“Irreplaceable” Depression-Era Plaque Honoring Road to Red Rocks Stolen

A historic bronze plaque installed in Lakewood to honor Great Depression-era workers was stolen from its display earlier this month, according to police and the area’s business improvement district.

The plaque was placed at the intersection of West Alameda Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard ninety years ago to honor the Works Progress Administration and the 5,000 WPA workers who helped extend Alameda Parkway to Red Rocks Amphitheatre — another federal project intended to help spur the local workforce during the Depression.

Red Rocks, as we know it, didn’t open until 1941 and looked pretty different back then, but the WPA effort laid the tracks for what is today a relatively easy route to one of the country’s most popular music venues. It also commemorates “collaboration between federal, state and local governments to provide steady work to thousands of Coloradans during that time of high unemployment,” according to the Alameda Corridor Business Improvement District.

Lakewood Police Department public information officer John Romero says the plaque was first reported stolen on April 10. Romero says that police understand that the bronze plaque has historic value, and “we’re continuing to investigate.”

The Alameda Corridor Business Improvement District believes the bronze Depression-era plaque may have been stolen “by individuals facing their own modern economic instability” for scrap resale value.

“This marker was intended as a permanent record of the New Deal legacy Franklin Roosevelt built and what social programs and public investment can achieve,” Alameda Corridor Business Improvement District Executive Director Tom Quinn says. “It is a somber reflection that trends indicate it was stripped for scrap by those for whom social safety nets were established to prevent this kind of desperate act.” 

Less than two weeks after the historic Lakewood plaque was stolen, a 200-pound steel sculpture of a man lying down was stolen from a front yard in Denver’s Congress Park neighborhood. The sculpture, made by artist Caroline Del Giudice, was taken in the middle of the night from her parents’ home.

But stealing an “irreplaceable” government plaque comes with federal consequences, according to the business district, and stealing, damaging or possessing one “results in significant felony penalties.”

“Reputable scrap yards in Colorado are legally required to document sellers and are trained to flag items like this, and any attempt to sell the plaque should hopefully trigger a report to Lakewood Police,” the Alameda business district adds.

Anyone with information about the theft is encouraged to reach out to Lakewood detective Kaylee Forington at kaylee.forington@lakewoodco.gov.