Congress Park

The Congress Park Neighborhood is bounded on York Street on the West, 17th Avenue on the North, Colorado Boulevard on the East and 6th Avenue on the South. Homes in the area range in price from $199,000 to $700,000, and offer a mixture of architectural styles with predominance favoring the “Denver Square” and Bungalow. Close to Downtown Denver and the attractions of the Denver Zoo, City Park, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the area is popular with young and old alike. RTD has timely bus service running East and West along 4 routes that transverse the area, and the very popular Cherry Creek Shopping Center and Cherry Creek North are just South of the area.

The area first became known as Denver’s first cemetery when City Founder William Larimer and his son staked out a site encompassing today’s Congress and Cheesman Parks. The first notorious burial occurred in April of 1859 when a German immigrant named John Stoefel murdered his brother-in-law and was promptly hanged. Larimer carried his remains to his new cemetery in the same wagon used for the hanging. In 1872, the City of Denver purchased the cemetery land for $1.25 per acre from the United States of America, having acquired the land via an 1850 treaty with the Arapahoe Indians. Present days Cheesman Park was the Protestant portion of the cemetery. By 1890 the cemetery had fallen into disuse, and local developers felt a city park might help sell home. Senator Teller persuaded the United States Congress to change the use from a cemetery to a park, and the new park was renamed Congress Park.

Early development close to the park occurred along East Colfax because of the trolley line serving that route, then being called Capitol Heights. Today’s Congress Park was never used for burials, and the complete development of the park wasn’t completed until the early 1950’s. The largest water holding tanks in the City of Denver are located adjacent to the park, and Denver’s Emergency Communications Center is located there. The convenience of the area to Denver’s attractions and shopping, plus a great neighborhood feel, make The Congress Park area a very desirable place to call home.

Today’s home buyer will discover a delightful neighborhood in Congress Park. The buyer looking for the charm of a an early 20th century neighborhood will find it in abundance in congress Park. With home style ranging from Craftsman to Denver Squares, many of them refurbished and updated to current standards, the area is one of Denver’s most inviting neighborhoods.

Driving Time to Major Destinations From Congress Park

Denver International Airport: 35 minutes
Downtown Denver: 10 minutes
Denver Technological Center (DTC): 25 minutes
Inverness/Meridian: 35 minutes
Boulder: 50 minutes
Castle Rock: 45 minutes