Whittier Neighborhood (Denver, Colorado)

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Whittier is one of Denver's oldest residential neighborhoods created during the period of booming real estate growth in Denver from the late 1870s up to 1893. Its development began in anticipation of the city's connection with the transcontinental railroad and the growth of Colorado's rail network.

Whittier grew from the 1870s through the early twentieth century. Streetcar service connecting the area to the central business district made Whittier more attractive for residential building. By 1905, Whittier was served by three streetcar lines. During the early twentieth century, Whittier was one of a limited number of neighborhoods which accommodated black residents. By the 1930s, the area was a focus for the African American community and some of its most prominent leaders were Whittier residents. African American migration into the neighborhood began intensively about 1910. High Street in the Whittier area was the dividing line between African American and white residential areas.

During the 1930s, economic conditions forced many of the owners of larger homes to convert their properties to boarding and apartment homes. This accelerated changes in the neighborhood's population, introducing more boarders and renters to the area. Following World War II, the neighborhood's population declined dramatically and the physical deterioration of homes became a serious problem. The Great Society and Model Cities programs had a profound impact on the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s. Whittier became the first federal urban renewal rehabilitation program in Denver to address blighting conditions. Dilapidated units were demolished and the historic integrity of the neighborhood's built environment was reduced. During the 1970s and 1980s, the value of the area's historic housing was rediscovered, and a new appreciation for the Whittier Neighborhood as one of Denver's historic residential areas grew.

The neighborhood today reflects a mixture of late nineteenth and early twentieth century homes and residential structures erected during urban renewal efforts in more recent years, together with pleasant parks, small businesses, churches and schools. The neighborhood is racially diverse with Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites composing the population. A combination of proximity to downtown, parks and a public golf course in addition to a housing stock of early twentieth century homes of craftsman architecture at reasonable prices is driving an influx of young professionals and their families to the neighborhood.

whittierneighborhood.org