Wake-Up Call: Civic Center's past, present, future

Past, present and future all meet in Civic Center, the park at the heart of the city. To get a real feel for the park now, head to Civic Center Eats, the weekly marketplace that runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday in the summer. But stick around,...

By Patricia Calhoun

August 17, 2009

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Past, present and future all meet in Civic Center, the park at the heart of the city. To get a real feel for the park now, head to Civic Center Eats, the weekly marketplace that runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday in the summer. But stick around, because on August 18, the Central Public Library, the landmark on the south edge of Civic Center, will host a public forum on the future of the Denver Public Library in these tough economic times.

Then on Wednesday, on the eastern edge of Civic Center, the Colorado Historical Society presents a groundbreaking for the new Colorado History Museum. A year ago, there was a proposal to put that facility underground at Civic Center, digging up a large swath of the park in the process. But now it will stand strong a block to the south, bolstering this public space in the heart of the city and freeing up its former home for an expansion of the judicial complex.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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