Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Ironton

The 1880s were a heady time of optimism and expansion in Denver. The arrival of the railroads in the 1870s had fostered a sense of permanence - the rough frontier town was here to stay. Industries sprouted along the rail lines, and men looking for jobs followed. As the city's population exploded, real estate developers set to work.
William D. Todd, a prominent businessman who had extensive real estate holdings in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, platted the Ironton Addition in 1881. Bounded by the Platte River on the west, Union Pacific rail lines on the east, 38th Avenue to the north and 32nd Avenue to the south, Ironton featured small plots for houses close to the factories, foundries and rail yards. In an era before streetcars or automobiles, it was a selling point that a person could walk to his job. Blocks of neat, cozy homes lay adjacent to heavy industries - 
Denver Fire Clay (33rd and Blake), Colorado Iron Works (34th and Wynkoop), the Ironton Machine Company (36th and Wynkoop) and the Union Pacific
It wasn't all work - the Ironton Social Club is listed at 3419 Delgany. 
A handsome school building was constructed at 36th and Delgany in 1890, part of the Denver Public School system, and some children attended Annunciation School in the Cole neighborhood (34th and Humboldt).
The industries that attracted workers eventually overtook the neighborhood, and families moved away. 
Today, the area is undergoing a metamorphosis with former factories and foundries being adapted by artists for studios and living spaces. Ironton is now part of the vibrant River North District, or RiNo, adjacent to Globeville and Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
RiNo Neighborhood


This jewell on Brighton Boulevard, photo 






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