coffee shops near the buildings that once housed jazz clubs and black-owned businesses. Still, visitors can experience the character and history of Five Points despite the changes and fears that the community’s African-American identity may be endangered. Five Points is located on the northeast side of downtown Denver. Its name comes from an intersection of streets and a streetcar stop. The area became a hot spot in the 1920s for black families who were kept out of other Denver neighborhoods. Black-owned tailor shops, restaurants, jazz clubs, voting rights headquarters and real estate companies dotted the streets of Five Points, creating one of the most vibrant African-American communities west of the Mississippi River. But as the 1960s civil rights movement made it easier for black performers, writers and entrepreneurs to work and live outside African-American communities, neighborhoods around
The D Line light rail train goes past the closed Rossonian Hotel. The train goes follows the historic Welton Street. the country like Five Points began to fade. Today, a simple drive or rail ride can take you to the heart of Five Points from downtown Denver. Visitors can start at Sonny Lawson Park and walk around the softball field where the white writer Jack Kerouac famously worked on “On The Road” and tried to capture the spirit of the bebop movement as he saw it in Five Points. As in Kerouac’s Beatnik era, homeless campers still rest next to the softball field, and some are eager to tell you Kerouac legends that have been passed down for generations. SEE FIVE POINTS, P2
PHOTOS BY IAN WARREN
Franklin Stiger sits in his barber’s chair at his shop. Stiger’s barber shop has been in Five Points for 48 years and has become a staple for families. Stiger accepts the changes in Five Points, stating, “nothing stays the same.” His wife, Mae Stiger says, “It will never be the Five Points it used to be...I miss the music.” Franklin Stiger Afro Styling Barber Shop & Curls is located at 2755 Welton St.
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘We’re not satisfied with making the playoffs. ... We want to be a team that gets deep into the playoffs and ultimately wins a championship.’ Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets coach | Page 6 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 4 | LIFE: PAGE 5 | SPORTS: PAGE 6 VOLUME 90 | ISSUE 20