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, 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.