Colorado Then and Now Photographs

06/03/2026

Empire, looking South towards Union Pass. Photos taken 1910 and 2016.

The history of Union Pass, Colorado is deeply tied to the state's 19th-century silver rush, serving as a critical four-mile wagon road connecting the mining towns of Empire and Georgetown.

In 1860, Silver was discovered in the area, establishing Empire, Colorado as a key mining center. In 1861, the town entered a major period of prosperity. Rich silver lodes were discovered nearby in Georgetown in 1864. Union Pass was built through the notch in the mountain ridge between Empire and Georgetown to establish a vital supply line between the two booming camps.

Original photo provided courtesy Denver Public Library Digital Collection

Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Historic Idaho Springs Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office George Rowe Museum Visit Georgetown, Colorado

06/02/2026

3016 Osceola St Denver. Photos taken in 1920 and 2014

The property at 3016 Osceola Street in Denver, Colorado is the historic Hermann H. Heiser House, a beautifully preserved Queen Anne Victorian residence built in 1892. It holds significant local prominence.

The two-story red brick home features an impressive corner tower that anchors the home’s classic Queen Anne silhouette.
A spectacular front entrance complete with an original door, leaded glass side lights, and a transom window. The Masterfully matched interior paneling and doors, utilize entirely different, high-quality wood species unique to each room.

The home was built for Hermann H. Heiser, a renowned Denver craftsman famous for creating high-end, custom cowboy saddlery and leather goods. The home achieved official Denver Landmark status in 1973. In 1989, a four-car detached garage was built on the 0.36-acre lot. It was meticulously crafted to mimic the home's historic narrow mortar joints.

In late 2025, the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission reviewed and guided a precision rehabilitation project. The initiative systematically removed non-original wrought iron and columns added during mid-century renovations, replacing them with historically accurate wood balustrades and pedestals reconstructed using original "ghost marks" on the structure
It remains a private residence in the highly sought-after West Highland neighborhood. (Source: Google AI overview)

Original photo source, unknown.

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06/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BGhrthPNg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

If you like my page, then I’m sure you’ll like this one too if you’re not aware of it, this is run by a lady by the name of Heidi and her son and they are fans of this page and I’m fans of their page. Anyway, you should check this out. They do a great job.



Welcome! We would like to invite you on a trip into the past to explore Denver and the surrounding areas of Colorado.

06/01/2026

15th St Bridge over the South Platte River, Then and Now.

For more detailed information, please see my previous post.

06/01/2026

15th St Viaduct/Bridge over the South Platte River. Photos taken in 1893 and 2014.

The 15th Street Viaduct in Denver, Colorado, was a monumental steel and concrete elevated roadway built in the late 19th century to span the heavy railroad trackage, industrial warehouses, and waterways dividing downtown Denver from North Denver. It served as a critical transportation corridor for over a century before being demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the

Original photo provided courtesy, Denver Public Library Digital Collection

Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Historic Denver Historic Denver Beautiful and Historic North Denver

05/30/2026

Let it never be said that I claimed that I was perfect. I posted this on April 26 and I got caught in a mistake by Andrew Miller. I had originally put the dates as 1885 and 2018. Turns out I was wrong on both years. And the name of the original photographer. The corrections are shown below.

16th St at Glenarm Place looking Northwest. The Kittredge Bldg is on the immediate right
Photos taken in 1904 (Louis C McClure) and 2024

Completed in 1891, the Kittredge Building is a landmark seven-story structure located at 16th Street and Glenarm Place in downtown Denver. It is known for its Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and was one of the city’s first major office buildings to feature an elevator.

The building was developed by Charles Marble Kittredge, a prominent investment banker, miner, and developer who also helped develop the Montclair neighborhood and founded the town of Kittredge, Colorado.

The building has long served as a prominent office address at one of Denver's most bustling downtown intersections.
In 1930, the entrance to the nearby The Paramount Theatre was cut through the Kittredge Building.
While retaining its historic exterior and elements like high ceilings, the building has been modernized to serve as a contemporary workplace.

The Kittredge Building is recognized as a key piece of Denver's commercial history and remains a striking, landmarked feature of the 16th Street Mall area.

Original photo provided courtesy Denver Public Library Digital Collection.

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05/29/2026

Town of Elizabeth, photos taken in the 1890s and 2024

Creators note: These two images were sent to me by Diana , who works for the town of Elizabeth and is a fan of the page.

The Town of Elizabeth, Colorado, located 45 miles southeast of Denver on the Palmer Divide, originated as a mid-19th-century timber town fueled by Denver’s rapid expansion. As the most populous municipality in Elbert County, its heritage spans from early logging camps to a critical railroad connection and a lasting rural, equestrian identity.

In the late 1850s, the Webber Brothers built a sawmill camp along the banks of Running Creek. Originally named Russellville, the camp's plentiful forests—known locally as "the Pineries"—provided vital lumber to construct early buildings in nearby Denver.

Shortly after that, a severe flood wiped out the original creek-side campsite, forcing early settlers to move the town to higher ground, which is its present location.

In 1881, former Colorado Governor John Evans named the town site in honor of his sister-in-law, Elizabeth. The modern layout of Elizabeth was formally platted in 1882 and officially incorporated as a statutory town in 1890. Evans developed the Denver & New Orleans Railroad (D&NO), establishing a vital stop just outside Elizabeth. The train allowed local operations—which had shifted into logging, farming, cattle ranching, and dairy farming—to easily ship goods across the Front Range.

The community opened its first unified two-story stone schoolhouse in 1885, eventually expanding it into the Elizabeth Union High School in 1911—the very first high school in Elbert County.

In the late 1950s, the rural area played a brief but strategic role in American Cold War defense. By 1959, an underground Titan I Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silo complex was constructed and housed in the rural landscape surrounding the town, operating under the nearby Lowry Air Force Base infrastructure.

Today, Elizabeth sits at an elevation of 6,530 feet and is recognized nationally as a Tree City USA. The town's six-block historic Main Street District retains its Old West architectural charm, featuring beautifully restored late-19th-century brick structures and boardwalks. Elizabeth has experienced steady population growth as a commuter destination for the broader Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. Local preservationists and the Town of Elizabeth Historic Advisory Board actively work to balance this modern suburban growth with the town’s traditional rural, agricultural, and equestrian heritage

Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Denver Public Library Historic Denver

05/29/2026

4401 Tennyson St, Then and Now.

Original photo provided courtesy Denver Public Library Digital Collection

For more detailed information about this video, see my previous post.

Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Denver Public Library Historic Denver Historic Denver PARISI pizzeria, trattoria e vino

05/29/2026

4401 Tennyson St. Photos taken in 1925 and 2017

The commercial property located at 4401 Tennyson Street in Denver’s historic Berkeley neighborhood spans over a century of local retail and culinary history. Anchoring the corner of 44th Avenue and Tennyson Street, this building reflects the broader evolution of Northwest Denver from a streetcar suburb into a bustling independent business district.

From 1920 until 1960, the location served as a vital community cornerstone for neighborhood food supplies.
The Berkeley Grocery Company offered fresh meats and general groceries.

After a fire damaged the initial structure, the owners constructed a larger, updated building on the lot to expand operations. The independent grocery storefront ultimately closed around 1959 or 1960, a casualty of the post-WWII rise of major centralized supermarket chains like King Soopers.

In the early 1960s, the space housed an artificial flower dealership owned by Robert J. Muehe. The shop made headlines in 1967 when the Federal Trade Commission intervened regarding highly flammable imported fabrics.

In 1969, local entrepreneur Ellen A. Westdal acquired the building. She transformed it into Janet Lee’s Near New Shop, a popular and long-running neighborhood consignment and clothing store named after her daughter.

In 2004, the building transitioned back to its food-centric roots when it was purchased by restaurateurs Christine and Simone Parisi. The couple had originally founded Parisi in 1998 as a tiny Italian market and deli on nearby Lowell Boulevard. Needing a larger footprint, they moved to 4401 Tennyson Street to pivot into a multi-concept, full-service restaurant.

For over two decades, Parisi established itself as a beloved culinary staple. The fast-casual main floor specialized in authentic Tuscan pastas, panini, and wood-fired pizzas. For years, the building also featured a downstairs basement space that hosted Firenze a Tavola, a cozy, fine-dining wine cave that was repurposed as Parisi Sotto following the pandemic.

Just this month, in May 2026, the building experienced a major setback when a stray ember from the pizza oven flue sparked a severe electrical attic fire. While no injuries were reported, the structure sustained heavy roof and smoke damage, forcing the iconic restaurant into an indefinite temporary closure for building remediation. (Source: Google AI overview)

Original photo provided courtesy Denver Public Library Digital Collection

Colorado Then and Now Photographs History Colorado Historic Denver Historic Denver PARISI pizzeria, trattoria e vino Beautiful and Historic North Denver

05/28/2026

Intersection of 37th Ave and Bryant St

See my previous post for more detailed information.

Original photo provided courtesy Denver Public Library Digital Collection

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