Potter Highlands

The Potter Highlands Historic District is one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods and lies west above downtown Denver and is a subdivision of the original town of Highland. Established in 1863 by Rev. Walter Potter, the 36-square block district is one of Colorado’s largest residential historic districts full of Victorian, craftsman, and cottage style structures. It parted from Denver in the 1870’s and legally became a separate city in 1885. Bragging about their clean air and water and touting their “high morals,” Highlanders bragged that their city was “situated upon a high eminence, proudly overlooking her smoky neighbor, the city of Denver, her [Highlands] atmosphere untarnished by smelter or factory smoke, but as pure and fresh and sweet as the God of nature ever gave to man.” [Ruth Wiberg, Rediscovering Northwest Denver, 1994]. The majority of the homes in Potter Highlands were constructed between 1893 and 1939. Mansions, with a limit of one per block, were built to attract buyers to the area. More modest construction later appeared as a result of further subdividing. One of Denver’s earliest streetcar suburbs, the West Highlands area had its own shopping district at 32nd and Lowell that still remains one of Denver’s most popular destinations. Today, Potter Highlands boasts its own burgeoning shopping district along 32nd Ave., beginning at Clay Street and extending east to the LoHi district. The community has been home to various immigrant ethnic groups — Scottish, Italian, Irish,German and Mexican—who established the neighborhood’s still-thriving churches, businesses, restaurants and cultural events. Though intended to be its own city, transportation problems crossing the Platte River into Denver as well as the financial problems resulting from the Silver Crash led residents to vote to join Denver in 1896. Potter Highlands was designated a historic district in 1979; its boundaries are Federal Boulevard east to Zuni Street and 32nd Avenue north to 38th Avenue.