Alamo Placita Park

 

At the heart of our neighborhood is the historic Alamo Placita Park.  It has often been called Denver’s most ideal and most beautiful park. The name commemorates the many cottonwoods that grew naturally in this area (Little Place of the Cottonwoods). A few of the old trees can still be found in Alamo Placita Park and in the neighborhood.

 

In 1911, the property for the park was acquired by condemnation decree. The city paid $30,450 to acquire the property from Speer’s Arlington Park Realty Company. The land totaled 4.64 acres (18,800 m2). In 1912 a bond issue was defeated that would have added the northern portions of the 300 block bounded by Emerson Street and Ogden Street to the park land.

 

The park land remained undeveloped until 1927, when landscape work finally commenced. Colorado’s premier landscape architect, Saco Resnik DeBoer, designed the park. Mayor Speer hired DeBoer as Denver’s second landscape architect in 1910, a position he held until 1931. DeBoer designed parks and parkways in Denver and actively participated in city planning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today the park still maintains the original gardens that DeBoer designed.  Each spring vibrant flowers are planted in stunning designs.  The park offers a basketball court, playground, open space and picnic areas.  The park is where many of the APNA activities take place, including the Cottonwood Festival and the APNA Annual Park Spruce Up Event.