Buffered from what developers then touted as the “declining” neighborhood of Cap Hill by City Park, the former home of dairies and brickyards became a haven for many of Denver’s prosperous residents, boasting its own racetrack and Colorado Women’s College, which called itself “the Vassar of the West.”
Park Hill was almost exclusively White until the late 1950s, when middle-class Black families began to seek homes in the area. Realtors stoked “White flight” and “for sale” signs began mushrooming. The Park Hill Action Committee (now Greater Park Hill Community, Incorporated) formed in 1960, attempting to build and integrated and inclusive community. In 1968, Park Hill resident and school board member Rachel Noel was instrumental in integrating public schools.
Today the neighborhood remains one of Denver’s most diverse. Tree-lined streets, wide boulevards and well-kept homes in a variety of architectural styles make it a perennial favorite. Just across Colorado Boulevard, City Park offers attractions (Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Zoo) and events (Jazz in City Park and numerous festivals). In January, Mayor Mike Johnston announced that the city would convert the highly contentious site of the old Park Hill Golf Course into a 155-acre city park.
You won’t find rolling brewery bikes or rowdy visiting bachelor/ette parties in Park Hill — which makes it all the more desirable for Denver residents. Here are ten ways to enjoy one of the city’s most pleasant neighborhoods.
Spinelli's Market
4621 East 23rd Avenue
Spinelli's Market was Westword readers' 2025 pick for Best Specialty Market. Opened in 1994, this family-owned Italian-style deli and market is the place to source both basic groceries and gourmet goodies, including imported bronze die-cut Italian pastas, fresh produce and snacks. But the real action is in the back, where the deli whips up specialty sandwiches, including a Thanksgiving-themed delight with roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and smoked gouda. Thirsty? Spinelli's Beer, Wine & Spirits is right next door.
Take a Self-Guided Walking Tour
Park Hill’s historic district encompasses 32 leafy blocks with architecture ranging from Victorian to Mid-century Modern, Moorish Revival to Gothic. The annual Park Hill Home Tour & Street Fair happens every September (this year it’s on the 28th), allowing ticketed visitors to enter some of the most magnificent structures and everyone to enjoy a fun-filled street fair. In 2020, being indoors was out, and Greater Park Hill created a walk-or-bike-it-yourself flyer with a map and information about the most notable homes, schools, churches, public and commercial buildings in the area. Some highlights include the Craftsman home at 4040 Montview Boulevard — come for the architecture, stay for the scandalous society murder — Park Hill’s Carnegie Library and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. A gorgeous example of Spanish Revival architecture, St. Thomas was one of Denver’s first racially integrated churches and one of the first to give women and girls roles as clerics and acolytes. You can download the walking tour guide here.
Get the scoop on summer all year long with a cone from Nuggs.
File photo
5135 East Colfax Avenue
Get the scoop on summer all year long with a cone from Nuggs, an Eastside favorite operated by Brothers BBQ owners Chris and Nick O'Sullivan. (It was crowned Best Ice Cream Shop in Westword's 2019 Best of Denver and voted the Readers' Choice winner in 2022.) Try creative flavors like Pablo's Danger Monkey, made with coffee from local indie roaster Pablo's, go big with a Banana Split, or tuck into one of the city’s best ice cream sandwiches. Still scream for more ice cream? In the warmer months, get thee to Em’s (2829 Fairfax Street), and pray that Burnt Brown Sugar is on the handcrafted rotating menu. If, like Westword Food Editor Molly Martin, you have a soft spot for soft-serve, Dang (2211 Oneida Street) will hit the (soft) spot.
City Park
17th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard
Park Hill enjoys 330 acres of open space and attractions just across Colorado Boulevard, making it the neighborhood's back yard. In addition to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the zoo and the City Park Golf Course, the park is home to one of the city's premier free events, City Park Jazz. Running every Sunday evening from June 1 through August 3, the free concerts attract audiences of every demographic, all united in the joy that is relaxing on a blanket or in a lawn chair, enjoying a beverage or four, and listening to music with family, friends and neighbors.
Bistro Barbès and Bistro Vendôme
5021 East 28th Avenue and 2267 Kearney Street, respectively
Non! We refuse to choose, and you can't go wrong at either of these French beauties. At Barbès, the space is tiny, but Chef Jon Robbins' flavors are très grand, taking discriminating diners to Paris via the Mediterranean and North Africa with a four-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons. Park Hill mourned the loss of long-time favorite Tables in 2022, but Larimer Square landmark Bistro Vendôme stepped into the space, bringing two decades of classic French cuisine to the neighborhood — and walking away with Westword's 2024 Readers' Choice for Best French Restaurant. Bonus: Two doors down from Bistro Vendôme you'll find our 2024 Best of Denver pick for Best Latin Restaurant, Lucina.
Park Hill Community Bookstore
4620 East 23rd Avenue
While big brick-and-mortars like Tattered Cover find themselves on shaky ground and beloved community institutions like the Mercury Cafe pass into memory, this plucky little community bookstore has been going strong for more than 50 years. Incorporated in 1971 (the same year as Tattered Cover), it's the oldest continuously operating non-profit bookstore in the metro, offering 17,000 mostly used books on three floors. Entirely staffed by volunteers, it's a favorite community hang, seven days a week.
Opened in 2001 on what was then a very gnarly block of Colfax, Mod Livin' is under new ownership but still has the same cool retro retail vibe.
Kyle Harris
5327 East Colfax Avenue
If you're still in your Mad Men era, this stylish emporium of mid-century modern design is the closest Denver comes to a three-martini lunch with Don Draper. Opened in 2001 on what was then a very gnarly block of Colfax, the store is under new ownership but still has the same cool retro retail vibe. The 10,000 square foot showroom features a curated selection of new and vintage furniture, lighting and accessories. Don't skip a trip down to the basement, where savvy shoppers may find just what they're looking for, at a price that's right.
Oneida Park
Oneida Street between 22nd and 23rd Avenues
Seven restaurants and seven businesses on one cool city block has made Oneida Park a go-to meet-up spot for Park Hill neighbors, including their furry friends. The Zen Den Pet Spa has groomers and a wide assortment of toys, treats and other necessities, while people can get their grooming needs taken care of at Beauty Bee Salon and Love Fashion Nails. The gang hangs and noshes at Ester's, Dang, Illegal Pete's and other eateries, and picks up something to throw on the grill later from The Local Butcher Market. Plenty of parking, plenty of patio space, a play area for kids, live Saturday night music in the summer and plenty of special events ... do we really need anything else?
Buy your neighbor a beer (and mark it on the board) at this low-key local brewery where everyone knows everyone.
Long Table Brewhouse
2895 Fairfax Street
Buy your neighbor a beer (and mark it on the board) at this low-key local brewery where everyone knows everyone, but visitors are still accorded all the benefits and privileges of a regular at Long Table Brewhouse. (Okay, you may not get added to the group chat right away ... but that may be for the best.) The GABF award-winning, seven-barrel brewhouse doesn't have its own kitchen, but there are daily food trucks and neighbors like Sexy Pizza, Trellis Wine Bar and Em’s Ice Cream are happy to provide eats to enjoy indoors or on the large, wraparound patio.
Neighbors Park Hill
2202 Kearney Street
Thirty wines by the glass? Yes, please! Since opening in 2011, this cozy spot has drawn fans from all over the city. In addition to the friendly, no-attitude vibe of both patrons and staff, Neighbors boasts on-point cocktails, eclectic charcuterie and small plate offerings, and a particularly well-curated wine list. People who usually say "no" to dessert may change their minds when contemplating the chocolate cake ... or just skip straight to the generous list of dessert wines, along with brandies, sherries, armagnacs, grappas and ports.
