FIVE POINTS · NORTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN · PARK AVENUE WEST TO DOWNING
Curtis Park
Denver’s oldest neighborhood, with 1880s Victorians, tiny frame cottages and the city’s first park, a short walk from downtown.
Location: The oldest corner of Five Points, roughly from Larimer Street to Welton Street between Park Avenue West and Downing | Vibe: Old brick and frame houses on quiet blocks, minutes from downtown | Known for: Victorian architecture, Mestizo-Curtis Park, eight local historic districts
Curtis Park is the southwest end of Five Points, just northeast of downtown. The blocks people mean when they say Curtis Park run roughly from Larimer Street to Welton Street, between Park Avenue West and Downing. The historic core is Champa, Curtis, Stout and California streets from about 24th Street to Downing.
It grew up along Denver’s first streetcar line, which opened in 1871 and ran up Champa Street to 27th. Most of the houses went up between 1885 and 1890. Over the next century the neighborhood was home to German and Irish railroad families, a German Jewish congregation, Black families tied to the Welton Street business district, Japanese American families who settled here after World War II, and a large Mexican American community.
What the housing looks like
This is the best collection of 1870s and 1880s houses in Denver. You’ll see Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire and Carpenter Gothic houses, brick row houses, and one-story frame cottages that are smaller than most condos. The David Crowell house at 2816 Curtis St., built in 1873, may be the oldest building in the neighborhood. Newer townhomes and apartment buildings fill the edges, especially toward Larimer.
How it came back
By the 1960s many of these houses were boarded up and some were torn down. A 1975 National Register listing started the turnaround, and between 1978 and 1982 Historic Denver paid to restore the fronts of 43 houses for their low-income owners. Neighbors then pushed for local protection, and the city designated eight Curtis Park historic districts between 1995 and 2011.
Curtis Park at a glance
Where it fits
The city counts Curtis Park as part of the Five Points statistical neighborhood, so census and market numbers are reported for Five Points as a whole.
Getting around
Downtown and Coors Field are a walk or short bike ride away. The L Line light rail runs on Welton Street, but RTD suspended service in 2026 for track work while the city studies the corridor’s future, so I check its status for anyone counting on it.
Public schools
Assignments vary by address and enrollment zone, so I check the DPS school finder for each house.
Rules to know
Much of the neighborhood sits in the Curtis Park A through H local historic districts. Exterior changes that need a permit go through Denver Landmark Preservation design review, and so does demolition. I confirm which district a house is in before you write an offer.
“Curtis Park is for the buyer who wants a real 1880s house, can live with design review, and wants to walk to dinner downtown.”
Five Points, Denver
Discover Curtis Park
Local spots worth knowing
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Mestizo-Curtis Park
Denver’s first park, set aside on Curtis Street in 1868. “Mestizo” was added to the name after the neighborhood’s Chicano community petitioned for it. It has tennis courts, red sandstone walks and a playground that honors the Black families who lived here.
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The sunglasses mural
Emanuel Martinez painted these swimmers in 1983, using the pool house’s louvered windows as their sunglasses. It’s known as “Eyes on the Park,” and it’s scheduled to come down with the old pool. A new Martinez mural is planned for the rebuild.
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We Are One
A rainbow mural across the long side of the pool house. Murals by many artists have covered this building over the years, so see it while the old pool house is still standing.
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Mestizo-Curtis Pool
Closed since 2023 because of leaks. After neighbors and a local swim group pushed back, the city kept a 50-meter pool in its $12.5 million rebuild. The city’s estimate has it reopening in summer 2027.
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The Victorian blocks
Walk Curtis and Champa between 25th and 30th to see the range: the 1873 Crowell cottage at 2816 Curtis, the 1880 Italianate Joslin house at 2915 Champa, and Second Empire houses at 2601 Champa and 2445 California.
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Welton Street
The edge of the neighborhood and the old main street of Five Points, once the center of Denver’s Black business and jazz life. My Five Points guide covers it.
Curtis Park real estate
A 600-square-foot frame cottage, a restored three-story Victorian and a new townhome on Larimer can all be listed as Curtis Park, and they don’t sell anywhere near each other. For a specific house I compare it with recent sales of the same kind of home nearby, check which historic district it’s in, and look at what the last owner did to the outside and whether it was approved.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index for Five Points, Denver, the official neighborhood that includes Curtis Park, as of August 31, 2026. All home types, including condos and townhomes.
Want new Curtis Park listings by email? Open the search, tap Save search, and you’ll get matches the day they hit the MLS.
Who buys in Curtis Park
Most Curtis Park buyers want an old house close to downtown and are willing to take on what owning one involves.
Victorian buyers
People who want 1880s brick, tall windows and original trim, and who know an old house comes with old-house repairs.
Downtown workers
Buyers who work downtown or near Union Station and want to walk or bike instead of sitting in traffic.
Small-house buyers
Buyers who’d rather own a small frame cottage with a yard than a condo with HOA dues.
Curtis Park questions I get asked
Is Curtis Park its own neighborhood or part of Five Points?
Both, depending on who you ask. The city counts it as part of the Five Points statistical neighborhood, but people who live here call it Curtis Park, and it has its own neighborhood group and historic districts. If you’re looking at listings, search both names.
Does a historic district limit what I can do to my house?
Most of Curtis Park is in one of eight local historic districts. Exterior changes that need a permit, and any demolition, go through Denver Landmark Preservation design review. You can still renovate and add on, but plans for the outside get reviewed first. I check which district a house is in and what you’re hoping to do before you make an offer.
When will the Curtis Park pool reopen?
The pool has been closed since 2023. The city is rebuilding it with a 50-meter pool, and its current estimate is summer 2027. That date has moved before, so treat it as a goal, not a promise.
Nearby neighborhoods
Curtis Park is part of Five Points. RiNo is just northwest across Larimer, LoDo and downtown are southwest, and Cole is a short drive northeast. For more green space, see my Denver parks guide.
Buying in Curtis Park? My Denver home buyer’s guide walks through the whole process in 10 steps.
Thinking about Curtis Park?
Let’s talk about which blocks fit how you want to live, what the historic district means for the house you like, and what homes like it have actually sold for.
Or call or text 720.454.5432