February 2024

A Message from our Executive Director

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Business Member of the Month

Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center (PSL)

Long time CHUN business member, Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center is a 680-bed hospital that shares a campus with Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. For morn than 30 years, Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center has served the Uptown community as well as the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains areas. 

Their recognition includes:

• American Heart Association's Gold or Gold Plus Performance Achievement Awarded every year since 2003 for excellence in cardiac care
• Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery™ in 2022

Their specialty services include surgery, orthopedics, women's health, neurology, emergency care, and pediatric care.

Be on the look out for a special tour of PSL for our neighbors soon! 

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CHUN News and Updates

CHUN Announces Five New Board Members

Please join us in welcoming our five new, dynamic board members.  They were all approved by vote at our Annual Member Board Meeting in January.

Robert Felton

Jessa Forthofer

Emily Hazen

Archer Squire

Matt Stolwyk

Robert Felton's pronouns are He/Him and he lives in a condo on a corner in Capitol Hill. He, his partner, and his dog Kaia know all the employees of local cafes and stores, and many of his neighbors from his annual garage sale. Robert married his partner at the beautiful Cheesman Park and loves his neighborhood. Robert is dedicated to helping raise funds and increase involvement. He is very experienced in marketing, sales, and event planning and plans to bring this to his work for CHUN. He is excited to meet and represent new friends from his favorite neighborhoods in Denver!

Jessa Forthofer has lived in Capitol Hill for a decade after growing up in Aurora and attending the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has been a high school teacher for over 15 years, and she enjoys running, listening to audiobooks, playing board games, walking her dog, and spending time in the mountains (during the summer, not the winter!). Jessa has an interest in urban planning, walkable communities, and bike infrastructure. She looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to all the great work done by CHUN.

Emily Hazen earned a Masters of Architecture and Masters of Preservation Studies from Tulane University, as well as an MBA from the University of Memphis. She has a passion for adaptive reuse and contextually sensitive urban infill.  Emily has been entrepreneurial from the start.  Her businesses have ranged from landscape design with focus on edible and native gardens to neighborhood development. She believes effective engagement is local.  Cities will evolve- the question is whether these changes will be strategic. Emily joined the Board to support CHUN’s strong voice within the narrative of the city.

Archer Squire is a recently out Trans, architectural designer at Radix Design. He has lived in Colorado for 11 years, and holds both a Bachelors and a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Colorado-Denver. Archer works professionally in restoring historic homes and adding contextually affirming architecture to many of the CHUN neighborhoods. His goals personally and professionally are to be engaged in the community and to support this large area of Denver to help protect our architecture and advocate for permanent
supportive/affordable housing.

Matt Stolwyk and his wife have lived in Congress Park for 7 years and spend their time at the Botanic Gardens, PS Lounge, Jazz in the Park, and slowly eating their way down Colfax. They are involved with DPS and Dry Bones, a local organization for homeless teens. Professionally, he initiates relationships and closes new business for Salesforce, an enterprise software provider - biking downtown in the summer and taking the 15 in the winter. He started his career as an analyst for a large investment bank after studying economics and Chinese at the University of Denver.

​Local Groups Get 2024 SEED Awards to Support Community-based Projects that Promote Neighborhood Engagement

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods’ (CHUN) recognized four deserving groups in the Greater Capitol Hill neighborhood to receive community funds from its SEED awards program. CHUN recognized this year’s honorees at its January Annual Board meeting.
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The 2024 SEED award recipients are:

• Denver Park Trust to help fund the annual Parks, Rivers, Trails and Trees clean-up event at Cheesman Park.
• Our Savior’s Lutheran Church to support their Helping Hands sidewalk events and purchase of essential products for those experiencing homelessness.
• Traillionaires Foundation Youth & Community Development to help them serve underprivileged and underserved youth of color.
• Urban Servant Corps to provide professional development for their full-time volunteers.

Thanks to CHUN’s strategic endowment strategy managed by the Denver Foundation, it is able to provide a $1,000 award to each recipient this year.  Since the program’s inception in 2019, more than $25,000 has been directed to the community.

Denver Park & Trust

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

Traillionaires Foundation

Urban Servant Corps

​Good Things Are Happening in the Neighborhood

​To recognize nonprofit organizations, individuals, or businesses for outstanding contributions to the greater Capitol Hill community, CHUN also announced its 2024 Good Neighbor Award recipients.
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The 2024 Good Neighborhood Award Recipients are:

• Andrew Rogge, our outgoing Vice President of the Tears-McFarlane House. He received the Tom Knorr Award for exceptional dedication and community spirit in his work to help preserve the history, help manage the rezoning and set up the future for this historic home.
• Robert Ehmann, Docent, Historic Denver, received the Historic Preservation Award for his dedication to preserving Denver’s rich historic past with his well-researched walking tours for Historic Denver and CHUN.
• Bonanno Concepts received the Neighborhood Character Award for preserving and developing the neighborhood character of its spaces at the corner of 7th and Grant in Capitol Hill.
• Chrysalis Apartments / Radix Design received the Affordable & Accessible Housing / Addressing Homelessness Award for their contributions to address homelessness and ensuring accessible, affordable housing in our neighborhoods with their redevelopment of the property at 1777 N. Franklin.
• TherapyDirect received the Neighborhood Safety Award for their commitment to offering low barrier access to mental health services in our community.

February 6: History Matters Committee Meeting

History does matter! It is our committee's goal to share historical perspectives on the greater Capitol Hill neighborhood and to work to preserve the past in ways that can be adaptable to future needs. We are grateful for the work that has been done to landmark individual properties such as CHUN's home at the Tears McFarlane House (TMH), which was built in 1895 and recently renovated with a partnership that CHUN entered into with City Street Investors. CHUN's goal has been to maintain the property's historical integrity and also to restore its glory and add uses for the benefit of the community. The TMH is located at 1290 Williams Street and it is part of the Wyman Historic District (see story below).

Next meeting of History Matters is on Zoom from 6-7 pm on February 6. Agenda scheduled to include:

• Landmark Commission Updates
• Presentation on historic Colfax sites and oddities
• Update on development of Franklin and Colfax site

If you are a CHUN member in good standing who would like to attend, send an inquiry to [email protected].

March 14: Urban Planning Committee Meeting

Colorado State Representative Steven Woodrow of District 2, which includes parts of CHUN's neighborhoods in Alamo Placita, Country Club and Cheesman Park, will present at the March Urban Planning meeting regarding the land use bills moving through the legislature this session.

The major land use bill championed by Governor Jared Polis was killed by the clock in the 2023 session. Elements of that large bill have been broken up and are expected to be introduced as smaller pieces of legislation.

Steven will give us an overview of those bills and their progress at the meeting to be held at the Tear McFarlane House.  Members in good standing are welcome to attend ​and can send an inquiry to [email protected].

CHUN History Matters Moment: Wyman Historic District 

Named a Historic District in 1993, the Wyman Historic District is a thriving, diverse, and well-loved part of Capitol Hill in Denver. The Tears-McFarlane house sits in the Wyman Historic District.

It got its start when George Fryer, who was the first to discover silver in Leadville purchased this section of land for $200 from Elias G. Matham and then turned around and sold it for $3,000 to John H. Wyman in 1866. It wasn't until 1882 that the area was officially platted with streets and lots, and now is bordered by Franklin to the west, York to the east, East 17th Avenue to the north, and East 13th Avenue to the south.

Most of the homes in the Wyman Addition were built between 1882 and 1896 in grand Victorian style by noted architects William Lang, Frank Edbrooke and Robert Roeschlaub. It was later that Post-Victorian and Early Modern homes and apartments were built. It was considered a premier area to live due to the beautiful homes being built and its hilltop position a safe distance from Cherry Creek and the South Platte River floods. The Wyman addition was also just far enough away from the Capitol and downtown that many later residents took streetcars to and from their grand homes on the routes built along Colfax, York, and Broadway.

Bruce Caughey, Co-Chair, CHUN History Matters Committee

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January Urban Planning Committee Focuses on Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project Updates

​On January 11, the Urban Planning Committee hosted a meeting focused on the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (commonly known as BRT) project that will have shovels in the ground later this year. Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer presented the design overlay around the bus stops that recently moved through council. This overlay discourages motor vehicle uses, such as drive throughs, while encouraging a pedestrian friendly experience.

We heard from Frank Locantore, of the Colfax Business Improvement District, who discussed his efforts to diminish the small business interruption effects of the construction of the BRT, and other efforts to make Colfax, in his words, “less fancy, more fun.”

We also heard from Susan Powers of Urban Ventures, who is at work on behalf of The Colorado Health Foundation to design and build a major affordable housing campus in Uptown that will offer many amenities, infrastructure for children, and supportive services.

CHUN Supports Landmark Designation for 1741 Gaylord Street

CHUN offered a​ letter of support and gave testimony in front of the Denver Landmark Commission to support the Landmark Designation application for 1741 Gaylord Street that has been filed on its merits. It is our hope that there is a long-term solution for this home so that it is here for future generations and to allow for adaptive reuse of the spaces around it. It is always difficult to support an owner- opposed landmarking, but we believe that if people approach this decision with the care it deserves that we can work together to find a new and permanent solution. 

​RESULT: The Landmark Designation was applied to this property and was upheld by the Denver City Council despite owner opposition. This was a big win for historic preservation in our neighborhood!

CHUN Celebrates Black History Month 

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods is excited to highlight the various activies going on around the city celebrating Black History Month. Please click the link below to find ways we can connect as a community to celebrate this month. 

Click here to find ways to honor and celebrate Black History Month in Greater Capitol Hill and beyond!

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Denver and Colorado News and Updates

Stopping Auto Thefts in their Tracks

Around 30 cars are stolen every day in our city. In January, Mayor Mike Johnston announced a new strategy for fighting auto thefts in Denver. 

The plan includes:

• Dedicating a team of detectives to focus solely on auto theft
• Building a network of automated license plate recognition devices to help locate vehicles involved in crimes 
• Retrofitting frequently stolen vehicle models with anti-theft software 
• Encouraging the use of the DenverTrack program, which helps find stolen vehicles
• Restoring the police department to full strength and increasing patrols

​click here for auto theft prevention tips

Radon Action Month - Get Your Free Test

Radon is a silent killer that could be seeping into your home without your knowledge.

​Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the United States and is responsible for approximately 500 lung cancer deaths annually in Colorado. It is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in the soil that can enter your home from the soil beneath it.

The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) encourages residents to test their homes for the dangerous gas every two to three years to prevent adverse health effects from radon. Free tests are available from the State of Colorado to be ordered online.

FREE Downtown Denver Skating Rink Open Until February 11

JANUARY 8–FEBRUARY 11
Mon–Thurs: 12PM–5P
Fri–Sat: 10AM–10PM
Sun: 11AM–6PM
Super Bowl Sunday: 11AM-3PM

​Bring your own skates or rent on site.

City Disability Commission Needs Your Voice!

The Denver Commission for People with Disabilities (DCPD) is actively recruiting for new members.  DCPD has an opportunity to make a difference for community members with disabilities.

The mission of the Denver Division of Human Rights and Community Partnership disability commission is to promote and enhance equality for people with disabilities through empowerment, advocacy, and education by working with community members, as well as City and County of Denver officials and employees who can effect change.

​The DCPD meets on the first Tuesday of every month by Zoom. Click here for more information.